How to “Winterize” Your Garage

Winter is coming, and now is the perfect time to get ready for the cold months. In the Chicago area and DuPage County, the weather can abruptly change, and temperatures can vary wildly from day to day. Because of these frequent changes, anything can happen in your garage during the winter months. Here are some ways to prepare your garage for winter so that it will still be in working order by spring:

Get Rid of Mice in Your Garage

During the winter, mice tend to seek shelter inside houses and garages, often entering through holes in the home that have not been covered. If mice get into your garage, there is cause for concern. They can cause serious health problems, as they are very unsanitary. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep mice away from your garage this winter:

• Spread mousetraps by the walls of your garage or near a suspected access point, using cheese or peanut butter as bait.
• Spray mouse repellant around the outside of your garage.
• If you do not want to use chemicals to keep mice at bay, you can mix one fourth of a cup of laundry detergent and one tablespoon of hot pepper sauce in one gallon of water, then spray this mixture around the outside of the garage.
• Use compound or wood caulk to cover up any holes. This will keep mice from entering your house.
• If you would like to help preserve the environment, you can use ultrasonic mouse repelling devices inside your garage. Humans cannot hear the sound that these repellers make, but the sound is painful to mice, keeping them away from the area where the sound is produced.

Throw Away Any Gasoline

It is not a good idea to keep gasoline in your garage. If you do have some containers containing gas, it is important to know the following facts about the risks of gas explosion:

• A very low volume of gasoline inside a container presents a higher risk for explosion;
• Low temperatures also produce higher explosion risks; and
• Aged gasoline is a massive risk.

An explosion can occur when gas vapor from the can comes in contact with a source of ignition, such as a spark or a flame. The flame travels back into the can through the spout, and the mixture of gas and air inside the can may ignite and explode.

Heating and Insulating Your Garage

Heating your garage with a forced-air garage heater or an infrared tube heater will allow you to continue using this space during the cold winter months. However, it is important to make sure your garage walls and ceiling are insulated; otherwise, you will be wasting energy and money.

Many forced-air unit heaters cost around $600, and infrared tube heaters cost around $1,000. Infrared tube heaters typically cost less to run, so they may result in greater savings over time. Infrared heaters should be installed at least seven feet above the garage floor and hang down at least four inches from the ceiling. All objects should be at least three feet away from the heater to reduce the risk of causing a garage fire.

The installation details for forced-air heaters are not as specific as they are for infrared tube heaters. Forced-air heaters are typically placed in the corner of the garage, close to an electrical outlet and gas line. Depending on the unit, there may need to be a certain amount of space between the heater and the garage’s walls and ceiling.

Contact Blue Sky Builders, Inc.

During the fall, you are likely trying to figure out your checklist of what needs to be done to prepare your garage for the upcoming winter. If you have any questions about how to keep your garage in order, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. is ready to help. Based in Downers Grove, we have over 38 years of experience in the garage sector, and our garage experts can provide you with the assistance you need. Please contact us at 630-852-8485 today. To check out our work, please visit our gallery.