3 Things You Should Stop Storing Beneath Your Bed Right Now
It's so convenient to stuff things under the bed in bedrooms, where it is out of sight, out of mind and not cluttering up the whole room. People have stored stuff under their beds since way back in 3000 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians raised their mattresses off the ground (probably to avoid being bit by poisonous snakes and other unmentionable creatures), according to Fast Company.
Why do we cram things under the bed? It's a great place, seemingly, to store stuff we don't need on a regular basis, like out-of-season clothing. It's just another storage space for many, but there are some things you shouldn't be keeping under your bed. Even if you have one of those fancy beds with drawers underneath, this may not be the best option for the following stuff.
Aside from compromising the stuff under your bed by keeping it there, Tidymalism says that storing stuff in this particular place is bad for other reasons, too. It assists in blocking airflow, which keeps your mattress from being able to dry out after sweaty nights of sleep. It also messes up the feng shui of your space.
Important papers
Aside from the fact that under-bed areas are a haven for dust and bugs, you don't really want to keep paper products in this space because it's one of the first places thieves will check out when they break into your home, according to Ambassador Locksmiths. They'll check between the mattress and the box spring, as well as under the entire bed to see what's tucked in that immense space.
Instead of storing those important papers in such a vulnerable area, you may want to invest in a safe that will help protect your precious items from robbers and protect things like birth certificates and passports from potential house fires. Closets offer a great place to store a safe, where you can get at it when you need something from inside, according to Fort Knox Vaults. Which closet depends on the size of your safe — if it's heavy, keep it on the main floor of your home.
Clothing that's not properly stored
Since clothing lives in bedroom closets, for the most part, we tend to store stuff that is too big, too small, or out of season in other areas of the bedroom, including under the bed. For the most part, storing clothing that you don't regularly use under your bed is a good idea, according to Home Storage Solutions 101. It's a temperature-controlled area, won't get too dry, making fabrics brittle, and won't get too moist, causing mold to grow.
When it comes to storing clothing under the bed, you need to keep in mind how you're storing it. While plastic totes are fine, as long as they seal tightly, you want to be sure that they're on wheels so that it's easy to get them in and out from under the bed when the seasons change. Better yet, use a vacuum sealing bagging system to store your stuff safely from bugs and dust. You'll want to do this even if you have a storage bed with drawers because it can get dusty inside too.
Anything heavy or breakable
Storing heavy stuff under the bed is just asking for injuries, as Times Square Chronicles states. Not only do you risk hurting yourself when you're trying to get weights and other heavy stuff out from under the bed, but you may also damage your floors in the process. So it's just not worth it.
Another thing Times Square Chronicles says to avoid keeping under the bed are breakable items. Breakables tucked under there is just a bad idea for a few reasons. First, they're not being well cared for in this storage space (what if your bed frame breaks and crushes the stuff?). Broken items are a big risk when stored in a space where you have to struggle to get them out when the time comes. Plus, these items will get dusty and dirty even in a box.
And, on top of all of those downsides, if your breakables break, you could end up cutting yourself when you try to get them out or unpack them.