As summer comes to an end, you begin thinking about what needs to be done to get ready for winter. So many things in your garage will no longer be needed once the cold weather strikes. Instead of tripping all over the warm-weather items in your garage all winter long, it's time to start thinking about putting it all in storage. Here, you'll find a few tips for preparing these items for storage and storing them in a way that protects their condition until next spring rolls around.

Pedal Bikes

You might think that you can just put a bike in storage and everything will be just fine until next year. The truth is, before a pedal bike is put away for months, there are a few things that need to be done first:

  1. Clean the bike – any dirt and debris can lead to rust and discolorations.
  2. Lube the chain and cables – if the cables and chain aren't lubricated, they will rust.
  3. Inflate the tires – this will prevent flat spots from forming. If you can hang the bike while it's stored, you won't have to worry about any tire damage.

Lawn Care Equipment

All of that lawn care equipment that's taking up a big chunk of space in your garage can go. The hand tools will just need to be cleaned and dried very well before being stored, but the gas-powered items will need a bit more care.

Before the gas-powered equipment is stored for months, you'll need to do a few things:

  1. Fill the gas completely and add a fuel additive to keep the fuel from gumming up inside the fuel lines and the tank. If you don't fill the tank, air will be trapped inside for the next few months which could lead to rust.
  2. Fill the tires with air completely. If you can lift the equipment that is on inflatable tires off of the ground for the next few months, that would be better, but if not, complete inflation will protect against flat spots.
  3. Change the oil. You don't want to store any gas-powered items for months with dirty oil inside. The sediment trapped in the oil will settle and can cause complications when you go to start it up next season.

Now that you have everything all prepared for storage, it's time to start moving it into storage. Find a unit nearby that offers the access that you'll need and the space to keep everything that you won't be needing for the next several months.

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