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If you’re like most homeowners, the available space in your garage is probably shrinking by the year. Old furniture, big plastic tubs full of who-knows-what and miscellaneous clutter can turn a two-car garage into a no-car garage before you even notice what’s happening.
And once the garage has completed its transition to a storage space, some homeowners decide it would be easier to park in the driveway than to try to reclaim their former parking spot.
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and need some motivation to clear out that clutter, here are 5 reasons you should park in your garage:
- 1. Security. A car that’s locked, inside a locked garage, is much harder to steal than one sitting in a driveway or on the street. Plus, small-time thieves have no problem throwing a brick through a car window to look for cash, electronics or anything of value. And if it’s a garage door opener they’re after, you could be putting your household in jeopardy too.
- 2. Aesthetics. Keeping your car in the garage will preserve its paint job longer. You won’t have to wash it as often, and you can avoid a lot of environmental nuisances like berry stains and sticky sap from nearby trees, and bird droppings.
- 3. Mechanics. In the winter, your car will stay warmer inside the garage, which means the oil won’t thicken as much as it would outside in the cold. When you start your car, the warmer oil begins to lubricate the engine immediately.
- 4. Weather. Don’t waste precious time scraping snow and ice from your car in the winter, or thawing frozen locks — keep your car in the garage, where it’ll also be protected from costly hail damage.
- 5. Random threats. Any number of random occurrences could damage your car when it’s parked outside — an errant baseball, a falling tree limb or even a curious raccoon that takes a walk across your hood could result in expensive repairs.
If you can’t get rid of the garage clutter, at least move it somewhere else for now. Paying for a monthly storage unit is a good investment, considering the direct and indirect costs that can come from parking outside.