10 Things to Never Store in Your Garage

We all know that your garage was originally meant for storing your car but the garage has also become the storage room for almost everything else. And why not? It is the largest room in the house that no one sleeps in and your guests don’t have access to so you can pile all of your extra things in there, safely and discreetly. But what you might not know is that the environment of a garage can be okay for some items and terrible for others. So we decided to fill you in on all the common things that are stored in garages that shouldn’t be.

  1. Paint – Don’t leave your paint cans on the garage floor, which is usually made of concrete. Concrete leads to rusty cans and because the garage environment can fluctuate in temperature, this can lead to your paint separating or spoiling. We recommend keeping your paint in the house where the temperature is stable, in a closet or in the basement.
  2. Canned foods – The FDA recommends keeping canned goods in the house to prevent spoiling, since the high and low temperatures and moisture of your garage could potentially ruin the food. The canned goods could freeze in the winter, overheat in the summer, and overall will ruin the quality of your food.
  3. Pet food – Open bags of any kind of food, including your pet food or birdseed, is an open invitation for bugs and animals. If the food is accessible at all, you can be sure that something will be able to get into it and even if it is sealed, mice can chew through just about anything. So we recommend keeping your pets food in a pantry in the house.
  4. Refrigerator – We understand that many people keep a spare fridge in the garage but we have some bad news. The overall life of your fridge could be diminished from having to struggle against the fluctuating temperatures and your energy bill will definitely increase because of this. This isn’t as black and white as the other items on this list but consider yourself warned that the fridge might not do the best job keeping your food at the right temperature all year round and that you will definitely have to pay more for the extra energy it uses.
  5. Wine – Again, because of the changing temperatures in your garage, wine can go bad and become undrinkable if stored there. Wine is a delicate thing and needs to be kept at a constant temperature to keep from spoiling so keep it in the house.
  6. Propane tanks – If you love to grill, you might have some propane tanks lying around. But don’t keep them in the garage, which is a confined space that can lead to a dangerous situation. Propane tanks should always be kept outside, in well ventilated areas, because they can sometimes leak if not closed properly. These leaks are far less dangerous outside where it will mix with the fresh air. But in the garage, the gas could collect and possibly be ignited when you start your car.
  7. Paper products – This is another situation involving unwanted pests, like mice, that love to make nests out of paper. If you are worried about pest control, we would recommend keeping paper and cardboard boxes out of the garage, especially important documents that you don’t want to risk destroying.
  8. Spare clothing or bedding – Again, mice and other animals would be happy to turn your soft bedding and spare coats into a nice warm nest. And even if they are stored in plastic bins, you’d be surprised how easy it is for them to chew into it. So find a place for the spare stuff inside your home so that you’ll have your winter clothes and extra bedding when you need it, without damage from animals.
  9. Electronics – Spare electronics like televisions, computers, and DVD players can easily be damaged by hot or cold temperatures, which are expected in most garages. So if you plan to use these devices again or donate them, keep them safe inside the house.
  10. Vinyl records – And lastly, if you are still holding on to your beloved vinyl records, be warned that mice and other pests love to nest in celluloid and cardboard and in extreme temperatures, the vinyl can warp or mold. So no good will come from storing your vinyl in the garage.

From Precision Garage Door of Charleston, we hope that you have found this information helpful. If you have any garage-related questions or are in need of repair or installation, please be sure to give us a call!

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