It’s the end of summer, and you’re looking forward to spending more time outdoors in your garden. But lawn mowing is one chore that’s been nagging at you all season long.
You know you should buy an electric lawn mower, but where will you store it in your small garage? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. GarageSmart® offers a wide range of garage remodelling solutions to help you get the most out of your space.
Here are a few tips on storing an electric lawn mower in the garage without taking up too much space.
Tips for Storing Your Lawnmower
Keeping your lawnmower in pristine condition and ensuring it functions as intended each time you pull it out on the lawn may be accomplished largely through careful storage. You wish for it to survive as long as possible because a lawnmower is expensive.
You’ve arrived at the right place if you’re trying to figure out where to keep the lawnmower so that it maintains its health. In this piece, we’ll go through some lawn mower storage options so you can pick the one that works best with your home’s layout.
Garages and Garden Sheds Are Both Viable Options
We won’t waste time with preambles and instead will jump right into the meat of the matter at hand. Garages and, if you have one, garden sheds are the safest environments for storing lawnmowers.
Why? We can point to a wide variety of explanations.
- You can rest assured that your lawn mower will remain dry and safe from the elements with one of these solutions. This is especially crucial if you own an electric mower, but it’s also necessary for any mower because moisture can cause metal parts to rust. That will necessitate your financial outlay for maintenance costs. In addition to providing shelter from the elements, a shed and garage can shield your lawnmower from the damaging effects of harsh cold, scorching heat, and gusty winds.
- Safeguards Your Lawnmower. If you want to keep your lawn mower safe, you can either put it in your garage or a shed. We’ve established that lawnmowers can be rather pricey, so it’s important to find a secure place to keep them out of the reach of would-be thieves. Securing the door will allow you to sleep soundly.
- Simple to Get to. You don’t want to waste half an hour every time you have to cut the lawn trying to find your mower buried beneath a mountain of junk. With its own designated space, your lawn mower will be within easy reach whenever you need it in a space such as a garage or a tool shed. Lawn, with zero melodrama.
- Keep the Mess Outside. Unless you spend 20 to 30 hours cleaning the mower after each use, you’ll bring in grass clippings, mud, and other debris that could be tracked in from the yard. This, however, is acceptable if the storage location is a shed or garage. The highest level of approval. But why bring that filth into your own house?
Methods for Protecting Your Lawnmower While It’s in the Garage
It can be difficult to store your lawn mower in the garage without risking damage. To get it ready for mowing season, you need to make sure it’s secure; how to put your lawnmower inside the garage so that it is both available and out of the way is the topic of this article.
Make the Most of Your Garage’s Current Layout
Before deciding how you’re going to organise your tools in the garage, you need to measure the area. The amount of available space in your garage, the items now occupying that space, and the items that will need storage in the future should all be known to you.
You can get a sense of how much space you have for your lawnmower in your garage and where the best spots are by taking a quick inventory. When you’ve finished these procedures, you’ll be ready to look for a suitable area to keep your lawnmower.
You can put away your lawnmower if you have checked all available space in the garage and found that there is enough room for it. A lawnmower should be kept inside a corner or beneath an overhang, both of which offer protection from the elements.
To Conceal With a Tarp
Even if you’re not very handy, you can still keep your lawnmower out of the way and protected from the elements by covering it with a tarp.
A tarp can prevent your lawnmower from being damaged on a regular basis since it is banged into other items in the garage, yet there are better methods to store it. You can probably understand how frustrating that would be.
If you keep a lawnmower inside or out, a tarp is an excellent defence against deterioration from the elements and airborne particles. Keep your lawn mower from getting too chilly. In addition, make sure that your lawnmower is kept free of any foreign substances. Your lawn mower will be safe from both of these threats if you cover it with a tarp.
A tarp is another low-effort, low-cost alternative for covering your lawnmower during storage. A tarp is a great option for storing your lawnmower if you lack the skills or confidence to construct a more permanent solution. A tarp is an excellent choice for lawnmower storage, whether you’re on a tight budget or just need something basic and temporary.
