Although garages are meant as an enclosed space in which to store your vehicles, there’s no doubt people store a whole lot of other things in their garage as well.  And there’s nothing wrong with that! However, there are certain things you should never keep in your garage. Due to factors such as temperature fluctuations, some items might not be safe if you store them in the garage.  This article lists 4 things you should never keep in your garage.

Propane Tanks

The garage might seem to be a logical place to store a propane tank.  You wouldn’t really want to be bringing them into the house. However, storing propane tanks in your garage is pretty much the same thing as storing them in your house.  Propane tanks have a tendency to leak and therefore shouldn’t be kept indoors. Propane tanks are safest when stored outdoors on a level surface.

Car Batteries

Just because you store your car in your garage doesn’t mean you should use it to store an extra car battery as well.  Setting a car battery on concrete is an easy way to ruin the battery. Because concrete is porous, it collects moisture which is transferred to the battery.  This moisture will drain the battery and eventually render it useless. If you still want to store a car battery in a garage, set it on top of a piece of wood or thick cardboard.

Paint

Paint cans are another item where it seems to make sense to store them in the garage.  However, extreme temperature fluctuations can cause paint to spoil. Keeping paint cans in a place with a consistent temperature, while still cool and dry, is better than a garage that experiences both hot and cold temperatures.  Consider storing your paint cans in a closet or spare room instead.

Photo Albums

Because garages will typically retain moisture and experience temperature fluctuations, photo albums are vulnerable to faster deterioration when stored in a garage.  The ability of mildew to form can ruin the pictures, while humidity and temperature changes will cause the photo’s colours to fade. Keep your photos in your home if you want them to last.