Summer allows families to spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. You can go camping, hiking, and road tripping. Many will also spend time closer to home, barbequing, gardening or simply sitting in some leisure furniture. This, however, can lead to the accumulation of a lot of extra equipment, most of which you can’t store outdoors during the winter months.

Although it’s easy to just throw these items away in the garage or attic, we want to make sure that you’re aware of the proper techniques for storing these items.

Tips For Storing Away Summer Items

Storing Tires

With the onset of winter coming to most of Canada in the next couple of weeks many of us with vehicles are now making the change from there summer to their winter tires. Once you have taken these tires off you will need to store them in a dry place until you need them next year. Before packing them away make sure to do the following:

Clean the tires

Wash the tires well with soapy water to remove any gunk or oil that may have accumulated in the tries rims. During this process make sure to go through and inspect the tires for any wear and tear that they may have.

Pack the tires in bags

Once the tires have been cleaned allow them some time to dry before placing them in individual plastic bags. If it’s a newer car, your dealership will usually include these with your winter or summer tires. If not, garbage bags will usually suffice. When storing them, aim to remove all of the air out of the bags, and tape them tightly to seal them in.

Garden Furniture

Don’t leave that beautiful garden furniture that you bought at the beginning of the summer to be left out in cold this winter. Take some time during a warm and sunny day and store it away. Below is a handy checklist:

Here is how to prepare and pack your general garden furniture for storage:

Clean each individual piece thoroughly on a nice sunny day at the end of the season and leave them to dry.
Stack carefully the chairs, if plastic or metal, into one or two stacks (depending on their number) to reduce the space they would need for storage.
Dismantle flat-pack wooden furniture according to the manufacturer’s instructions and lay flat into sturdy boxes.
If you don’t have room for this furniture in your home, make sure that you cover each piece well with a strong black plastic sheet. Secure the ends of the covers around the table, chairs or benches’ legs with tape, plastic wire or cable tie straps.

Storing Your Bike for the Winter

Bicycling around town can be one of the best activities to get around during the summer, but during the winter months, it’s understandable because of their size that it can be hard to store them in places around your home. If you do have to space to store them, follow some of these tips to make sure that they’re perfect to ride the following year.

Clean the bike, including the frame, saddle, pedals, handles, wheels and tires
Give special attention to the brake pads, cables and chain – align the pads to avoid unnecessary wear, and clean and lubricate the chain and cables;
Inflate the tires, so that they don’t suffer excessive pressure from the weight of the bike if it’s going to be stored standing for a long period.

Storing Your Barbeque

Most Canadians don’t really have the opportunity to barbeque during the winter, as the weather is more often than not cold, snowing or wet. So, if you leave it outside for the winter there is a good chance that it will allow for moisture to enter in and if you leave it unprotected it will eventually cause it to rust. Take the proactive choice and find a place for your barbeque inside along with your other outdoor equipment.

Portable Stoves And Cooking Gear

Winterising your camping stove and other cooking gear involves very much the same steps as if you’re packing a portable barbeque.

Clean meticulously your cooking devices
Detach the gas bottles from the stove (keep those properly wrapped outside under a cover)
Place the items in a sturdy box and stow away somewhere dry

This way, you’ll always enjoy hearty meals year after year, far from home on your new adventures.

If you would like some storage tips on moving your items to a storage facility, check out our list of tips here.