For many people, a garage ends up serving as a catchall for things that are rarely used and don’t serve much purpose in the house. But there are some things that really shouldn’t be kept in the garage, especially over long periods of time.
Wooden furniture
Wood expands and contracts as temperatures and humidity levels change, so the temperature extremes an uninsulated garage could reach would wreak havoc on your furniture, causing it to deteriorate more rapidly.
Paint
If you’ve been keeping your paint in the garage, it may have stopped working a long while ago. Temperatures way too high or low can impact paint. For latex paints, that can mean no longer being able to stick when applied, while other paints may react more explosively to extreme temperatures.
Clothes
Garages aren’t climate-controlled like the rest of a house, which can mean expense and sentimental value walking out the door if you’re keeping clothes in boxes or plastic containers. You also should avoid hanging out-of-season or rarely worn clothes in the garage, as moths and other critters will have a much nicer time getting to your valuables.
Electronics
If you thought too much mold was bad for your clothes, it’s far worse for old electronics. But keeping electronics in the garage doesn’t just run the risk of needing repairs or breaking down, they might also leave your home more vulnerable to security hacks. Criminals could feasibly get into your devices without much hassle if they’re just sitting in your garage.
Car batteries
These live batteries could experience some big problems if they’re being stored in a hot garage. If they heat up too much, their lifespan shortens significantly, and they can also run into more problems with charging. Worse yet, extreme heat can actually cause them to swell up and leak battery fluid, which can be dangerous to people if touched.
Pet food
It might seem convenient to just store replenished pet food bags in the garage. They can be big, they can smell, and they may not be easy to fit in the pantry. But garages can invite a host of critters inside and place them exactly where they want to be. Not only are rodents and insects capable of chewing through these bags and making a mess or contaminating the food, garages often have chemicals or gasoline that can also contaminate open pet food.
Firewood
It’s already a good idea to avoid storing firewood in your garage, as it invites every mouse, roach, termite and bug within a significant radius to take up residence and potentially make inroads into your house. Beyond that, firewood not far from a hot car, motor oil or gasoline can become a fire hazard.
Papers
If bugs can get into your clothes and firewood when they’re sitting in the garage, documents won’t be much of a reprieve. Bugs aside, moisture can ruin paperwork and also help deteriorate and rot anything wood-based in your garage. These holding papers can even be important documents that have a major or cumbersome impact on your life that cost a pretty penny to get replacements or repairs for.
Propane
Barbecuing and using propane just outside the garage or near the driveway is common enough, but definitely do not store propane grills in the garage. If propane leaks in an enclosed space like a garage, it can become a highly dangerous fire hazard.
Instead, you should store propane tanks outdoors in a well-ventilated area that is flat, level, and out of direct sunlight:
Refrigerators and freezers
I know: having a refrigerator or freezer in the garage is convenient. Just remember, these devices weren’t meant to run in a seasonal temperature roller coaster. A refrigerator in an uninsulated garage will require a lot more energy to run during the hot summer months and may not work as well if the temperature gets too cold either.
If you must, go ahead, but recognize that it may not last as long or work as well, and may cost more to run.
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