How to Store Food Under Your Mobile Home

Canned or boxed food is ideal to store under your mobile home.

The space in mobile homes can be quite limited. With a smaller kitchen comes smaller cabinet and pantry space to store food and other essentials. If you are stocking up for a long period of time, it may be wise to store some food under your mobile home so that you may retrieve it as needed. Only store foods that are nonperishable and have long expiration dates. If you are unsure about a product, check the packaging.

Things You'll Need

• Nonperishable food
• Sealable plastic containers
• Plastic bags
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Locate an opening to the crawl space under your mobile home. The crawl space is there to allow electricians, gas, cable and water-company workers access to those various systems, and it usually has a piece of lattice or door you can unlatch or move aside. Placing the food on a piece of concrete slab is ideal, though not all mobile homes are on slabs.

2. Measure the crawl space. Make sure that the plastic containers you purchase will fit in the space. Use your measuring tape to get a rough estimate.

3. Place nonperishable food into a plastic bag and seal. Nonperishable foods such as rice, pastas and dry beans which have little to no moisture are ideal for storage in cold weather climates because they will not freeze. If you live in a warmer climate canned vegetables, fruits and meats can be stored. Place this food in a one-gallon sealable plastic bag. The plastic bag will give the food an extra barrier against moisture, while at the same time providing another buffer against the smell of the food to the animals. Seal each bag.

4. Place the nonperishable food bags in a large plastic container that can be sealed. You can store as much food as will fit in each container. Keep in mind you have to move each container, so keeping the weight down for each will be beneficial. Seal the container.

5. Slide the sealed food into the crawl space. After the food as been stored, return the lattice or door over the crawl space.

Tips & Warnings

• If you live in an area that has raccoons, squirrels, possums or other animals, do not store food under your mobile home. Rural mobile-home owners should look to store food in their home or in an alternate location such as a shed.

• Do not eat food which has frozen and then unfrozen such as canned meats, vegetables or fruits. This can cause bacteria to form spoiling the food.

References

• Backwoods Home: 7 Mistakes of Food Storage: Vicki Tate
• Love the Outdoors: Camping Guide; Camping Cooking Tips
• Red Cross: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Water and Food Supplies