We’ve heard about winterizing our homes and vacation cottages, but what about your storage shed? Many people who do gardening or yardwork on their property have a shed to keep tools and equipment. While you may not give much thought to the condition of the shed during warmer months, it’s essential to protect your belongings from winter weather.

What steps can you take to winterize your backyard shed?

Inspect the Shed

The first step is to empty everything out of the shed, so you can:

  • Sweep the floors to remove dirt and debris
  • Look for damage, including gaps that pests could enter
  • Add weather-stripping below the doors and windows

In addition to these, one of the most important inspections to make is the roof. If there are loose or missing shingles, a weak spot could cause a leak when winter precipitation arrives. A damaged roof likely won’t be able to handle New England snowfalls!

Take Inventory

After the shed has been cleared out, go through the clutter and throw away any broken tools or supplies. Clean the equipment you will be keeping and organize them by category – for instance, lawn care versus gardening tools. To maximize storage space, large tools can hang from hooks on the wall and smaller items can be stored on sturdy shelves.

Treat Surrounding Area

Make sure the greenery surrounding your storage shed is trimmed back. An overhanging branch that gets weighed down with snow and ice could fall on the shed and cause serious damage. Also create a clear path to the shed by trimming overgrown bushes, so you can easily access winter tools.

Empty Fuel Tanks

Motorized equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers should not be stored with old gasoline in the tank. Unused fuel can thicken, gum up and rust the carburetor come spring. A fuel stabilizer added to fresh gasoline is another alternative to draining the tank.

Finishing Touches

No matter how well you seal your shed with weather-stripping and new roof shingles, the outside temperatures will drop below freezing throughout the winter. For an extra layer of protection, cover tools and equipment with a tarp to reduce exposure and dust buildup.

Finally, oil the door lock throughout the cold months, so you don’t have a rusty lock in the spring.
 
Property management is an important part of what makes By Carrier communities award-winning! To learn more about our central Connecticut properties, contact us today.