However, let’s have a look at various ideas of DIY projects that could be utilised to store your lawnmower, especially if you are confident in your ability to do so and are searching for a stronger, more permanent storage alternative.
Assemble a Shelving Unit
While not all lawnmowers can be stored on shelves, those that are lighter in weight will benefit greatly from this method of organisation. Those who don’t mow their lawn often or can’t mow their lawn right now owing to bad weather, might benefit greatly from purchasing a shelf for their lawnmower.
In this section, we’ll go over a standard shelf unit that can hold your lawnmower and its accessories. The most obvious benefit of constructing a standard shed in which to store your lawnmower is that it will then be out of sight.
The construction of a shelf unit for your lawnmower not just to provides a specific location for the mower but also provides extra storage space beneath the shelf.
Set up a Rack of Shelves That Uses Pulleys
You may also put a pulley shelf unit in your garage to keep your lawnmower out of the way and easily accessible. The main problem with storing your lawnmower on a shelf is that it is too heavy to move easily from and to the shelf.
However, this problem could be avoided by installing a pulley system over each shelf in the shelving unit. To achieve this, all you need is a rope, a way to link it to your lawnmower, and the components to construct a shelving unit. You may use hooks or just tie the rope to a mower to accomplish this.
- All Shelving Units Together
- There are two ropes
- Rigs with Two Blocks and a Tackle
- Bases for Attaching Two Rail Tracks
- A Pair of Hooks (Optional)
Instead of using the supports in your garage to hoist the lawnmower, you can construct the pulley system inside the machine itself. Those two rail track installation bases must be attached to the overhanging portion of this top level. The appropriate location for these mounting bases is now above the shelf rather than below the overhang.
If you construct a pulley shelving unit, it will be much less of a hassle to move the lawnmower in and out of the unit. However, this does not address problems associated with air and weather damage.
Mount A Ceiling Holder
If you like, you can also use the ceiling of your garage to suspend your lawnmower. However, hanging shelves from the ceiling is a great method to maximise your garage’s vertical real estate. Storage in the ceiling poses certain risks and makes it harder to dislodge your lawnmower.
GarageSmart® offers the most versatile and customisable storage system on the market. You can adjust our shelves, hooks, and baskets to fit your needs, making it easy to store anything and everything you need in your garage.
You can suspend a lawnmower from the ceiling with just some covered steel cable, a hoisting device, and some hooks. Be sure that there aren’t any cars or valuables hidden beneath the lawnmower before you hang it up.
- Lifting Apparatus for Galvanized Steel Ropes
- A range of 2–4 Hooks
Lawnmower enthusiasts would be wise to look elsewhere for their cutting needs. However, this is a practical solution if you aren’t using your lawnmower at the moment and want to store it out of the way.
This approach, however, does nothing to protect against the effects of air or weather, which may cause harm even in a garage.
Important Winter Maintenance Steps for Your Lawnmower
The lawn mower has served you well this summer, and it deserves a break. No matter how much you’d like everything to be in order when spring finally arrives, you can’t just put it in the shed & forget about it for a few months. In order to guarantee a peaceful gathering at your spring reunion, take the time just at the end of the year to put away your mower.
Take off the Spark Plugs
As well as preventing accidental starts while cleaning, removing the spark plug from a gasoline lawn mower allows you to give the plug a good scrub. The carbon buildup on spark plugs throughout the summer is a nice reminder that it’s time to give them a deep cleaning before next year’s use. Because electric lawnmowers don’t require spark plugs, you won’t have to worry about this.
Ensure that the Air Filter Is Cleaned
If the air filter in your gas lawnmower is dirty, the engine will not be able to burn fuel efficiently. After each and every 25 hours of use, you should clean or replace it. Mowing will go more easily if the air filter is in good condition. When spring finally arrives, you’ll be glad you took care of things now. To prevent dirt from getting into the engine and causing damage, many electrical lawnmowers feature dust filters.
