Many pet owners store pet food in the garage or an outdoor shed, but experts agree it’s a bad idea. Heat can cause food damage if your garage or shed gets too warm or humid. Pests can also get into bags of dry pet food, which means you’d have to throw the bags out and buy new ones. Pet food should actually be stored in the pantry, in the same way as human food. This may seem like a tall order if you have a small pantry, but the following tips can help you make space so you can store your pet food safely and securely.
Use Stackable Containers
Stackable containers help you use vertical space in your pantry. Choose containers that seal properly and put your pet food bag inside the container. Keeping the bag is important because the bag provides important information such as ingredients, nutritional information, and expiration date. The bag also lists the lot number, which you’ll need for reference if there’s a pet food-related product recall. By placing these in containers, you will keep your pantry looking neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Store Food In The Right Order
It’s tempting to plop the new batch of pet food you purchased next to the other cans of pet food on the shelf. However, if you don’t store the oldest pet food in front and the newest food at the back, your old food may expire before you get around to using it. Expired food is no longer as nutritious, which means your pet’s health could suffer if it eats it. A pet may also vomit, get diarrhea, or even contract E. coli as a result of eating expired food.
Pay Attention To Temperature
Your pantry should be cool and dry. Pet food and human food alike can spoil if the pantry is too humid or too hot. The CDC states that dry pet food should be stored at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Setting up a wall thermometer in the pantry is a good way to keep tabs on the temperature. If you live in a humid climate, you may also want to consider investing in a dehumidifier to keep the food from going bad.
Pets, like humans, need clean, healthy, nutritious food in order to stay healthy and grow well. Consider the points outlined above if you want to ensure your pet’s food stays fresh and safe for as long as possible . You may even want to have a pantry designer such as Closet & Storage Concepts Connecticut help you design and build a custom storage solution that will enable you to store your pet’s food in a safe, organized, accessible manner.
Photo credit @Mart Production