It is winter! Cold! Snow! Ice! When the weather is cold outside,  you might want to take a look in your garage. Chances are, you’re storing more than a few things that would be best kept elsewhere until things warm up; storing the wrong items in places like your garage, attic, or basement is an extremely common mistake. Luckily, it's also one that's easy to fix.

If you’re not sure where to start, we turned to a few pro organizers to find out the top things you definitely shouldn't store in the garage in winter.

Summer Accessories

If you’ve winterized your exterior, then it's possible your garage is now be full of summer accessories, such as outdoor furniture and pool tools. Salty Vixen advises you to either move these somewhere else, or make them harder to reach until they’re needed again. 

If you won’t ride your bike in the winter, then consider moving this to the basement or stashing your pool tools up in the attic until they’re back in season. This will help clear out much-needed space, and keep your garage visually clearer, too. 

Paint and Building Supplies

The garage might seem like an obvious spot to keep any leftover home supplies such as paint or caulk, but according to our pros, this can be a major mistake. Paint can freeze, and while freezing might not completely ruin it, it can alter the consistency and the final look when applied, which makes it virtually useless as a touch-up option..

Your best bet is to create space indoors for any leftover paint you might want and make sure to label your cans clearly. I recommend labeling the paint with the date you opened the can and the name of the room(s) in which that paint was used.

Electronics

If you’ve been hanging onto any old electronics, winter might be a great time to sort through them and either sell, donate, or recycle anything you don’t want, need, or use anymore. Whatever you decide to do, just get them out of the garage. Electronics don't hold up well in cold temperatures and could end up damaged.

This also applies to batteries, which might not last long if they're exposed to extreme changes in temperature.

Fabric

If you keep things like out-of-season clothing, sleeping bags, or beach towels in your garage,  it would be best to move these out of the garage for good, too.

They're magnets for moths and mice, especially in colder months, something my grandma taught me.

As little critters look for places to keep warm, they're more likely to find these items if they're kept in cool, easily accessible spots.

Paper

If you store any printed photos, documents, or books outdoors, Ascher says now is the time to change that. Winter can be notoriously damp in the garage, and this will only wreck anything printed.

Moisture in the air can cause them to warp or deteriorate. All of these items are best stored indoors, where they will be dry throughout the winter.

Ditch the Attempts to ‘Beautify’ Your Garage

At the end of the day, organizational systems are meant to be functional and utilitarian and this is true in the garage. 

While pegboards can be great for hanging tools, they often end up cluttered and take up a lot of valuable wall space.

Winter can be messy with all its variations in weather, I suggest ditch any attempt to make your garage look perfect this time of year.

It's okay if your garage isn't Pinterest-perfect as long as it's organized in a way that works for you and your family. 

Instead of trying to make your snow shovel hang perfectly, focus instead on creating simple systems with easy-to-read labels, and organize your winter gear in a way that works for you.