Sheds Are the Worst Place to Store These Items
Having a shed is great, but you have to be careful with it. A shed is open to the elements, and those elements can wreak havoc on valuable items. Sometimes, storing certain things in a shed is practically the same as storing them outside, and you wouldn’t do that, right? Here’s a look at 35 things you should never store in a shed.
Paint
Let’s face it, everyone stores their paint in the shed… but they really shouldn’t. Sheds are just too inconsistent in their temperature. Heat causes paint to separate or dry out, while cold can make it lumpy and unusable. So find somewhere else to store it!
Electronics
Never ever store electronics in a shed. A shed gets full of moisture, and that moisture will ruin your electronics. The humidity and temperature fluctuations won’t help either. Many a person has stored something electric in the shed and found it no longer works when they go to turn it on.
Food
Absolutely never store food in the shed, not even canned food. It’ll rust. And storing fresh food in there will invite pests, and your items could end up being devoured by rats or bugs. Food needs to be indoors and behind seals.
Important Documents
Sheds are very prone to being broken into, and a thief could well make off with your important documents if you’re not careful. But even aside from that, humidity will warp the papers, and high heat will cause the ink to fade.
Photographs
Sheds are the worst place for your photographed memories. Humidity and heat can make photos stick together or fade, and insects and rodents may try and eat them. Keep your precious photographs in the house, in a sealed box. Don’t forget you can also scan them in to preserve them digitally.
Wine
Wine goes in a wine cellar if you’re lucky enough to have one, not the shed. Sheds get hot, and the alcohol doesn’t like that. The flavor of most wines will be ruined if you store them in a shed, plus, who wants to bring out a bottle of wine and find it has rat droppings on it?
Candles
Candles will melt in a hot shed and warp in a cold one. They need a consistent temperature, and if you don’t have this they can crack or bend. Always store candles in a cool, dry indoor area, away from direct sunlight.
Musical Instruments
It doesn’t matter how much money you paid for your musical instrument, you should never ever keep it in the shed. Wooden instruments like guitars or violins can warp or crack from humidity and temperature changes, while anything with metal in it will rust.
Batteries
Batteries degrade way faster when exposed to heat or cold, which sheds are notorious for. Leaking or corroding batteries can be dangerous and damage nearby items. They need to be stored indoors, in a dry environment, away from anything flammable.
Medications
Do not even think about storing medications in the shed. Heat, moisture, and light can reduce the effectiveness of many medications or even make them unsafe, so it’s a terrible idea. Always keep medications inside, in a cool dry place, and away from children.
Leather Goods
Do you have a love of leather? Then you’ll know to store it somewhere other than the shed. Leather items like shoes, bags, or jackets will crack, mold, or fade if stored in a shed, completely ruining the items you probably paid a lot of money for.
Clothes
Do you have a lot of clothes that you’re not using? Well, find somewhere to store them that isn’t the shed. Sheds attract pests like moths and rodents, which love to nest in fabric. And then there’s the issue of mold. Chances are, you’ll take your clothes out of the shed and find they have mold on them.
Books
Serious book collectors know that they should never be stored in the garage. Paper warps, covers fade, and mold spreads easily in shed environments. Plus, some insects like silverfish actually eat the paper and glue. Keep books inside, where you can easily read them!
Gasoline
Gasoline is a huge hazard. Heat can cause fumes to build up, increasing the risk of explosion, or it could leak all over the shed and catch a spark. It’s not actually against the law to store gasoline in the shed, but it’s certainly not advised… and obviously don’t store it in the house either.
Fireworks
People are much too careless with fireworks. They’re explosive devices, and a single spark can set them all going and burn down the shed. Many a person has stored them in a shed in high temperatures, and lost their shed as a result. But you could lose something much more precious than a shed, too – your life.
Artworks
The idea of having access to beautiful artworks and sticking them away in a shed sounds crazy, but some people do it. But the conditions in a shed end up making the artwork warp and grow mold, thus wasting a lot of money in some cases.
Cosmetics and Toiletries
If you have a lot of cosmetics and toiletries lying around, it can be tempting to put them all in a big box and put that box in the shed, but you shouldn’t do it. Extreme heat and cold can alter the chemical makeup of makeup, lotions, and creams, making them functionally useless.
