The garage often ends up being the catch-all storage space for your home. It’s fine to use the garage for storage – it’s a conveniently located large space that can hold items you don’t have room for elsewhere. But not everything can – or should – be stored in your garage. In fact, certain items are impractical or even unsafe when stored in garage conditions. Take a look at some of the things that definitely should not be stored in your garage.
Canned Food
Maybe you’re stockpiling in case of a zombie apocalypse, or maybe you just found a great deal on tuna fish at a bulk store. Either way, you’ve got a pile of cans and not enough space in your pantry, and the garage looks like a potential solution. It’s easy to think that shelf-stable foods, such as canned meat or vegetables will be fine anywhere, even on a shelf next to your power tools. But think again.
It turns out that even those cans of green beans that seem to last forever may not be made to withstand garage conditions. Heat can reduce the shelf life of canned foods, and temperatures above 95 can cause them to spoil quickly. The cold isn’t great for your canned goods either – you can thaw out canned foods that have frozen and they may be edible, but quality, and sometimes taste and texture, may be markedly affected.
Electronics
Have an old computer that you plan to tinker around with when you get some free time? Looking for a place to hide your grounded teen’s Xbox? The garage is not the best solution. Electronics are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and extreme heat or cold could put them out of service permanently. Plus, if your garage has moisture issues, that can also damage electronic components.
Gas or Propane
To many homeowners, it just seems logical to store the gas cans for the lawnmower or the propane tanks for the grill in your garage. The problem is that you’re storing very flammable items in an enclosed, poorly ventilated space – one that happens to be connected to your home. This can be very dangerous, especially if your gas cans or propane tanks leak. The best place for flammable items is in a ventilated shed that’s not connected to your house.
A Refrigerator or Deep Freezer
The garage may not be a good place for shelf-stable foods, but they should be fine in a refrigerator or freezer, right? Well, maybe not. Unless your garage is climate controlled, appliances like a refrigerator or a deep freezer will have to work especially hard to keep your food cold in an overheated garage. This can run up your power bills and damage your appliances.
And in the winter time, your refrigerator or freezer may not do as good a job of keeping the food cold. The chilly temperatures will cause the appliances not to run as much since they’re already cold, but the temperature outside of the refrigerator or freezer won’t reach the food inside the insulated boxes.
The good news is that when you move the things that don’t belong in your garage out, you’ll have more room for garage-friendly items. For more garage storage ideas, contact us.
