Winter Storage Tips & Tricks

Introduction

The transition between seasons can be overwhelming when it comes to storing all of your summer items. As the seasons change, so does your need for your lawnmower and patio furniture. Keeping those items in their best condition can be challenging in the winter. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you solve your winter storage woes.

Common Winter Storage Problems

Allocating space for your winter items, amidst your summer things can come with a lot of problems. In the Pacific Northwest, mold and mildew are common culprits to damaged items. Condensation can settle in electronics leading to irreparable damage. The fluctuation in temperature causes a lot of issues. These issues lead to your items coming out of storage in disrepair. Storing your items properly can prevent mildew, mold, and condensation from damaging your items.

Winter Storage Solutions

In addition to storing items around your home, Portable Storage and Self-Storage are also two great options when you don’t have the extra space at your place. These options give you the ability to store all of your winter items quickly and easily without crowding the garage or needing to buy an expensive storage shed.

Winter Storage Tips

The correct preparation of your summer items will protect them from the winter elements. Here is a guide of how to properly prepare your summer items:

• Patio Furniture
  • How to clean different types of furniture
    • Aluminum, Vinyl, and Plastic: basic wash with soap and water
    • Wicker and Wood: avoid using soap, instead use oil soap and water
    • Metal: remove any existing rust then treat it with paste wax
    • Canvas: use upholstery cleaner
  • How to store
    • If possible store indoors especially items that will be damaged by winter weather
    • When storing outside, tie pieces down and cover them
• Lawn Mower
  • Keep in mind that storage units don’t allow flammable liquids
  • Drain the fuel tank
  • Remove the spark plug
  • Wash it down and remove any grass build-up
• Bikes
  • Keep your tires off the ground but keep them inflated
  • Lubricate cables
  • Stored bikes indoors and in a climate-controlled unit to prevent rust
• Grills
  • Clean and remove any grease build-up
  • Shut off the gas and refer to the owner’s manual to disassemble your grill’s burner and gas tubes
  • Put cooking oil on burners to prevent rust
  • Place the burner unit into a plastic bag
  • Storage units do not allow propane tanks

Handy Tricks

The best way to make your seasonal storing easier is to avoid storing things you don’t use. As you are deciding what things you need to store, take into account what you have not used all summer. Consider selling the things you don’t need and throwing away the things that are broken. The things you do decide to keep, be sure to clean and dry them well before storing them. Finally, cover and protect anything that is being stored outside.