A shed is one of the most versatile buildings you have on your property because you can store different things in it. However, there are some things that you may want to double-check before keeping them in the shed. There are some items that are too risky to keep in a shed while other things are too dangerous. So, what should you avoid storing in your shed?
Anything important such as documents, jewelry, and money shouldn’t be stored in the shed. This includes clothes because insects and critters can damage them. However, with some exceptions, you can store most household items without a problem, even electronics like your spare TV.
With your shed being out in your yard, security risks and the possibility of damaging certain objects and belongings should be considered when you think about storing anything in it. Remember that the shed is not as sturdy and secure as your home. So don’t store anything that’s extremely valuable or sentimental.
What Not To Store In Your Shed
Those who own sheds in their yards know for a fact that these structures are very useful for storage. They provide a good space where you can store certain things that you might not want to store in your house.
However, even though a shed might have the available space, you have to understand that it isn’t as sturdy, secure, and weatherproof as a house is. So there are some things that you shouldn’t store in your shed because of the risks involved.
While it may depend on certain situations, there are some things that may be unsafe for storing in a shed. Here are some of those things along with a further explanation.
- Electrical appliances
- Clothes
- Documents
- Valuables
- Musical instruments
- Wine
- Tires
Electrical appliances
Of course, you also have to consider the possibility of these appliances getting damaged by the elements when you don’t properly weatherproof your shed.
In most cases, sheds are not as sturdy as homes in the sense that it will be easier for thieves to break into a shed than a home. Of course, most electrical appliances are quite expensive.
That means that they are easy targets for thieves, who may want to make a quick buck out of pawning electrical appliances. They can just break into the shed and then steal the appliances.
Then there is the possibility of damaging your appliances when you store them in the shed. Sheds are supposed to be weatherproofed after construction. They should be insulated and have a good drainage system. However, there are still some instances where leaks can happen or when a very strong typhoon hits your area.
While your home can withstand such weather conditions, your shed will not, and this can damage your appliances.
Clothes
You may think that it’s actually a good idea to keep clothes in a shed because a shed is similar to a closet but only bigger. And some of you here are probably already storing a few clothes in their sheds.
However, you should know that it generally isn’t a good idea to store clothes in a shed due to certain reasons that can end up damaging them.
First off, sheds are more prone to insect infestation than most homes are. This is because wood naturally attracts insects.
So, by storing clothes in a shed, certain insects can eat through your clothes and damage them. You wouldn’t want that to happen to your clothes, especially if you still plan on wearing them.
Second, some animals also tend to easily get inside sheds by poking holes through the shed or by using small openings. Certain animals such as raccoons and rats can make a home out of your clothes, and you don’t want that to happen.
Finally, the weather conditions inside the shed aren’t always ideal for preserving the overall condition of your clothes.
Some sheds can get a bit too moist depending on the season and on how waterproof the shed is. Such weather conditions can easily damage your clothes.
So, with that said, if you do insist on keeping your clothes inside your shed because you want to save some closet space in your home, you should make it a point to store the clothes in a sealed container.
Do not directly store your clothes in the shed without a container protecting them from insects, animals, and moisture. That way, you can help preserve your clothes and wear them in time for the next season.
Documents
It might sound like a shed is a good place to store your documents because you don’t want plenty of different papers piling up in your home.
But the one thing you should know is that it is never a good idea to store documents in a shed because they can easily get damaged there.
For one, there are insects that tend to eat paper. Keeping important documents in a shed is like feeding fuel to fire because are giving insects something to eat.
You will quickly see how some of these documents will deteriorate if you leave them unprotected in the shed.
Of course, there is always the issue of moisture, which can easily destroy and document. Even if you did your part in weatherproofing your shed, there is still a chance that moisture can penetrate the shed and damage anything inside it. You probably already know that paper doesn’t do well when exposed to moisture.
If you do insist on storing your documents in your shed, you have to make sure that you protect them. You can place them inside binders or plastic sleeves that will keep them away from insects and moisture.
