Can I store clothing in a dry unfinished basement?

March 25, 2017 1:18 PM

Can I store clothing hanging on an uncovered rack in a dry unfinished basement with no humidity or moisture but lots of spiders, or am I better off just buying plastic bins? What about shoes and toys? Everything I have read on the subject deals with the assumption that the basement is wet, which mine is not at all because I live in the desert.

I have an unfinished basement in a newer house, in a mostly dry area with low humidity and no moisture in the basement. The floor is concrete and the walls have bare wood beams and insulation covered by plastic. The whole basement is wide open with large, uncovered windows letting in plenty of daylight.

I store my children's out-of-season and upsized clothes to grow into on an expandable portable (uncovered) clothing rack. It used to be in a spare room upstairs but that room is now in use so the rack has recently been moved to the basement, where it is kept in a well-lit and well-ventilated area. The clothes are hanging on hangers on the rack and they don't touch the floor or the wall. There are several coats and jackets, but I don't believe there is any wool or silk - kids' clothes are mostly cotton, polyester, spandex, etc. with some faux fur on the coats.

I'd prefer to store the clothing on the rack because I don't want to spend a small fortune buying plastic bins, not to mention the space that bins take up versus the rack, and the clothes stay in better condition hanging on the rack than smashed flat in bins. I can manage the system better when it's visible and organized on the rack, ensuring we get the most use out of the items. However, I'm also concerned about potential moth or insect damage. There are quite a few spiders in the basement, lots of black house crickets, pill bugs, beetles, millipedes, and occasionally moths during the summer. I have never actually seen moth larva or moth damage in my house.

I also have the kids' shoes stored in shoeboxes in the basement, and some of them probably contain leather, glue, etc. In addition, I have books and toys being stored in cardboard boxes on the floor. The cardboard boxes probably aren't a good idea, though.

posted by AMom15 to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

I've stored my kids' stuff that way for years with no problem.
posted by selfmedicating at 1:20 PM on March 25, 2017

uncovered windows letting in plenty of daylight

This is the main factor that would convince me to put everything in plastic bins. That much sunlight can cause colors to fade.

Of course, you could just keep everything on the rack and throw a sheet over that, too.
posted by mochapickle at 1:52 PM on March 25, 2017 [3 favorites]

Have you looked into those space saving vacuum bags? They have versions specifically meant to hang clothes and they are pretty inexpensive. You can place your clothes inside and you don't HAVE to vacuum seal them. Essentially use them as cheap, clear garment bags that seal.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 1:59 PM on March 25, 2017

I would cover the windows and not give it a second thought.
posted by Marinara at 3:17 PM on March 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Do you really want spiders making a home in your kids' clothing? Invest in the bins.
posted by greta simone at 4:00 PM on March 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'd throw a sheet over it, it'll keep the dust and many of the bugs off and protect it from the sun.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:05 PM on March 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Do you really want spiders making a home in your kids' clothing? Invest in the bins.

Presumably they have access to a washing machine should that become an issue.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:09 PM on March 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you want something more buttoned up than throwing a sheet (or tarp) over the racks, you could get a purpose-made cover, they zip closed.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 4:43 PM on March 25, 2017 [4 favorites]

Be aware that people with any mold sensitivity can have a horrible time with stuff that has been stored in a basement particularly if it has had any water problems. My parent's basement flooded and after that I could not have anything to do with stuff that spent any time at all in the basement.
posted by srboisvert at 4:58 PM on March 25, 2017

Linen/cotton hanging bags for clothes storage. Like this.

(covering the rack with an old sheet clipped closed would work, too.)
posted by desuetude at 8:22 PM on March 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'd get one of those covers mentioned above and also hang some cedar blocks to help repel insects and keep the clothes from getting too musty due to lack of airflow.
posted by cabingirl at 6:42 AM on March 26, 2017

Bins are more organized. You can label them. And you can put them on wire shelves!
posted by oceanjesse at 10:07 AM on March 26, 2017

Bins, in my experience, make clothes smell musty. Also, they make it hard to see your inventory without unpacking the thing or rifling through it so much that you have to repack it.

I think there are bin people versus hanging people in temperament.
posted by desuetude at 6:05 PM on March 26, 2017