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What should you not store in your garage in the winter?

9 Items Not to Store in Your Garage in the Winter Time Wood Stain and Paint. Old Electronics. Wooden Furniture. Off-Season Clothing. Paper Products. Firewood. Caulking Products. Gasoline. More items... •

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However, when the frigid weather of winter approaches, those dropping temperatures can seriously damage your items, including:

Wood Stain and Paint

Old Electronics

Wooden Furniture

Off-Season Clothing

Paper Products

Firewood

Caulking Products

Gasoline

Canned Food or Pet Food Here are 9 items not to stash in your garage during the winter. You won’t want to miss it! You may think that your custom garage is a great place to store all of your items year-round. From old sporting equipment and tools to seasonal clothing and holiday decorations, your garage is a catch-all place to store all of the possessions you don’t want to keep in the house.

1. Wood Stain and Paint

If you plan on storing paint or wood stain in your garage during the cold months, don’t. Both of these products will solidify or separate because of the freezing temperatures. Even if your garage is heated, there may still be issues if you are storing cans along an uninsulated exterior wall. Instead, store them in your basement, crawlspace, or attic where they will not be susceptible to freezing.

2. Old Electronics

Do you have a box of old printers, gaming consoles, PCs, or tablets in your garage that you think have some life left in them or that you want to donate someday in the near future? You better bring them inside for the winter because the dropping temperatures will seriously damage them. They’re best kept in a closet or dry attic.

3. Wooden Furniture

If you want to pass down your antique wooden furniture to your kids, make arrangements to give it to them now instead of storing it in your garage. During the winter, fluctuating temperatures and humidity can cause the grain to contract and swell, vastly damaging the veneer and leading to warped wood. Even if you plan to only store the wooden furniture in your garage for a few short months, it may still become ugly and unusable. Store the furniture in your basement or in a temperature-regulated storage unit.

4. Seasonal Clothing

During the winter months, it may seem like a swell idea to store your spring and summer wardrobe in your garage to free up some much-needed space in your closet. However, moisture from the melting snow can get into boxes and ruin your clothing. Vermin may also make their home inside of your apparel. If you truly need to store clothing in the garage, keep your garments in plastic, air-tight bins and up off of the floor. Consider storing them in the bins at the back of your closet, in the attic, under your bed, or in your basement.

5. Paper Products

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During the winter, mice, rats, and other pests will want to make nests out of your paper products to keep warm and cozy. Whether it’s your comic book collection, important financial records, or set of encyclopedias your grandma left you, you’ll want to keep it all out of your garage. Paper products are best kept in dry, dark spaces where they won’t fade or get damaged, such as in a hall closet.

6. Firewood

No matter if you have a lot or a little, it’ll be a waste of money and fuel, to store firewood in your freezing garage. The wood can attract pests that live in natural materials, including ants, beetles, and termites. To properly store firewood, opt to elevate the logs on a metal rack, outside the house, that is at least two inches off of the floor in an open-sided shed. This way, the firewood will receive proper ventilation and won’t retain moisture. If you have wall patching or caulking compounds in your garage, you will need to bring them inside before the winter temperatures strike. Both products can freeze, and if this happens, they can become unstable and unsafe. Both products can be safely stored in your basement. You should never store gasoline in your garage. Highly flammable materials pose a huge threat to your home and family. Keep gasoline in leak-proof, dedicated containers that are no more than five gallons or less in your detached shed and away from the reach of pets and children.

9. Canned Food or Pet Food

Keep in mind that canned food should be stored in temperatures ranging from 50 to 70 degrees. Anything colder than that could pose a problem. Additionally, pet food in paper or cardboard bags can also attract rodents looking to get out of the cold. Keep all canned goods and pet food in your pantry.

Are You Properly Storing Possessions in Your Chilly Garage?

It’s important to keep your beloved items safe and sound year-round, especially in winter-type temperatures. While you’re finding new places to keep your items, consider how winter temperatures will impact their lifespan and remember:  Don’t store items that could be damaged by fluctuating or extreme temperatures in your garage Don’t store items that could be hazardous to your home anywhere inside your house

Don’t store belongings that could be damaged by pests inside your garage

Don’t store items that could be harmed by moisture or dampness in your garage 

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