7 Things You Should Stop Leaving in Your Garage During Winter

November 1, 2026

A garage can feel like a safe place to stash almost anything. It keeps clutter out of the house, hides the holiday decorations, and gives that expensive new gadget somewhere to live until spring. Unfortunately, an unheated garage can also expose your belongings to freezing temperatures, moisture, and temperature swings that cause trouble long after winter ends.

The sneaky part? Some items tolerate the cold just fine, while others can suffer damage without looking any different until you try to use them. A few also create safety hazards that have nothing to do with whether they still work. Before your garage turns into a seasonal storage experiment, move these seven things somewhere more suitable.

1. Paint Cans That Cannot Handle a Freeze

Leftover paint seems harmless enough tucked beside the lawn mower. Unfortunately, freezing temperatures can ruin many water-based latex paints by changing their texture and consistency. Even after the can warms up, the paint may remain lumpy, separate, or spread unevenly across a wall.

Oil-based paints generally tolerate cold better than latex paints, but that does not make every paint product suitable for freezing storage. Check the manufacturer’s storage instructions instead of assuming every can follows the same rules.

A basement shelf or interior utility closet often provides a better home, provided the location meets the product’s storage requirements. Keep paint away from furnaces, water heaters, and other ignition sources, especially if it contains flammable solvents. Also, secure the lids tightly and label cans with the room or project they match. Replacing ruined paint halfway through touching up a bedroom ranks somewhere between a nuisance and a very expensive afternoon.

2. Rechargeable Batteries and Their Expensive Gadgets

Cordless drills, leaf blowers, e-bikes, and portable power stations often rely on lithium-ion batteries. These batteries deserve more attention than the tools attached to them, particularly during freezing weather.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends storing lithium-ion batteries at room temperature when possible. It also warns against charging them below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. A battery that works poorly in the cold may recover some performance after warming, but that doesn’t mean every battery can safely tolerate prolonged exposure.

Bring removable batteries indoors and follow the manufacturer’s storage instructions. Keep them dry, away from flammable materials, and out of direct sunlight. Never charge a frozen battery just because a snowblower needs to earn its keep. Let the battery reach an appropriate temperature before charging, and check the manufacturer’s guidance first. If you notice swelling, leaking, unusual heat, or physical damage, stop using the battery.

3. Canned Food and Glass Jars From the Pantry

A garage can become an unofficial overflow pantry when kitchen cabinets run out of room. Cases of soup, jars of pasta sauce, and emergency food supplies fit neatly on shelves. The problem starts when the temperature drops below freezing.

Water expands as it freezes, which can damage cans, jar seals, and glass containers. A can might bulge or split, while a jar can crack without making much noise. Damaged packaging can compromise food safety, even if the contents look perfectly ordinary after thawing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises against using cans with burst seams or other damage caused by freezing. If a frozen can remains intact, thaw it in the refrigerator and inspect it carefully. Discard anything that leaks, has a damaged seam, or shows other warning signs. Never taste questionable food to see whether it survived the winter. A pantry shelf inside the house beats gambling on a garage that doubles as a freezer.

4. Propane Tanks Waiting for Their Next Barbecue

That propane cylinder beside the grill might look perfectly content sitting in the garage until summer. Unfortunately, propane storage involves a safety concern that cold weather doesn’t solve.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends storing propane away from the home in a separate shed. Keep propane cylinders outdoors in an appropriate, well-ventilated location, following the cylinder manufacturer’s instructions and local fire-safety requirements. Never store them inside the house or an enclosed garage.

Propane cylinders contain pressurized fuel, so leaks can create a fire or explosion hazard. A garage full of cardboard boxes, lawn equipment, and household clutter offers plenty of potential fuel if something ignites. Move cylinders to a suitable outdoor storage location, keep them upright, and protect them from damage. A winter barbecue may sound unlikely, but storing its fuel improperly creates a problem that lasts all season.

5. Gasoline for Lawn Mowers and Snowblowers

Keeping gasoline handy makes sense when a snowblower needs fuel before an early morning storm. Keeping it in a random container beside the workbench makes considerably less sense.

Gasoline produces flammable vapors, which can travel toward ignition sources. A furnace, water heater, electrical equipment, or spark can turn an ordinary storage mistake into a dangerous situation. Cold weather doesn’t eliminate those hazards.

Store only the amount you need in an approved, tightly sealed fuel container. Follow the container manufacturer’s instructions and local fire codes for storage location and quantity. Keep gasoline away from heat, flames, and other ignition sources. Never bring fuel containers into living areas or leave them near equipment that generates heat. Your snowblower deserves a full tank, but your garage doesn’t need to double as a fuel depot.

6. Electronics and Musical Instruments

An old laptop, spare television, or guitar might seem perfectly happy sitting in the garage until somebody needs it. Unfortunately, extreme temperatures and moisture can damage electronics, while sudden temperature changes can create condensation.

That moisture becomes particularly troublesome when you carry a cold device into a warm room and immediately switch it on. Depending on the device and conditions, condensation can form inside the equipment. Give cold electronics time to reach the manufacturer’s recommended operating temperature before powering them up.

Musical instruments also deserve protection. Wood can respond to changing humidity by expanding or contracting, potentially affecting joints, finishes, and tuning stability. Guitars, violins, and other wooden instruments generally fare better in stable indoor conditions. Store valuable equipment in a suitable room rather than relying on a cardboard box to provide climate control. A forgotten guitar might survive the winter, but it could emerge sounding like it has developed a personal disagreement with every string.

7. Houseplants Waiting for Spring

The garage seems like a convenient halfway house for potted plants that spent summer on the patio. It keeps them out of the snow without taking up precious indoor space. Unfortunately, many tropical houseplants cannot tolerate the temperatures an unheated garage reaches during winter.

The University of Minnesota Extension recommends bringing most houseplants indoors when temperatures approach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Some species tolerate cooler conditions, but many suffer damage well before temperatures reach freezing.

Move sensitive plants into a suitable indoor location before cold weather arrives. Check leaves and stems for pests before bringing them inside, especially if the plants spent months outdoors. Adjust watering to match indoor light levels and growth, since many plants use less water during winter. Hardy plants and dormant specimens may tolerate cooler storage, depending on their species. Check their individual requirements rather than treating every potted plant like a tropical vacationer.

Give Your Garage a Winter Job Description

A garage works beautifully for many things, including cars, tools, and outdoor equipment. Problems arise when people mistake shelter from snow for protection from every winter hazard.

Walk through your storage areas before the next cold snap. Check labels, inspect containers, bring temperature-sensitive items indoors, and relocate hazardous fuels to appropriate storage areas. Pay particular attention to anything rechargeable, flammable, or vulnerable to freezing.

Which item in your garage would be hardest to replace if winter ruined it? And is there something you’ve stored out there for years without realizing it could cause trouble?