For a family of six living in a three-bedroom home in suburban Liverpool, England, a 24-hour water outage made gathering emergency supplies a priority. Finding space for them was another story, as storage was already full.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the parent described a household of two adults and four children. Their preparations remained unfinished, though they had begun collecting food, battery-powered candles, hot water bottles, and tealights following the outage.
The cupboard under the stairs could accommodate only a small portion of the supplies, the poster said. Reaching the loft without light posed another problem. A small brick outbuilding offered a third option, but it lacked insulation, couldn't be locked, and had a history of rodents.
"Things like water and nappies are bulky," the original poster wrote. "Where would you suggest? Is there anywhere I haven't thought of?"
More background
Groceries filled the fridge and other food-storage space but were consumed within six days, according to the OP. Adding a kitchen cabinet was not an option, and the space under the beds was already in use.
The family already kept bins secure and avoided feeding birds to limit potential food sources for rodents. The OP said their North Liverpool area had experienced rodent problems, leaving them concerned about attracting the animals as they looked for more storage space.
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One commenter described moving their own belongings to the loft to free up food-storage space elsewhere, including under the stairs.
What can be done?
"I saw someone else on this sub suggest stashing cans behind the kickboards underneath kitchen units," a commenter wrote.
The OP confirmed that the space behind their kickboards was empty, unlike their cupboards and under-bed storage.
To make loft access easier, one commenter suggested a flashlight and motion-detecting lights. They also proposed dividing supplies by type and putting food under the stairs and lightweight, bulky goods such as diapers in the loft, with improvements to the outbuilding tackled as a project.
Stackable boxes with locking handles, along with dehumidifiers, were also listed as a smart solution. Another suggested metal storage boxes to address the family's rodent concerns.
The OP said they were considering moving or extending their home to address the shortage of space.
Where can I learn more?
Storing water for an outage can be especially tricky in a home with little space to spare.
• In the U.K., a massive water outage exposed bottled water's household limits.
• Fears that 25 water barrels could crack a garage floor prompted suggestions for a cistern.
• In Maryland, a power outage left 1.9 million conserving water, prompting three-day supply recommendations.
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