· Michael Blair
A properly encapsulated crawl space with a dehumidifier holds humidity low enough to store things. A vented Middle Tennessee crawl does not, and anything left there degrades.
What a vented crawl does to stored items
Cardboard absorbs moisture and collapses. Fabric and paper grow mould. Metal rusts. Anything organic becomes a food source for whatever is already down there.
Cardboard boxes are also a termite attractant, since they are cellulose in contact with a damp environment.
After encapsulation
With a barrier, sealed vents and a dehumidifier holding humidity below about 60 percent, sealed plastic bins on raised shelving work well.
Keep everything off the barrier itself, both so you do not damage it and so air can move.
- Sealed plastic bins, never cardboard
- Raised off the barrier on shelving or pallets
- Nothing organic or food-related
- Leave access to plumbing, ducts and the sump
- Keep a clear path to the access point
The access door
Crawl access doors are frequently a poor fit, which undoes part of the sealing and lets pests in. An insulated, gasketed and lockable door is a small item that matters.
Interior access hatches should seal too, or they become a direct path for crawl air into the house.
What still does not belong
Paint, solvents, fuel and anything with fumes, because that air ends up in the house. Anything you need frequently, since retrieving it is unpleasant regardless.
And nothing that blocks access to the sump, the dehumidifier or the plumbing, all of which need servicing.