Paint Cans Are Sitting Ducks for Extreme Weather
That leftover gallon of paint from your last home makeover might seem like a logical garage dweller, but temperature swings can turn it into an expensive mistake. Those leftover paint cans from your living room makeover don’t belong in the garage. Temperature fluctuations can dramatically alter paint consistency and quality, rendering it unusable when you need to do touch-ups. When temperatures drop below freezing, water-based paints can freeze, causing the ingredients to separate and creating a lumpy, grainy mess that won’t mix back together properly. In extreme heat, paint components can break down, changing color or becoming too thick to apply smoothly.
Both freezing temperatures and hot temperatures will cause many types of paint to separate and curdle. Poor storage conditions for leftover paint will affect the consistency and color of it. Old paint cans stored on a garage floor are also vulnerable to rust. If left long enough, the cans might rust right through and cause a major mess. Even sealed containers can’t protect against the chemical changes that occur when paint endures repeated freeze-thaw cycles throughout winter months.
Electronics Turn Into Expensive Paperweights
Your old computer equipment, gaming consoles, and televisions might look fine sitting in storage boxes, but garage conditions are silently destroying them. Old computers, televisions, DVD players, and other electronic devices quickly deteriorate when stored in garage conditions. The circuit boards and internal components are vulnerable to temperature fluctuations, which can cause condensation to form inside the devices. This moisture leads to corrosion of connections and eventually permanent damage. Even if electronics survive temperature changes, the humidity in most garages accelerates deterioration of sensitive components.
The damage isn’t always immediately visible either. And items that aren’t so old will only last so long in most garage environments. Condensation, humidity, and changing temperatures can damage the circuit boards and solder joints on electronic equipment. What starts as minor moisture infiltration can lead to complete system failure, turning your valuable electronics into costly doorstops.
Books Become Bug Buffets and Moldy Messes
Those childhood books you’re saving for your grandkids or that impressive collection of novels face multiple threats in garage storage. Ever opened a book and a silverfish crawled out from between the pages? You understand why a garage isn’t a safe book catch-all. Moisture in the garage could cause the books and their covers to grow mold, and the damage from that is irreversible. Rodents may steal pages as material for their nests.
Silverfish are one example of an insect that thrives in damp, dark areas such as garages. They like to feed on the starchy glue used for binding books together. Once these destructive pests discover your book collection, they’ll systematically destroy the binding and pages. High humidity levels cause additional problems by warping pages and encouraging mold growth that spreads quickly through entire collections.
Wooden Furniture Splits Under Pressure
That antique dresser or dining room set you’re planning to refinish someday won’t survive long-term garage storage intact. Temperature swings and constantly changing humidity levels will wreak havoc on stored furniture, causing the wood fibers to contract and expand. This will eventually cause the wood to split or even break, sometimes beyond the point of repair. Wood is particularly vulnerable because it’s a natural material that responds dramatically to environmental changes.
Wood is a porous material that expands and contracts with humidity. It can swell and shrink to the point of cracking. Pests and rodents also can nest in upholstery. The constant movement weakens joints and can cause irreparable structural damage. Even protective covers can’t fully shield furniture from the moisture that seeps into garage spaces during humid seasons.
Wine Transforms Into Expensive Vinegar
Your wine collection deserves better than a garage shelf, where temperature fluctuations can ruin even the finest vintages. Like food, wine needs a stable storage environment to maintain its quality and prolong its lifespan. Wine stored in a space with fluctuating temperatures will oxidize due to the contraction and expansion that the conditions cause. The composition of the wine will be compromised to the point where it won’t even be drinkable.
Changes in temperature and humidity levels can alter the taste of alcoholic beverages and even turn wine into vinegar. Metal cans may rust if there is too much moisture, possibly changing the taste and safety of alcoholic beverages. Professional wine storage requires consistent temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit and stable humidity levels – conditions nearly impossible to maintain in most garage environments.
Propane Tanks Create Explosive Situations
That backup propane tank for your grill might seem convenient to store in the garage, but it’s actually creating a significant safety hazard. Barbecue propane tanks and propane tanks used with welding tools are highly combustible and need to be properly stored. Even if the tank’s valve is shut off, it still poses an ignition and fire hazard that can cause catastrophic damage. Consider that the tank may have a leak you can’t detect.
Garages tend to be filled with various combustibles like gasoline, oil, and paint, which can quickly turn into a fire hazard when propane tanks are also involved. If a leak occurs, propane gas can accumulate within the confined space of a garage, which significantly raises the risk of accidental ignition and could potentially result in a catastrophic fire or explosion. Professional safety experts consistently recommend outdoor storage in well-ventilated areas, away from all ignition sources.
Food Becomes a Pest Paradise
Bulk food storage in the garage might save space in your pantry, but it creates an all-you-can-eat buffet for unwanted guests. That 40-pound bag of dog food might be convenient to store in the garage, but the strong aroma practically sends an invitation to rodents and insects. Once pests discover this food source, they often migrate into your home seeking more.
Exposure to humidity and both hot and cold temperatures will significantly shorten the shelf life of these items. High temperatures can cause canned goods to spoil or become rancid. Canned foods that freeze and then thaw out (a process that will occur repeatedly over the course of a winter) will also become inedible over time. The temperature extremes don’t just attract pests – they also compromise the nutritional value and safety of stored food items.
Clothing and Bedding Develop Mildew Problems
Seasonal clothing storage in the garage seems practical until you discover your winter coats covered in mold the following year. Along with outgrown or ill-fitting clothing, you’ll also commonly find these other fabric-based items in garages: Once again, the humidity, heat, and cold of a garage environment won’t be kind to your garments. Fumes from engine and power equipment exhausts or improperly stored materials may damage these items. Pests also favor clothing and fabrics as a spot to build homes.
Garages are often hot, humid, and poorly ventilated – conditions mold spores love. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, wool, silk and viscose are most affected. Likewise, any vintage, antique, or heirloom clothing (like your great grandmother’s wedding dress) are in danger. Even synthetic materials can develop persistent odors from garage fumes and become breeding grounds for various pests.
Important Documents Face Multiple Threats
Family photographs, birth certificates, and other irreplaceable documents need protection that garages simply can’t provide. Family photo albums, birth certificates, passports, and important financial records need protection from environmental damage. Garage storage exposes these irreplaceable items to humidity fluctuations that can cause paper to warp, photos to stick together, and documents to develop mold or mildew. The paper fibers in documents and photographs are particularly susceptible to moisture damage, which can occur even when stored in cardboard boxes that absorb humidity from the air.
Photographs need to be stored in 30% to 50% relative humidity and below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Mold, once established, can’t be removed. Once moisture damage occurs to paper documents or photographs, the deterioration is irreversible. Professional archivists recommend climate-controlled storage with acid-free materials – standards that garage environments rarely meet, even with protective containers.