Take Out All Batteries
The battery should be taken out of battery-powered lawn mowers and stored fully charged throughout the winter. Battery cells can be damaged if they are exposed to severe temperatures. Therefore avoid keeping the battery in places like back gardens over the Winter. Maintain indoors, away from the elements, if at all feasible.
Before putting the battery away for the winter, give it a quick wipe-down with a towel to make sure it’s in good shape. Use a paintbrush or other battery terminal cleaner to maintain the cleanliness of the connections.
The battery needs to be charged and maintained so that it retains its charge throughout the winter. If the battery discharges throughout the winter, it may be time to replace it before the following outdoor season begins. Because battery care and maintenance requirements vary widely by brand and model, it’s always wise to check the manufacturer’s guidelines before attempting a clean or store a battery.
Discard Used Gasoline
Most gasoline contains a number of different chemicals, and these chemical reactions and reactions to temperature and humidity over time can cause the gasoline to deteriorate and lose volatility. Before putting the lawnmower away for the winter, ensure sure to keep it dry and drain any fuel.
When you leave old gas in your lawnmower during the winter, it might be difficult to start, which can cause engine damage or a considerable performance drop. In addition to attracting corrosion, old gas can gum up the carburettor’s workings.
Change The Oil
Fuel tanks should be drained, but oil should be filled. Before putting your gas machine away for the winter, check to see that it is fully fueled and running smoothly on high-quality oil. Doing so requires draining the existing oil and replacing it with a fresh, high-quality oil.
New oil has rust inhibitors that really can make your lawnmower last longer. There may be deposits in the oil over the winter if it isn’t changed before being put away. Please refer to the machine’s user manual for guidance on the type of oil to use.
Keep Gas Lawn Mowers On The Floor
Never store petrol or oil vertically, as any drippings could leak into the engine. Before deciding to store your gasoline lawn mower vertically to just save space, you should check to see if it has a device that prevents fuel or oil from leaking into the engine. Consider the manufacturer’s instructions again for best guidance, but this is less of a concern with electric or battery-powered mowers.
Scrub the Cutter Plate and Blades
Cut lawn moisture is highly corrosive, so make sure to wipe down your lawn mower’s blades and cut the deck prior to putting it away for the season. You should also clear up the air vents and air inlets of hover mowers to maintain the motor & engine cool and also to keep the mowers airborne. The next time you need to cut the grass, you’ll be thankful that your mower is clean and ready to go.
Blades Should Be Checked for Sharpness
If you want to make sure your blades are in good shape for next year, now is the time to do it. If you want the cleanest cut possible come springtime, you might want to sharpen them.
Diseases are more likely to spread through grass that has been ripped rather than neatly cut by dull blades. Furthermore, it frays young grass, which might lead to the tips drying out and turning yellow. You’ll have a lot less trouble slicing vegetables, paper, and other materials when the blade is sharp, so sharpen it or replace it every year.
Utilise Safety Around Cables
When storing an electric lawn mower, make sure the cords aren’t coiled up too tightly. Never put the cable through any unnecessary stress, or it could fray or break. Consider whether you’ll have to replace your cable in advance of next year.
Embrace the Truth
Use a cloth to encase your lawnmower in the winter to prevent dust creatures from entering. You wouldn’t want to start mowing again only to find that mower has acquired rust or a clog because of an uninvited visitor or dust accumulation.
In conclusion, lawnmowers should be stored in a secure, dry location like a garage or garden shed to protect them from the elements. Keeping them in a dedicated area ensures they remain safe from damage and theft. For added protection, a tarp can cover the mower, especially if it’s lightweight, though pulley shelving can be installed in a garage to keep the mower out of the way.
To maintain your lawnmower, ensure the battery is charged and checked regularly, and clean the air filter and vents to avoid damage. After mowing, dry the blades and deck to prevent corrosion, and sharpen or replace the blade annually for optimal performance. Storing the mower in a covered, dust-free area during the winter will help preserve it until the next season.
