Garages are the most exposed parts of homes and will be more susceptible to cold and wet weather than the rest of your property. The reason for this is simple: people don’t tend to build garages with as much care as they build houses themselves. You’ll see this if you’ve ever visited a new build; the garage is very bare, and it’s basically a glorified brick box with a door. Most of the time your garage exists without problems, yet the winter weather causes a host of possible concerns that you need to act upon. Improper winter garage maintenance can leave you with a space that’s completely unusable - and possibly dangerous. It’s also likely to result in some extensive garage cleaning come spring, so here are the main garage maintenance tasks you must complete for winter.
Insulate Your Garage & Seal The Doors/Windows
You’ll notice that a garage is unlikely to contain insulation, unless you’ve already renovated it to become a more purposeful place. If that’s not the case, then your garage will be uninsulated and likely won’t have any weather sealing around the doors or windows. That’s a problem in the winter because it means cold air gets in and leads to a lot of condensation. Condensation leads to mould, so it’s no surprise that insulating your garage walls and sealing all the gaps will help you learn how to prevent mould in your garage during colder months. It’s a relatively simple task that requires a few supplies you can get from any home DIY store.
Lay Down Floor Protection
Whatever you use your garage for, there’s a high possibility you’ll either walk on the floor or park a car in it. In either scenario you run the risk of dragging in salt and dirt from outside. Not to mention that gaps around garage doors can mean ice forms on the floor in winter, causing serious slip hazards. That’s another reason you need to insulate it and seal the windows/doors, but also why you must lay down garage floor protection. You will be able to find garage floor mats that sit atop the floor and provide a nice layer of protection against salt, dirt and ice. Your garage now becomes much less of a winter safety hazard.
Ventilate It Every Morning
After the first two steps you’ve got a garage that retains heat and doesn’t fall victim to icy dirt or salt. Everything is perfect…almost. The last piece of the puzzle is the easiest task of all: ventilate your garage every morning. Your insulation works wonders to prevent mould and condensation overnight, but you still need to let your garage breathe in the morning. It’s the same as how you should open your bedroom windows every morning to let the air circulate. If you keep the windows and doors shut throughout the entire winter months, you’ll end up with too much humidity in the air. Humidity can cause mould, but it can also cause any tools or equipment to rust in your garage. You don’t want to return to gardening in spring, only to find your tools are rusty and unusable.
