Many people store things in their garage, that’s just a fact. Sometimes it’s kitchen supplies that rarely get used, or it’s old mementos of family members. Sometimes it’s important documents, or even financial documents.
Let’s get things straight. There are some things it’s totally okay to store in your garage! If it’s not something you use all the time, but you still need to have around, consider boxing it up for the garage. A cardboard box, like one you might get from UHAUL can work for smaller or lighter objects, but it doesn’t necessarily seal all the way. A big plastic box will seal tightly, but it can be a little annoying if you only have smaller items to store, because of its size.
Some personal items are okay to store, too. If you have a lot of pictures, but you don’t have all the room to put them up, they can go into envelopes and put into boxes. It might be tempting to get organized and put them all into photo albums too. However, keep in mind that without being able to seal a photo album, there is some potential for nature damage. If your pictures are very old, or are a small collection, it may be best just to keep them in the house.
The impulse to store documents in the garage is a bad one. These documents are no more safer sitting in your garage than they were lying around your house. The best option for documents, regardless of house or garage, is to purchase a safe box and then put it in a place not easily found by strangers. You want to make sure that it’s close by, so that in the event of an emergency, you’re not scrambling to get everything together.
One thing you can keep in your garage is an emergency supplies kit, in case of dangerous weather. It’s easy to find guides online for what to put in, though many start with flashlights, extra batteries, and non-perishable food. You do want to make sure that the kit is in a plastic container, so that it can be sealed against the elements, and that it’s in an easy-to-reach or get-to area of your garage.
When considering what to store in your garage, think about how important it is to you, how easy it is to store, and how easily it can be replaced.
