How to store and label emergency supplies in a small flat

Quick checklist

Start with how much you need

Be Ready asks households to be ready for about three days of disruption. For a small flat, that is a few boxes, not a stockroom. Our emergency kit list tells you what to gather. This guide is about where it goes.

Do not buy storage first. Look around, find the spots you already have, and fit your boxes to them.

Where to keep emergency supplies in a small flat

• Under the bed. Shallow boxes with lids suit this space. Good for blankets, spare clothes, papers and light items.
• Top of the wardrobe. Good for light, bulky things you rarely need, such as spare blankets. Do not put heavy items up there.
• Bottom of the wardrobe. A good home for heavier things, such as tins and water.
• Behind the sofa. A slim box fits along a wall, and a throw can hide it.
• Under the stairs or in a hallway cupboard, if you have one.
• The back of a kitchen cupboard, for the food you already buy.
• Inside a bench or ottoman, if you have one.

If you live in a block, check your lease or tenancy before you store anything in a shared hall or stairwell. Shared areas usually need to be kept clear.

One box per category

A box for each job makes things easy to find in the dark. A sensible set:

1. Food: tins, crackers, nut butter and a manual tin opener.
2. Light and power: torches, spare batteries and a power bank.
3. Warmth: blankets, hats and a hot-water bottle.
4. Papers and contacts: copies of documents, a contact card and a small notepad.
5. First aid and medicines: a basic kit, kept somewhere cool, dry and out of children's reach. Ask your pharmacist how to store your own medicines.
6. Water: containers, stored separately (see below).

You do not need all six on day one. Start with food and light.

Label everything

Stick a large label on the lid and on one side, so you can read it whichever way the box faces. Write what is inside and the date you packed it. Put the dates for food on the box as well, such as "use first: October". A pack of date-label stickers (Retailer link coming soon) costs very little.

Keep a short list of what is where. A note on the fridge door or your phone will do. If someone else in the flat needs to find the torch at night, a list helps.

Heavy low, light high

Tins and water are heavy. Keep them on the floor or on a low shelf, never above shoulder height. Keep light items, such as blankets and spare clothes, higher up. If a box falls, you want it to be a light one. Do not stack boxes so high that they could topple.

Stackable bins are useful, and a set of FIFO pantry bins (Retailer link coming soon) or clear stackable containers (Retailer link coming soon) lets you see stock and rotate the oldest to the front. They are optional, because shoeboxes and old tubs also work.

Keep boxes away from damp and heat

Damp spoils food, paper and batteries. Heat shortens the life of food and batteries. Avoid:

• Next to a radiator, boiler or hot water tank.
• Against an outside wall with condensation or mould.
• Under a sink where a pipe could leak.
• In a bathroom.

Put a hand against the wall at the back of a cupboard. If it feels cold or damp, pick another spot.

Where to keep water

Tap water in clean, food-grade containers is the default. Be Ready suggests 3 litres per person per day. For a flat, that is a lot of weight, so store it low and in places where a leak would not do harm.

• Keep water away from electrical sockets, chargers and your paperwork.
• Think about the neighbours below you. A split container could cause damp in the flat below, so check containers for leaks after you fill them.
• Do not store water on a balcony or in an unheated space in freezing weather. Frozen water may expand and split a container.
• A set of collapsible water carriers (Retailer link coming soon) folds flat when empty, so you can fill them only when a storm or planned shut-off is due. Check the maker's guidance for how long you can keep water in them.

Our guide to water storage containers goes into more depth.

Food in a small space

Keep food in a cool, dry place and use the oldest first. Follow the Food Standards Agency (FSA): a use-by date is about safety, and you should not eat food after it. A best-before date is about quality. Our pantry organising guide shows how to rotate stock. An airtight food bucket (Retailer link coming soon) is only worth it if you have the floor space and a dry spot, because it takes up room.

What to skip

• Bulk buys. They need space you do not have. Our guide to emergency kit mistakes explains more.
• Bulky gear you can borrow or do without.
• Items on the balcony, where weather and sunlight spoil them.
• Anything that needs a fuel store. Never keep fuel, gas canisters or barbecue charcoal in a flat for emergency use.

Do this today (free)

1. Walk through your flat and pick three spots for boxes.
2. Gather what you already own in a box or bag for each category.
3. Label each one, with a date.
4. Put your torch by the bed.

If you have £10, £25 or £50

These are budgets, not quotes. Prices change, so check the current price first.

• About £10: labels and a couple of shallow boxes.
• About £25: add a stackable bin set or clear containers.
• About £50: add collapsible water carriers and a few more tins.

Sources and further reading

• Be ready for emergencies: checklist and household plan
• Food Standards Agency
• Health and Safety Executive