Tossing stuff under the bed was the fastest solution when we were kids but some habits never die, do they?
From documents to boxes with clothes, shoes or electronics, there’s nothing people don’t stash under their beds. After all, what better place to hide stuff that you don’t use on a regular basis?
Surprisingly, the place most of us are using as a storage spot is not really the best of places. That’s because certain things can affect the air quality in a room. Not to mention they can get damaged by being crammed in a tighter place.
Read on to find out what you should never store under the bed!
Luggage
One item that most people put under the bed is luggage. If we were to check under your bed right now, would we find one too?
Unfortunately, luggage can be the culprit for all the dust in the bedroom that’s making you sneeze all the time. According to Artem Kropovinsky, an interior designer and founder of Arsight, “keeping luggage under the bed can make it challenging to clean and vacuum the area, leading to a buildup of dust and allergens.”
Rather than hiding them in your bedroom, find a more spacious storage area, say the attic, and keep it there, where it won’t negatively affect the air quality.
Speaking of storage spaces, Never Store These 7 Objects in Your Attic.
Important documents
All those with important papers stored under the bed say Ay! If you’re like most people, you probably have your birth certificate and those of your family members, as well as passports and other documents safely stored in a special file under the bed.
According to Olivia Parks, lead organizer and owner of Professional Organizer New Orleans, it might be time to change the hiding spot. The reason behind this recommendation is that such important documents should be protected as much as possible from damage, moisture, mold, etc. Also, they should be kept in accessible places, in case of emergency.
Read also: Home Cleaning: Get Rid of These 18 Items if Your House Is Driving You Nuts
Never store shoes
“I have enough shoes, said no one ever”. If you’re the happy owner of a big storage space for your shoes, good for you. But if you stuff your pairs of shoes under the bed, it’s bad for your footwear but also for you.
Why? Because they can get all dusty and too much dust leads to discoloration and deterioration. More than that, “limited space and potential overcrowding can crush shoes,” warns Parks.
A better storage place would be in shoe racks or boxes in a closet or entryway. If you lack proper storage, you can put your shoes in a shoe organizer to keep them safe.
Electronics
It might seem like a good idea to store your old stereo system or laptop under the bed, to keep them safe. Apart from the fact that they’ll never get to see the light of day ever again, it’s not really safe to keep them there as they represent fire hazards. Not to mention they can deteriorate by temperature, dust, moisture, and whatnot.
According to Leslie Kilgour, personal organizer and founder of Get It Straight, electronics stashed under the bed can be easily stolen by thieves because they are easier to find and grab. Electronics should be kept in dedicated storage spaces, in a dry environment, and protected against direct sunlight.
Things that are too big
It’s tempting to hide the things you no longer use or the ones that can’t seem to fit anywhere else, under your bed. But guess what? Just because you cram everything in there doesn’t mean they fit in that place. Admit it! You’ve probably got a squished cardboard box under your bed right now, don’t you?
Instead of turning your bed into a cover for all the junk you don’t know what to do with anymore, try sticking to its real purpose: the place where you sleep.
Stashing piles of items under the bed the makes also makes it very difficult to clean and vacuum that area; in time it will only make things worse for you in terms of dust buildup and poor air quality.
Never store weapons
Whether we’re talking about stun guns, tasers or firearms, such dangerous items should definitely not be stored under a bed. Firstly, they can be easily found by a child or even an adult who doesn’t know how to properly use them. Secondly, if you keep them under the bed to protect yourself from intruders, you might mistake a family member for an intruder and use the weapon on them if woken up in a confused state.
Weapons should always be kept in locked spaces, like safes or security cases. Additionally, they should be unloaded before being put inside.
Clothes
As a general rule, clothes should be stored in dedicated storage boxes to avoid dust accumulation. The most practical boxes should open on top. One other thing! If you do store your seasonal clothes under the bed, don’t hide bulky sweaters and jackets. These take up too much space and won’t allow you to put away other items that actually fit under there.
The best solution for bulky clothing is to put them in vacuum-sealed bags, in areas where you don’t have a space issue.
Since we’re on the subject of clothes, maybe it’s time you declutter instead of store. Here are 10 Crucial Things to Declutter In Autumn!
Nostalgia (as per Feng Shui experts)
If you’re interested in creating a positive and prosperous environment in your bedroom, you have to start by eliminating the items with negative vibes. According to Feng Shui experts, nostalgic items such as old clothes, photos, souvenirs, and broken items kept under your bed can leave old or bad energy so it’s best to get rid of them.
Not only can such items cause sleeping problems but they can adversely impact your mental, emotional and physical state.
Non-canned food items
If you’ve gone on a shopping spree and ended up with one too many tubs of peanut butter or your favorite waffles, storing them under your bed is not really the best idea. Unless you want to have some uninvited company such as ants. And where there are ants, other insects will soon follow, such as spiders. For that, you might want to take a look at these 10 Cleaning Habits That Are Inviting Spiders Into Your Home.
According to Lisa Zaslow, a certified professional organizer and founder of Gotham Organizers in New York City, plastic storage items such as bags or lids can still be breached by ants, roaches and rodents. How funny do you think it would be to try and grab a midnight snack and run into Mickey Mouse’s cousin?
