4 Things You Should Avoid Storing in Your Garage

Aside from providing you with a safe spot to park unused vehicles, the garage can also serve as a storage area. Normally, that would be fine, but it’s also easy to get carried away and keep things that should never be stored there, including the following:

1. Propane tanks: For obvious reasons, you shouldn’t keep the propane tank you use for backyard barbecues inside the garage. That’s because the garage is typically enclosed with few ventilation features, and there may be cases when the tank’s valve isn’t completely closed. It would take just a stray spark and -well, you get the idea. What you should do instead is store the propane tank outside in a more secure and enclosed area where there won’t be sparks – a garden shed, for example.

2. Paper products: That damp pile of old newspapers, books and magazines that you’ve been meaning to recycle? Avoid just leaving them inside the garage, not only because they are incendiary or encourage mildew, but because they also serve as a haven and all-day buffet for a number of pests, including silverfish. To keep your garage safe, healthy and pest-free (and avoid the costs of pest control), take these paper products out of your garage immediately. 

3. Clothes, sleeping bags and other fabric items: Unless your garage is thermal-controlled, you won’t want to leave these objects in that space. Fluctuating temperature and humidity levels are not ideal conditions for storing fabric. Clothes and sleeping bags can develop mold, for example, and may attract rodents, leading to major headaches down the line.

4. Food and beverages: If you have a working fridge or cooler inside the garage, then sure. But if not, you should store food and drinks somewhere else. Otherwise, the trapped heat and moisture in the space can spoil the food and alter the taste of your beverages. Even canned food isn’t safe – the cans and the metal lids on glass jars can rust and potentially cause a chemical reaction with the food, not only making them inedible, but risky as well.

When it comes to safer and smarter storage solutions for your essentials, look no further than Handyman Connection® of Mason. We serve the areas in and around Mason, Blue Ash and King Mills, OH. Call us today at (513) 733-3777, or fill out this contact form to schedule a consultation.