Winter is quickly approaching, are you ready? Here are 5 ways to prepare your stored belongings in colder weather. Don’t let winter’s weather sneak up on you before you’re done winterizing everything!
- Is there anything with a higher risk for damage from the cold? Items such as fragile antiques and items that have liquids or chemicals in them such as batteries have a higher chance of damage. The cold air can make glass and even some plastics very brittle. Wrap them up in a lot of newspaper for insulation.
- Vehicles in long-term winter storage are almost guaranteed to have a dead battery by the time spring comes along. Make sure chemicals under the hood haven’t burst in their compartments or in the trunk if there are any extra liquids stored there. Tires tend to deflate when exposed to cold air for long periods of time. Be ready to inflate them before taking the car out of storage. Measure the PSI with a tire gauge in each tire before filling as the air in the tire will condense in the cold, giving the appearance of a soft tire. Caution! Over-filling your tire can cause a blowout when driving due to the air in your tire expanding from the rising temperatures resulting in the tire rupturing.
- Consider renting a temperature controlled storage unit for peace of mind during the winter months if available. A stable temperature helps preserve all of your belongings for many years to come.
- Who is mowing the grass in the winter? No one. Keep it safely stored away in the winter by storing it in a storage unit. Make sure to empty the gas tank in all your small engine equipment due to the ethanol found in gas today. The ethanol will eat the carburetor costing you some extra money to get it started when you’re finally ready to use it again. Most gasoline stabilizers will not preserve your gasoline over the entire winter. It is best if you can finish off the gas that you have before winter comes. The primer bulbs that are found on some small engines usually don’t fair too well in the cold of winter and end up cracking, be prepared to replace them when spring comes again. They are fairly cheap and easy to replace yourself. Here is a Youtube video on how to replace a primer bulb:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S16iWuedqx8
5. Summer is at an end and so are your boating days until spring. Do forget to winterize your boat! There are many types of boats out there. If you have a smaller boat, consider storing it at your local self-storage facility. This will help save space in your driveway and help you avoid backing your car into it. A good starting point to winterizing your boat is removing everything from your boat. Scrub down the boats interior with gentle detergent, removing any stains. Use lemon oil on any wood to keep it from drying out and to prevent cracking. Use bottom cleaner on the bottom of your boat to remove the scum that builds up on it to keep your boat looking nice. Remove the gasoline from the fuel tank before storing because of the ethanol in gasoline will destroy the carburetor. Make sure all pumps and hoses are open to release any extra water in there that could freeze and cause damage. If your boat is on blocks, check stands and blocking periodically during storage to make sure your boat is not being damaged by any of the blocks.