If you've kitted yourself out with a custom garage and you want to know if there is anything that you shouldn’t be storing in there, you've come to the right place.
The garage provides a fantastic multipurpose function in your home. Not only does it give you a safe place to park your vehicles, but you can also use the area as a storage space for other household items.
When it comes to storage, most people tend to use the garage as the place to throw everything that they can't find a place for in the house - cleaning supplies, sports bags, fishing equipment, and so on. However, there are some things that you should never store in your garage, especially if you live in a hot and dry climate like in Arizona. So what items shouldn't you store in your garage?
In general, you should avoid storing any flammable objects that could ignite in high temperatures, any food items that could attract pests and vermin, or anything that is fragile or of high value. Arizona produces some extremely high temperatures, so storing things like propane tanks, paint, and electronics is not advised.
However, that's not all. There are a few more items that may surprise you when you learn that they are not suitable for garage storage. Let’s take a look at them.
What Not to Store in Your Garage
1. Propane Tanks
Arizona can get extremely hot in the summer. In fact, the average high temperature in July is 106.1°F. When you consider that most garages are not air-conditioned, you can imagine just how sweltering the temperatures can get in there during those scorching summer months.
This is precisely why it's not safe to store any flammable items that can ignite and potentially cause a hazardous situation.
Anything that can catch on fire in these conditions should not be stored in your garage during the summer. You should always store your propane tanks outside or in very well ventilated areas. Like any other type of fuel, propane tanks are fire hazards, especially when kept in hot, unventilated areas such as garages. All it takes is one small leak during the summer months, and you could have a fire on your hands.
2. Paint
Paint and extreme heat do not mix well together. People often put new and half used paint cans in their garages for storage, as they very rarely get used. However, that may not be the smartest move.
In extremely hot temperatures, the paint starts to separate, which turns it into a gel-like texture, making it unusable. This then becomes a hazardous waste that you have to dispose of appropriately, which can be time-consuming and costly. In addition to this, paint cans will rust when left out in extreme temperatures. The rate of oxidation is significantly increased when cans are left in scorching temperatures, which could leave you with unwanted rust stains in your garage.
3. Electronics
If you are looking for a place to store your electronics, then look elsewhere. The garage is not the best place to house your old electronic devices, that's as long as you want them to work again. The heat will damage the circuits and could even melt some of the crucial parts of the devices, rendering them useless.
If you intend to give them to charity, then do so right away rather than storing them away in your garage.
4. Wine
Extreme high heat will damage your wine and is likely to leave it undrinkable. When wine is exposed to temperatures above 70 degrees for a significant amount of time, the flavor of the wine will start to change. At temperatures above 80 degrees, the wine will begin to "cook," making it taste extremely sour and unpleasant to drink.
If you're looking for a good place to store your wine, an Arizona garage should be pretty low down on your list.
5. Canned Food
The garage may seem like the perfect place to store your canned food, but that's far from the truth. Any temperatures over 80 degrees will start to spoil the food inside, making them inedible. When you consider that temperatures in Arizona can easily reach 100+ degrees, you can see why the garage may not be the best place for them.
In addition, food also attracts pests such as rodents, cockroaches, and ants, so think twice before you store any food in your garage.
6. Refrigerator
Many people use their unused garage space to install an extra refrigerator in order to save space inside their homes. While this may work in some of the colder states, it certainly doesn't in Arizona. As the temperatures get higher, the refrigerator has to work harder to keep cool. Refrigerators also perform much better when there is a consistent temperature, which is something that most garages cannot provide.
7. Photos
Intense heat and humidity will ruin any printed photographs that you have stored in your garage. While it is perfectly fine to keep the photos in your garage during colder months, the heat throughout the summer will cause photos to stick together and the color will begin to fade.
If you have any precious photographs of old memories, then you should store them in a cool, dark, and dry place, or even better, get them uploaded digitally.
8. Bedding and Clothing
Old clothing and bedding are the perfect breeding grounds for pests, such as moths and other insects, but they can also provide nests for larger animals such as racoons and skunks. This is something you'll undoubtedly want to avoid.
On top of that, any fabrics like wool, cotton, and silk will typically get ruined in a hot climate such as in Arizona. If you need somewhere to store old clothes and bedding, then it would be better for you to find a cool and dry place indoors.
9. Aerosol Cans
This is kind of a tough one as most people who have a garage will store things like WD-40 and other aerosols. One thing that you must bear in mind is that aerosols can become very unstable in high temperatures and can be prone to exploding.
When temperatures rise drastically, it's best to move the aerosol cans out of the garage and into cooler space.
10 - Pet Food
A lot of people use their garages as areas to feed their pets. As you know, pets can be messy at times, so it makes sense to keep their bowls and feeding areas somewhere that you don't mind getting a little dirtier than usual. However, leaving pet food products out in your garage is not the best idea.
First, it attracts pests of all kinds. Second, the pet food will spoil very quickly when it is left out in the heat. People regularly overlook the fact that pet food decomposes, just like any other organic matter.
So if you have pet food either in cans or sealed bags, it would be better to store them in the kitchen or pantry.
Final Word
While garages are great storage spaces, it's crucial to think about what you're putting in them, especially during the hot summer months in Arizona. With temperatures reaching 100+ degrees, most garages will become stiflingly hot, ruining most food products and creating potential hazards with flammable items.
Hopefully, after reading this article you will be able to keep your possessions safe from damage, avoid attracting unwanted pests and keep yourself safe by not storing anything that is potentially flammable in your garage.
Thanks for reading!