Fire Extinguishers
Not many people know about this one, and they buy a fire extinguisher for their shed thinking they’re doing the right thing. But keeping an extinguisher in the shed subjects it to extreme temperatures, and that could cause it to malfunction when you need it most.
Seeds
Lots of people store seeds in their garage, but they actually shouldn’t. Seeds don’t do well when exposed to moisture and heat, and may not work at all after a long stint in the garage. Store them inside, in an airtight container.
Computers
Old computers are hard to store, and many people resort to taking them outside and cramming them into the shed. But if they do that, the computer may never work again. The moisture inside the shed and the temperature changes will ruin it.
Pet Food
If your pet is outside a lot, you may be tempted to store their pet food in the shed. But nope. The combination of moisture and pests leads to the pet food being contaminated with mold and bacteria, and it could make your pet very ill.
Vinyl Records
If you have a lot of vinyl records you definitely shouldn’t be storing those things in the shed. Heat can warp vinyl records beyond repair, while humidity can damage the sleeves and labels. Keep them inside, away from direct sunlight.
Cleaning Products
Most cleaning products will degrade in heat, cold or humidity, and that’s exactly what’s going on inside your shed. The packaging can degrade too, leading to leaks. Always keep your cleaning products indoors, in a secure cupboard.
Power Tools With Batteries
So many people store their power tools with batteries in the shed, never realizing that they’re not supposed to. The temperature changes and the moisture in the air quickly ruins the battery, rendering the tool useless.
Unplugged Fridges or Freezers
An unplugged fridge or freezer in a shed will quickly become a nesting ground for pets. Many people have opened the fridge up to find rats inside it, and you wouldn’t want to use it to store food after that. It’s just a terrible idea to put one in a shed.
Fertilizer
People don’t realize how dangerous it is to store fertilizer. In high heat it can become combustible and set your shed on fire. If your shed happens to be right next to your house, then the results can be catastrophic.
Expensive Tools
If you have some expensive tools, they should be stored in the house and not the shed. The humidity and fluctuating temperatures will ruin them, costing you a lot of money. Keep them in a tool chest in a temperature-controlled area.
Old Magazines
Do you have a lot of old magazines that you don’t want to throw away? Then find somewhere to store them that’s not the shed, because they’ll get ruined. You see, paper absorbs moisture easily, causing it to curl and stick. And there’s a lot of moisture in the shed.
Garden Hoses
Yes, believe it or not, you probably shouldn’t keep garden hoses in your shed. They don’t respond well to the temperature changes and the direct sunlight. Instead, you should use a hose reel with protective coverings if you want to get the most out of your hose.
Tires
Stacking tires in a shed may deform them over time, and the sunlight that floods into a shed will weaken the rubber. If you must store tires, keep them in a cool, dark, and dry place indoors, ideally off the ground.
Collectables
Are you trying to find a space for your toy collection? Whatever you do, don’t let that space be the shed. Your precious items will be subjected to moisture, temperature swings, and pests. Basically, anything you want to keep nice needs to stay in the house.
Upholstered Furniture
Some people use their shed to store old bits of furniture, but putting upholstered furniture in there is a bad idea. The fabric and padding will absorb all the moisture in the shed, leading to mold. And then there’s the problem of the pests. Rats will find upholstered furniture great for making nests in.
Paint Thinner
Paint thinner is volatile and there’s a fire risk if you leave it in a hot shed. Yes, lots of people do it, but that doesn’t mean you have to. You should keep your paint thinner in a well-ventilated, temperature-controlled area.
Water Bottles
Some people buy water bottles in bulk and store them in their shed as an emergency supply. This is a bad idea. Plastic bottles degrade in heat, leaking chemicals into the water. If you really want an emergency supply of bottled water, store it inside the house.
Ammo
Firearms enthusiasts sometimes keep ammo in the shed, but they shouldn’t. Ammo is highly sensitive to heat and moisture, both things that can be found in a shed, and that makes the ammo dangerous. If you’re not sure where to store your ammo, contact your local authority.
