Talk of The Villages Florida - Storing items in the garage?

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We are having built in cabinets installed in our garage, which partially will be a pantry. I plan on moving all my bulky small appliances (mixer, ice cream maker, Vege steamer, large casserole pans, etc) into the garage cabinets. Thereby, opening space in my kitchen for added can goods, pastas, dry goods, storage.

I worked at UPS for 15 years as a supervisor. Everything that is shipped via UPS is in the heat -- from factory/supplier/seller to delivery. LTL (Less than Truck Load) are in the heat. Even most factory products are in hot truck trailers from start to finish.

I imagine that this is factored into the Use By date.

Having said all this, I would still store as much as I could in a cooler place -- longer shelf life, probably better taste from the can/jar.

Speciality products -- produce, dairy, some medicine, etc. -- is shipped cool. This same line of products would be ones we should be especially careful with when taking from store to home.

Everything but canned and glass jar foods. Both will deteriorate in quality in the summer heat. Put all paper goods in sealed containers as cockroaches are attracted to paper products. Water and soda can also be safely stored in your garage.

A little off subject here about what to store in your garage.

My wife cooks and bakes during the hot summer months.
I don't have room in our 1 1/2 stall garage, but I wish I had the room for another electric stove.
Think how much that would cut down on heat in the house on a 90-degree day.

The main reason we bought a Newport model was the HUGE walk-in pantry right off the kitchen. Rest of house layout is great as well for 3BR. I'm amazed at the majority of people who desire these other models with only a pantry cabinet as part of their kitchen cabinets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dotneko (Post 2109978)

Be careful of the pasta. I had spaghetti stored in my pantry that ended up with bugs. It now lives in the fridge.

I was in the neighborhood Walmart yesterday. Picked up a package of spaghetti and it had a good number > 6 that I could see of smaller black bugs. At first I thought it was dirt but they were walking around. I took the manager and they went to the shelf and removed every package. I imagine the heat of items during shipping or storing can promote bugs in pasta. After I open flour, sugar, pasta, cereal ... I put the item in a zip lock storage bag. I also wipe down countertops with soapy water. When I first moved down here I found out what a ghost ant is and I never want to see them again. I say them because I don't think there is ever just one. Also I used to store clothes that I did not wear often in the garage but you have to be careful with anything stored in the garage. Those large palmetto bugs burrow in there and you don't want to accidently bring one in the house. I have my garage sprayed for bugs every 4 months but I still find that they get in.

Do not keep or store battery operated equipment or batteries, even rechargeable, in the garage. Heat shortens battery life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kp11364 (Post 2109593)

Hi all,

Just wondering - can you store some groceries in the garage vs. the home itself?

1. Paper goods like paper towels, napkins, tissues etc.
2. Cleaning goods (spic n span, liquid or dry detergents, fabric softeners, etc)
3. Dry grocery goods (pasta, rice, noodles)
4. Canned goods
5. Glass jar goods

Thanks!

I have a wood armoire in our garage and I store paper goods, noodles, speghetti and other items. I did this also in our home (garage) in Lakeland and I've NEVER had a problem!

Quote:

Originally Posted by maistocars (Post 2110118)

Very true, ran into storage problem for food a few weeks after moving in. Solved it with buying a cabinet via Amazon.

have stored paper goods, water, pop, cleaning supplies for 10 years. works fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MandoMan (Post 2110020)

1. I store paper goods in the garage.
2. I would store most cleaning products in the garage if I had enough to need to, but NOT opened boxes of dry detergent (too humid).
3. Dry grocery goods can be safely stored in the garage if they are sealed from humidity and bugs. (I don’t have bugs in my garage, but I might if I had open containers of dry groceries.
4. Canned goods, no trouble.
5. Glass jar goods, no trouble.

All of these things are in cupboards with doors in the garage. The garage seldom gets above 90°, except for a few hours after I park a hot car there. That’s not enough to raise the temperature in the cabinets very much.

I have a few well-sealed cans of shellac, paint, etc, and WD40 and wasp spray, etc. One strict rule is that I never apply shellac or varnish in the garage. I do it on the driveway. And I NEVER leave a cloth or paper towel with any of those products on them in the garage. If I apply shellac with a folded paper towel, for example, I then open it and leave it on the gravel in the garden until it has dried. Then I throw it away in the kitchen trash can.

Items like the tops of vises and drill presses will rust in garage humidity and need to be wiped occasionally with oil or sprayed with WD40.

I NEVER leave papers and photos in the garage. The humidity and heat can damage them. Same with CDs and LPs.

I don't think all readers understand. Some products will spontaneously combust. Many years ago I had that happen with linseed oil. Truth I've not used shellac in more years than I can remember and was not aware it too will spontaneously combust. The solvent is alcohol and it quickly evaporates. On a rag, I think the process if called French polishing and it is shellac with linseed oil rubbed into the wood. Nice finish, takes many coats and as shellac dissolves in alcohol one drink spilled on it will destroy all that work.

In terms of WD 40, a product that seems to be used often misused for everything. It is or was originally an industrial product used for mold release. It is good for cleaning. Lube or rust prevention is actually evaporates over time. Proof, spray a piece of glass, in a week the WD 40 is gone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kp11364 (Post 2109593)

1+2 are probably ok. The rest I would not. It gets truly hot out there. People keep rechargeable batteries in the garage. Includes tools, golf carts and cars. At high heat the standby losses, goes way up.

Solution, our solution was to get those plastic stackable shelves. They are typically five shelves. You can make sets of two or three shelves and use them in closets, laundry rooms etc

Makes me wonder how many people have insulated their garage/garage attic and made it part of their climate controlled space? It seems like other than the upfront cost of insulation and adding some ducting that the long term montly cost would be negligible.

Just google “storing canned goods in a hot garage”. You will,find plethora of articles stating that the FDA recommends storing canned goods in a cool dry place. Unless your garage is air conditioned it is neither cool nor dry. Cans can rust in high moisture and it is like borrowing trouble. . I do have shelves for paper products and since my garage is also my laundry room, I have no problem keeping detergent, bleach or dryer sheets in the garage.

BTW for those of you with refrigerators and freezers in your garage, newer appliances are more sensitive as far as cooling goes. According to what I have read it is better to find an old frig or freezer that is more adaptable to temperature fluctuations and keep the frig and freezer well stocked. There are appliances that are recommended for the garage but apparently they are quite costly. Be sure to keep the appliance several inches from the walls so they get some air flow and also vacuum the coils regularly.

Thank you all for your responses - coming from up north from a house with 3 floors and a lot of storage space, I'm getting my thoughts organized around what will go where in my TV home. I've already downsized a good deal and have things that will definitely get tossed when I move. I was definitely thinking of those 5-shelf pieces already for the garage and I guess I will buy cabinets as needed for the food and sensitive items.

One final question - which Designer homes have an abundant deal of storage space in the home?