I recently posed a question to a wonderful facebook group and they had some interesting answers. I asked them what each of them had in their stockpile. It led to a great discussion and insight into what everyone uses. There were moms who managed to stockpile enough diapers and wipes to last them until the end of their potty-training, some ladies who clearly need coffee as much as I do, and others who have enough personal care items to take care of their own families and still have plenty to donate to local shelters!
Many of the women have one room that they store things in. Sometimes it is a guest room, sometimes it is the garage. I personally store my items nearby the purpose they serve (i.e. laundry soap is in the garage just outside the laundry room so I can grab some quickly, shampoo and body wash is stored in the bathroom, etc). One of the women had a great suggestion: how about making a list of things that are safe to stockpile in the garage in the desert?
Of course I have this blog specifically to help people in the Coachella Valley to save money and nothing is worse than having to throw out food, so here are some pointers on what to store in the garage and when.
I did a quick search of the web for proper storage of stockpiled items. Most of the websites that popped up were in reference to stockpiling for emergencies, but the pointers they provide could apply to any food that you are planning to store long-term. Also, many of the couponing blogs are written by people who live in areas that have temperatures below freezing. They all have great basements or root cellars where the temperature generally stays the same all year. There's the key!
Most non-perishable and personal items are made to be stored at room temperature. So around 75 degrees is optimal. Unless your garage is air conditioned, move those items out of the garage. Canned items are not made to be frozen or heated before you open them, so keep this in mind when choosing where to store your items. Dry, cool, and dark is best.
Another consideration is plastic: if you have plastic bottles of water, juice, or other beverages that are contained in #7 plastic, do not store these in the garage if the temperature will get above 75-80 degrees. The chemicals in the plastic (specifically Bisphenol-A or BPA) will start to leach into the beverage, exposing you and your family to harmful substances. If your plastic bottles are not #7, you probably are ok except that the manufacturer has formulated the beverage for storage at room temperature and you might end up with something that tastes a little funny when you get around to drinking it.
Also, at the temperatures we experience, personal items could potentially melt...think deodorant, maybe the little lotion strips on razors, etc.
Don't store batteries in the garage! That is one non-food item that does NOT tolerate heat.
So what's left?
Not much. Laundry soap? Cleaning items? I would say these are safe to store in the garage. Soap, toothbrushes, and shampoos are probably safe too. Anything you won't ingest is probably good for the garage.
The rest? Keep it inside until November when it finally cools down again. :-)
--Katie
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