What Not To Store In Your Garage

A garage has been well established as an ideal spot to store many common objects. However, there are quite a few items you want to avoid keeping out of your garage. Though for many of the items, the garage may seem to be the obvious location for storage, it is best to avoid keeping these things inside the home.

Do Not Make a Home for Uninvited Guests

As the temperatures begin to cool down in the coming months in the greater Chicago area, mice and other pests will be looking for warmer places to hide and burrow. Don’t give these critters any more reason to choose your garage as their shelter!

• Avoid keeping pet food in the garage. Mice and other rodents are attracted to an easy food source.
• Piles and stacks of firewood are perfect hiding spots for small creatures.
• Do not keep books in a garage. Silverfish are known to eat away at the bindings of books and love colder dark spaces such as a garage cabinet.
• Seasonal clothes or fabrics may not be needed for some months, but keeping them in the garage is asking for trouble. Rodents are likely to chew away at them. Moths are also a huge threat in this scenario.

Beat the Heat (And the Cold)

Since most garages are not insulated and temperature controlled as the home, it is subject to extreme temperatures and fluctuating humidity levels. Unless your garage has been outfitted to deal with the harsh ups and downs of the weather, it is best to keep these items out of the garage:

• Paint cans almost seem at home in a garage, but the color and consistency of the paint can be altered if exposed to hot or freezing temperatures. Consider keeping paint in a basement, if available where it is less susceptible to changing temperatures.
• Canned food or bottled drinks such as wine should be kept out of the garage.
• Many garages are typically an obvious spot for a second refrigerator or freezer, but depending on how hot or cold the garage can get, the appliance may have to work very hard to maintain the optimum temperature. Your electric bill could be taking a beating here unless it is in a climate-controlled area.
• Propane tanks and oily rags must be handled with caution and kept out of extreme heat.

When in Doubt, Call the Experts!

At Blue Sky Builders, Inc., we are prepared for any curve balls in the weather of the Chicago area. Despite record highs or lows the seasons may bring, our garages are ready for anything. For more guidelines and tips on garage organization, get in touch with our expert builders at 630-852-8485 today!