Of course, if you have enough space in the shed, you can put the documents inside a filing cabinet that is sturdy and capable of withstanding the weather.
Valuables
It should never be a good idea to keep anything of value inside the shed. We are talking about things such as jewelry or money. Of course, the reasons why you shouldn’t be storing these items inside the shed are obvious.
They will become magnets for thieves who could easily break into the shed and steal all of your valuables there. Even if you do secure your shed, you still shouldn’t keep money there.
That’s because money is still paper. What that means is that insects and moisture can still damage any type of money that is stored in a shed.
Of course, storing your valuables inside a safe and then in the shed isn’t a good idea as well. Any thief can still run away with the entire safe once they manage to break into the shed.
This is why it should never be a good idea to store jewelry and money inside a shed.
Musical instruments
Musical instruments such as guitars and pianos may take up space in your home, but that doesn’t mean that you should store them in the shed. That’s because storing them in the shed can easily damage them.
Even though you did your part in improving the airflow in the shed and minimizing the chances of moisture building up in the structure, there is still a good chance that excess moisture can get inside the shed.
When that happens, the excess moisture can damage musical instruments by warping the wood or by weakening the glue joints. As such, always make it a point to store your musical instruments in your home and not in your shed if you want to preserve them. This goes double to antique musical instruments that have been with your family for a long time.
Wine
Sheds are not wine cellars. That means that you shouldn’t be storing your wine inside your shed because of how volatile the temperatures can be inside the shed. Even if you do weatherproof your shed, the shed will still be a slave to the temperature of the season.
This means that you will be risking exposing your wine to extreme temperatures that can ruin the quality of your wine. Wine should be stored in places that are temperature-controlled in the sense that the temperature hardly changes. This is why most wine cellars are underground.
By keeping your wine bottles in temperature-controlled places, you will be able to preserve their quality and flavor.
Tires
You might think that your shed is similar to your garage in that you can store tires in it as well. However, sheds are not supposed to be treated as garages because they are not as resilient to temperature and climate changes. Tires need to be stored in climate-controlled places because anything that’s made of rubber can easily get damaged when exposed to extreme temperatures.
As you probably already know, sheds can get too hot or too cold depending on the season.
That means that you shouldn’t be storing tires in them, or else they might end up getting damaged due to the effects of the extreme temperatures.
Can you put a TV in a shed?
While we did say that sheds are not supposed to be used for storing electrical appliances, one of the things you may be wondering is if your TV is an exception to that general rule. After all, it might sound like it’s a good idea to store a TV in your shed and turn the shed into a man cave where you can watch all your favorite sporting events and play video games with your friends.
The first thing you need to know is that sheds are not as secure as your home is. That means that keeping a TV in a shed can open it up to the possibility of getting stolen if a thief manages to break into your shed. As such, if you do insist on storing a TV inside a shed, it might be best to make sure that you live in a safe neighborhood and that you secure your shed properly at night.
Then there is the fact that shed walls are not as sturdy as the walls of your home. When keeping a TV in your shed, it might be better to mount it on a wall to save space because most sheds tend to have limited floor space. But the problem here is that the weight of the TV might cause the shed wall to buckle down and bear more weight than it is supposed to. That’s why, when you want to wall-mount a TV on your shed wall, you have to make sure that you have shed walls that are structurally sound and sturdy enough to handle the extra weight.
Of course, there is also the possibility of the weather damaging the TV. It should already be obvious that sheds that come with an electrical connection are supposed to be weatherproof. Still, keeping a TV in the shed can expose it to the effects of the weather, especially if excess moisture manages to get inside the shed.
So, if you plan on storing your TV in a shed, it still is best to make sure that you have a working drainage system and that your shed is properly sealed to keep moisture out. Always prioritize weatherproofing the shed to make sure that any kind of moisture won’t damage the TV or any of the other electrical appliances you have stored in the shed.
Even though it’s a general rule that storing electrical appliances in the shed should be frowned upon, you can still do so as long as you do your part in securing the shed and in making sure that it is structurally sound and kept protected from the effects of the weather.
