Tailored Living® knows all about garages and that in the wintertime when days are shorter, nights are longer, temperatures plummet, and rain, snow, sleet and hail come down, an unprepared garage can sometimes become a liability. It’s too cold and dark, things are disorganized and cluttered and…when did that family of raccoons move in?
Take time now to get your garage ready for the challenges of winter and your efforts will pay dividends over the next few months! With preparation and organization, including custom garage cabinets, PremierOne® flooring and custom accessories, your garage will perform as user-friendly, functional living space, making life easier for you and your family.
- Reduce the cold with an insulated garage door and add insulation to your garage walls. Check the weather stripping on windows as well as the door leading into the house to eliminate drafts.
- Wrap water pipes to prevent freezing–such as to washing machine, utility sink or other—with polyethylene insulation tubes, PVC pipe wrap, automatic heat tape or newspaper, wrapped 1/4” thick and secured with duct tape.
- Place rugs or mats in front of the connecting door to the house to eliminate tracking in the debris of winter: dirt, wet, snow, mud and de-icing chemicals. For steps, use a runner or texturize the surface to prevent slips and falls.
- Screen over any entry points to stop varmints (looking for a place to hibernate or set up housekeeping for the winter) from getting into your garage, attic or house.
- Clear and repair rain gutters to avoid over-flow; clear out debris and make sure gutters are water-tight.
- Safety check garage door openers: oil moving parts, check hinges and supply fresh batteries in all remotes or keypads.
- Get your furnace serviced and the filters changed so you’ll get maximum performance when you need it.
- Increase the lighting in the garage so there are no dark corners around work benches, the laundry area or in cabinets, making it difficult to find things or get tasks done.
- Give the garage floor a thorough cleaning and it should be good until Spring. Place garage floor mats where you park the car/cars to absorb de-icing products that stick to your car’s tires and to protect the floors from snow tire chains.
- Keep a few days’ supply of fireplace logs in the garage so you don’t always have to traipse out to the big woodpile.
- Have salt, ashes or sand readily available to de-ice the driveway and walkways; store in air-tight containers close to the garage door so it’s quick to grab.
- Keep the family’s winter sports equipment organized and easy to find with custom racks for skis, snowboards, sleds, ice skates, etc.
