Things you shouldn’t store in your shed

Where would Australians be without their sheds?

They store all manner of things, from boats to bars, but what shouldn’t you store in your shed?

Firewood

This one should be self-evident. By storing firewood in your shed, you are providing fuel if ever a fire breaks out.

It also exponentially increases the chances of bringing insect and arachnid life into your shed.

The best place to store firewood is outside, preferably in a firewood box, and certainly not against your house.

For the same reasons it’s also not a good idea to store …

Gas tanks

If you have a gas barbecue and need to store it, leave the tank outside.

If the tank leaks in a small, enclosed space you are at high risk of an explosion.

And if you think this can’t happen to you, well, it’s happened twice in my street, and once at a separate social function.

Clothing and bedding

Animals love getting into sheds, especially rats, moths, spiders and possums. Unless you have a military-grade storage solution, something is going to get into your gear.

You also risk exposing your stuff to damp and consequential mildew and mould.

Store any fabric-based items in your house.

Paper

Unless you are super organised, most of us at some stage face a sea of paperwork.

The temptation is to pile it into boxes or a filing cabinet and store it in the garage.

Well, avoid that temptation.

For the reasons discussed above in the clothing and bedding section, it’s better to store any paper files inside or, if necessary, a storage facility.

Wine

This is never going to work in Australia. The extremes of temperature mean you can never store wine correctly in a shed or garage. Keep it inside in a cool, dark location.

Canned food

You might think a shed is the ideal location to store canned food. However, the variations in temperature mean canned food will have considerably less shelf life when stored in a shed, especially if you live somewhere where it snows or is in danger of freezing.

Refrigerator

No, not the bar fridge! Well, you can store a refrigerator in your shed or garage but just be aware it will probably be more expensive to run as it is exposed to more extreme temperature fluctuations than inside your house.

The fact that the fridge in the garage is usually one of questionable age and efficiency doesn’t help either.

Paint

You can store paint in your shed, but make sure it is properly sealed after use and regularly check the bottoms to ensure the cans are not rusting though, damaging both the floor and the paint inside the can.

Electronics

We get it, it’s hard to throw out electronics or electric goods you think still hold some value. There would be few households who don’t have at least a DVD player lurking somewhere on the property.

But it’s time for a cull. If you are not using it, it’s not going to work any better, and will probably start to get damaged by dust and damp if stored in your shed.

Time to give it away or drop it into the bin.

What do you store in your shed? Does it need a clean out? Why not share what you love about your shed in the comments section below?

Also read: Do you have weevils in your pantry?