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Clearing your cellar or storage room: a step-by-step plan
The cellar and storage room are the places to put things "quickly out of sight" — so they pile up unnoticed. The cellar is also often one of the dampest spots in the house, and damp is ruinous for textiles, paper and photos. This guide gives a clear step-by-step plan to clear your cellar or storage room, store damp-proof, and know what's better kept elsewhere.
Making spaceExternal storage
Decluttering & Organising
June 24, 2026
Luuk Kamman
6 min
Clearing your cellar or storage room: a step-by-step plan
The cellar and storage room are the places to put things "quickly out of sight" — so they pile up unnoticed. The cellar is also often one of the dampest spots in the house, and damp is ruinous for textiles, paper and photos. This guide gives a clear step-by-step plan to clear your cellar or storage room, store damp-proof, and know what's better kept elsewhere.
Making space
External storage
Decluttering & Organising
June 24, 2026Luuk Kamman
CLEARING YOUR CELLAR: HOW TO TACKLE IT
Short answer: take everything out, sort, check for damp/mould, clean thoroughly and let it dry, then put things back damp-proof — off the floor, in sealed plastic bins. The biggest pitfall in a cellar isn't the clutter, but the damp. For the broader decluttering method: see the home decluttering guide.
💧 Damp is the biggest enemy — check for mould and musty smells
📦 Sealed plastic bins, not cardboard
🧤 Get ready: bags, bins, labels and gloves
🗂️ Three piles: keep / bin / maybe
1. TAKE EVERYTHING OUT
Empty the cellar or storage room completely. Only then do you really see what's in there — often things you forgot years ago — and can you clean the space well and check for damp. No room for it all? Work in sections or side by side.
2. SORT & CHECK FOR DAMP
Three piles (keep/bin/maybe) + straight away check for damp and mould. Musty smells, stains or items that feel clammy — often hidden mould too. For damp-proofing tips: see the Dutch Milieu Centraal.
3. CLEAN, DRY & VENTILATE
Clean thoroughly, dry, ventilate. Cellars often have little daylight and air circulation — thorough cleaning and good ventilation are your best defence against recurring damp and mould problems.
4. PUT BACK DAMP-PROOF
Put back damp-proof: off the floor, in sealed plastic bins. Label per category, heavy at the bottom and rarely used at the back. Similar approach to clearing the attic — but in a cellar, damp protection is even more important.
WHAT NOT TO KEEP IN THE CELLAR
Not in a damp cellar: textiles and clothing, paper, documents and photos, wooden furniture, electronics and food — they can grow mould, smell, warp or attract pests. What is fine: robust items and (wine) bottles in sealed bins or on racks.
By Bram Jansen — Lead Storage Advisor at Inbox Storage. Updated: June 2026.
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DAMP-PROOF STORAGE & WHAT YOU GET RID OF
In a cellar or storage room, storage comes down to one thing: dry and off the floor. With sealed bins, sturdy shelving and good ventilation you keep your things in good condition.
📦 Sealed, transparent plastic bins (and label them anyway)
🪜 On shelving or pallets — keep off the floor
🌬️ Ventilate; consider a dehumidifier or silica gel
💡 Good lighting — cellars often have no daylight
STAY OFF THE FLOOR
Damp rises from the floor — don't put anything directly on the cellar floor. Use sturdy (metal) shelving or pallets, use the height with wall shelves. Heavy at the bottom, rarely used at the back — so air circulates around everything.
SEALED BINS, NOT CARDBOARD
Cardboard draws moisture + grows mould — use sealed plastic bins. Transparent + label per category anyway. Consider a dehumidifier or silica gel to keep humidity low.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST
Still good → second life via a charity shop or Marktplaats. Old furniture, paint tins and electrical appliances → recycling centre. Rule of thumb: haven't used it in a year? Usually can go.
CHECK FOR MOULD DAMAGE
Persistent mould or musty smell? Throw away — and check it hasn't spread to neighbouring items. What you keep: first clean thoroughly and completely dry. For items you don't trust in the cellar: consider storage outside the home (dry and climate-controlled).
FRAGILE? NOT THE CELLAR — STORE IT DRY
Textiles, photos, documents and wooden furniture don't belong in a damp cellar — they get damaged there. Want to keep them but have no dry spot? Then we pick them up at your door and keep them dry and climate-controlled in our secure hub in Gouda. Calculate via how much storage you need for a price indication. From one month.
Dry, off the floor and in sealed bins — that keeps both your cellar and your belongings in good shape.
Calculate your storage price in 60 seconds at Inbox Storage.
Stored dry, not in a damp cellar
We pick up damp-sensitive items at your door and keep them dry and climate-controlled — no mould or musty smells.
- Throughout NL and Belgium
- Picked up & returned to your door
- Climate-controlled, dry storage
- From 1 month onwards