Do you have a crawl space in your home but aren’t quite sure what to do with it?

 

You’re not alone! These oddly shaped areas can feel intimidating or even useless. But with a little planning (and help from a Professional Organizer 😉), your crawl space can become incredibly functional storage.

At Mission2Organize (M2O), we love helping clients make the most of tricky spaces. That’s why we put together our guide to what belongs in a crawl space and how to keep it all organized, accessible, and safe.

What Is a Crawl Space, Anyway? 

 

Crawl spaces are typically deep, narrow areas located beneath a floor or roofline or oddly shaped spaces housing utilities or beneath stairs. Sometimes you have to crawl to get in and out of them (hence the name!), can’t stand up straight inside them, or have to stoop to get all the way to the back.

However, because they’re not living spaces—and you don’t access them often—they make excellent homes for items you use seasonally or only once in a while. The key is storing the right things in the right way.

What Belongs in a Crawl Space?

 

Think big, long, lightweight, or seasonal. Items you don’t need to access frequently are the best candidates. Things like: 

Holiday Decorations

After-the-holidays can be chaos. Christmas trees, wreaths, ornaments, Halloween bins, and other seasonal décor are perfect for crawl spaces. Store them in clearly labeled, stackable plastic totes.

Memory Bins

Sentimental items like photos, keepsakes, and family memorabilia can live in crawl spaces—as long as they’re in waterproof containers to protect them from humidity, pests, and hazards like flooding and leaks. 

Long or Bulky Items

Crawl spaces are ideal for things too large for regular closets:

• Wagons
• Carts
• Camping supplies
• Ski gear
• Folding tables
• Beach umbrellas
• Extra luggage

Specialty or Once-a-Year Items

Similarly, whether it’s games for the annual family reunion, costumes for Comic-Con, or gear for fall football tailgating, crawl spaces are great spaces for things you only need to access every now and then.

 

3 Key Strategies to Organize Your Crawl Space

 

• Don’t Put Small Things Way in the Back

This one is big!

Crawl spaces often have deep recesses that tempt people to shove items far back where they’ll be “out of the way.” But the farther back the small things are, the harder they are to access and more likely they are to be forgotten. Be sure to store small items in labeled bins up front. 

• Use Short Shelves and Hooks Along the Walls 

One of the best ways to maximize a crawl space is with sturdy, short, shallow shelving and hooks along the perimeter walls.

Why we love this:

• It keeps items visible
• You can still access the deep back areas
• It creates easy grab-and-go zones for seasonal swaps
• It gets belongings off the floor (critical for safety and flood prevention)

 

• Keep Everything Off the Ground

If your crawl space ever experiences moisture or flooding, you’ll be glad you used this rule: Raise Everything.

We already mentioned shelving and hooks, but what if something doesn’t fit on a shelf or a hook? 

Here are few options: 

• Pallets
• Low platforms
• Bricks or cinder blocks
• Wheeled dollies (they’re not just for moving!)
• Stackable milk crates

 

Additional Tips from M2O to Make Your Crawl Space Work for You

 

Use Clear Bins

Seeing the contents makes things easier to spot, even if you have everything properly labeled. Speaking of which …

 

 

Label Everything

Include information like:

• Category
• Season
• Room it belongs in (e.g., “Living Room Christmas”)
• Owner (if applicable)

 

Add Lighting

Equally important, lighting! Hang corded construction lighting that can be plugged into an outlet. No electric in your space? No problem! Stick-on tap lights or LED strips are great alternatives. If all else fails, a headlamp will do! The M2O team never goes anywhere without ours.

 

 

Store by Frequency

Are there items you need once a year? Store those farther back. How about items you need a few times a year? Keep those a little closer to the entrance. It makes things easier to put away and helps you avoid having to crawl around so much.

 

Create a “Crawl Space Map”

While this might sounds fancy, it can be simple: a quick sketch or phone note that says where each category lives (“left wall = holiday; back right = camping; shelves = memories”). This helps your family members and your Organizers follow the system you’ve set up.

 

Create a Crawl Space Inventory

Lastly, do you want to take it one step further? Create a spreadsheet detailing what lives where inside of your crawl space. This takes it one step further and gives you a way to know exactly which item is in which box. Now, where are those Christmas lights?! 🎄

 

​​Need Help Setting Up Your Crawl Space?

 

If your crawl space feels overwhelming, unmanageable, or even a little creepy, we get it! A Professional Organizer can transform it from a derelict dumping ground into a clean, functional storage zone.

At M2O, our team helps clients create practical systems designed for real-life use—like labeled seasonal bins, smart shelving layouts, moisture-safe storage, friendly navigational pathways, and documented space maps.

To sum it up, with the right plan (and maybe a headlamp!), Mission 2 Organize can help turn your crawl space into one of the most useful storage areas in your home.

Finally, Watch our Youtube Video: How 2 Crawl Less in Your Crawl Space.

 

You don’t need to fear or ignore your crawl space—use it! With the right setup, you can easily turn it into the perfect home for large, seasonal, and infrequently used items. What tips are you going to use first in your own crawl space?