Basement Pantries and Root Cellars

Recent world events remind us that having an extra spot to store emergency food supplies is critical to the safety of your family. If you use this space in your Indianapolis, IN home for stocking up when you find good prices, you can also protect your budget.

Make sure your basement is watertight

Before you store food in your basement, take the time to review the space after a hard rain. You need to be sure that the space is watertight. If you have a root cellar, you may notice a bit of moisture or a damp smell. 

Adding a dehumidifier may be a good idea to prepare the space. If your basement is wet after a rain, it could simply be a drainage problem. The professionals at Gutter Helmet can help you confirm that precipitation is draining away from your home.

Choose storage with easy access

A basement pantry that is hard to get into will not give you the most efficient access to your emergency food stores. If your basement is small, it may make more sense to use shelving instead of cabinets in your pantry there.

To put your basement pantry together quickly, schedule an appointment with SafeRacks. Look for ways to hang your garden harvest and use elevated shelving to store extra canned goods.

Keep things organized

To make sure that the food you store in your basement gets used in a timely fashion, label shelving to avoid clutter getting in the way. Everything that you store in your food pantry has to have a designated spot, or you will quickly be overrun with empty jars and errant plastic grocery bags. 

Prevent pests from getting at your food

If your house has a crawl space as well as a root cellar, there's a chance that you will end up dealing with rodents. Review the outside of your home in the spring, summer and fall. Prune vines, bushes and weeds that may shield rodents that want to get into your home once the weather turns cold. 

If you have shelving set on the floor, make sure to give yourself enough room behind the unit to check for droppings. As soon as you see signs of an infestation, reach out to a professional so that you can keep these pests away from your food source. Even if all you are storing in your basement is canned goods, rodents will do their best to make themselves comfortable in a warm part of your house.

Protect your family and wallet with a well-stocked pantry

Adding a pantry will give you peace of mind. As you stock your space, keep an eye out for signs of pests. Use a dehumidifier to keep excess moisture from causing corrosion, mold or rot. Look for more pantry tips from The Home Mag on Facebook and Instagram.