What Not To Store In Your Garage?

We’re guessing your decluttering technique is something like this: No location for it inside? Put it in the garage.

The truth is, your garage isn’t an excellent catch-all storage space, considering that it’s not climate-controlled and (actually) a big, open door to animals and insects outside. Avoid saving these items there, and make room for what space is really implied for– your automobile.

Paint

Leftover colour from the last time you redecorated won’t last long if subjected to high heat in summer (or falling temperatures in the winter season). Plus, cans kept on cement floorings will rust much faster than those stored on a rack.

Firewood

On cold winter nights, those roaring winter fires require fuel– and it’s appealing to stack your firewood in the garage for quick retrieval. Resist the impulse: Along with that cord of wood, come insects that can penetrate your garage and ultimately move into your house. Best option? Stack your firewood on a raised rack away from your house and cover it with a tarpaulin to keep it dry.

Junk Food

Lacking room in your kitchen cabinets or kitchen? Don’t run the risk of storing that additional junk food in the garage. The natural conditions of a garage make it an inappropriate location for saving food. 

The USDA advises storing canned foods in a cool dry area, and many garages stop working on both counts. Wet garages could cause can to rust, while a hot garage that goes beyond more than 85 degrees will increase the threat of spoiled canned food. This might be a great time to restructure your cooking area racks if you’re fresh out of space for your non-perishables.

Red Wine

When it comes to storage guidelines, white wine is finicky. According to Purdue University’s White wine Storage Standards, vino needs to ideally remain between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

If it gets too hot, the white wine simply will not taste right when you lastly uncork it. Plus, fluctuations between warm and cool temperatures in the garage can cause corks to broaden and agreement, allowing air to permeate inside the bottle and trigger it to spoil.

Propane

Propane tanks for your grill or camp stoves need to never ever cross your doorway– not even into the garage. If lp leaks into an unventilated location, the gas in the air could end up being ignited, like when you begin your vehicle.

Animal Food

Storing pet food in your garage is essentially welcoming bugs into your home for a delicious snack. If you must keep pet food in the garage (and even when it’s inside your house), be sure that it’s inside a tightly sealed plastic or metal container. Rodents can quickly chew through paper or cardboard product packaging.

Books

You wish to conserve your favourite books from youth to offer to your kids or grandkids one day, but saving them in the garage isn’t the best option. Silverfish are insects that prosper in dark, wet environments such as garages, basements and crawl spaces, and these bugs enjoy feasting on starchy substances, such as the glue that binds books. These simple bookcase plans will provide you with more storage area for your books.

Refrigerator

Many individuals have fridges overflowing with food, so they think a backup fridge in the garage will be the ideal solution. Before you going out and buying a second fridge, know what you’re getting into. A fridge in the garage will have to work additional tough to control the temperature in warm or cold seasons, majorly running up your energy expense.

Electronic Devices

Do you have additional DVD televisions, gamers, or computer systems? Keeping them in the garage can render them worthless because extreme heat or cold might permanently damage them. Instead, keep them inside or contribute them if you don’t need them any longer.

Old Photos, Paper And Cardboard

The 2nd thing our garage storage recommendations recommends you save in other places is any paper-based items and products. The altering temperature levels and moisture levels that all garages experience are especially unkind to these products.

Exposure to changing temperatures and wetness will trigger your photos to curl, stick together, dry, and end up being stained. They’re better off being digitized or kept in conditions that are cool, dark, and dry, such as in a closet.

Old papers, books, publications, vinyl album jackets, and papers (like old tax returns and costs) will likewise show the negative results of being stored in the garage in less time than you’d believe. Artwork and essential files need to also be kept in your heated home.

Aside from the truth that all of these paper-based items aren’t going to fare well when stored in the garage, there are 3 other essential factors that shouldn’t be saved there:

  • they’re a fire threat
  • family insects (like mice and insects) enjoy utilizing paper-based products for making nests
  • mould might form on them in particular conditions

What is the best garage shelving? Read more here.