Four Items You Need to Convert Your Garage Into a Safe Storage Space
Your child's going to uni, and you want to turn his room into the guest room you've always dreamt about. First, however, you need to find a place to store your child's band instruments, extra clothing, books, electronics and other items he or she left behind. The garage is the ideal solution, but before placing much of what your child owns into the garage, you should take some time to prepare.
Here are four essentials that can help you convert your garage into a safe storage zone:
1. Shelving
Ideally, even if stuff is in boxes, you don't want to set it on the floor of your garage. That makes it impossible to clean the floor of your garage with a hosepipe, and it also puts your child's scrapbooks, clothing and old art projects closer to curious rodents or other threats. Instead, make sure to add shelving to your garage. Alternatively, spread boards over the rafters in your garage and place the items up there on your makeshift shelves.
2. Dust Covers
Whether your child's stuff is in the rafters or on shelves along the wall, it's likely to get hit by the dust and dirt that invariably gets kicked up as you drive your car in and out of your garage. To protect it from the abrasive and damaging effects of dust, cover everything with a dust cover. A simple cardboard box provides ample protection as long as it's well sealed, but you may want to throw a sheet or a drop cloth on it as well for extra protection.
3. Insulation
If possible, consider adding insulation to your garage. You can buy an insulation kit to insulate your garage door, or you can attach batting along the walls of the garage. Alternatively, you can create a small insulated storage zone using insulated panels.
Insulation helps to prevent the garage's temperature from fluctuating severely up and down, and this is especially important if you are storing computers, tablets or other electronics including old CDs or USB drives. Additionally, insulation also helps to subdue the effects of condensation, thus helping to ensure that your child's extra clothes, old school papers, photographs and similar items don't get damaged by moisture.
4. Weather Stripping
Finally, consider how well sealed your garage is. If there are gaps between the garage door and the floor of your garage, bugs or rodents can easily get into your garage. Once in, they may chomp on your stored items or build nests in your boxes. Luckily, a simple bit of weather stripping along the bottom edge of your garage door can help to stop them.