10 Things You Should Never Store Under Your Bed

If you’re short on storage space, the area under your bed may seem like a practical spot to stow items such as those seasonal shoes or boots, mementos you just can’t seem to toss, or items you just want to keep out of sight. However, there are some things to consider. Here are 10 things that don’t belong under your bed.

Under the bed may be a good hiding spot for your toddler, but that isn’t the case when it comes to important documents such as your birth certificate, tax forms and passport. Not only will you have to dig underneath your bed whenever you need one of these items, but burglars tend to head right to the bedroom and look under the bed in search of valuable items, according to Butler Durrell Security, a family and business security company in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Unless you have a bed with built-in dresser drawers, never keep items you use all the time under your bed such as socks, underwear, T-shirts or pajamas. The last thing you’ll want to do every morning is search under the bed for the right pair of socks or your favorite concert T-shirt. If you do keep clothing under the bed, make sure it’s seasonal, such as long underwear or that ugly Christmas sweater.

While we’re on the subject of clothing, unless they are kept in vacuum-sealed bags, avoid keeping bulky clothing under your bed as it will take up quite a bit of room. Those big winter jackets and snow pants are probably best kept in a closet, away from where you keep your year-round clothing.

A final word on the topic of clothing: If you do keep any clothing items under your bed, make sure they are in storage boxes. Not only will storage boxes help keep everything neatly in place, but they’ll also help protect your clothing from dust, mites, and clothing moths. Yuck!

The area under your bed may seem like a great spot to store a birthday gift for a loved one or seasonal decor, but it can also become a black hole for things you hide and then forget about. This can lead to unnecessary clutter, the one thing you may be trying to avoid by storing items under your bed in the first place!

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Storing anything that’s heavy or awkwardly shaped under your bed can be a recipe for injuries. Imagine trying to pull out a heavy bin or storage box only to throw your back out in the process. Plus, any time you keep heavy items in a storage bin you risk scratching the floor since the bin itself is weighed down.

Perhaps you couldn’t say no to taking Grandma’s fancy china or your aunt’s coffee mug collection. However, the space under your bed isn’t a place to keep breakables. Not only could you break these items if you attempt to move them, but you could hurt yourself in the process if these items break and you end up cutting yourself. Ouch!

If you do keep storage containers under your bed, make sure they have wheels on the bottom. This will help keep your floors in good shape, plus, you’ll be able to move them around more easily and pull them out to find what you need, when you need it.

The space under your bed may be a good spot to store extra linens such as sheets, blankets and towels, but only if you don’t need them all the time. For instance, if you have a tendency to get cold when you sleep, the last thing you’ll want to do is hunt for that extra blanket under your bed in the middle of the night. However, if you have seasonal sheets, blankets, or towels you don’t use all the time, storing them in a sealed container under your bed may work just fine.

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You should never store anything under your bed, according to some decluttering experts. In fact, Vicky Silverthorn told Good Housekeeping that she purposely keeps the space under her bed free of any clutter, and she sleeps better because of it. “My advice would be to only store items under the bed if it is a simple category and is simply organized, such as your seasonal clothing or items you only wear on your holidays.”