Growing Family

UK home and garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for busy family life, written by Catherine Hughes

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact / PR
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Garden
    • What to Plant Now
    • Garden Jobs this Month
    • Grow Your Own
    • Gardening with Children
    • Garden Tips
    • Garden Design
    • Houseplants
    • In Season Now
    • Birth Month Flowers
  • Interiors
    • Interior Design Tips
    • Living Room
    • Kitchen & Dining
    • Bedroom
    • Bathroom
    • Family Home
    • Product Showcase
    • Food
  • Nature
    • Exploring Nature
    • Days Out
    • Travel
  • Craft
  • Reviews
  • Giveaways

How to maintain your garden shed this winter

February 10, 2022 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Collaborative post

Winter is a time of year when we tend to use our gardens and outdoor spaces less. But while you’re staying cosy indoors, harsh weather conditions can take their toll on the exterior of your property.

A common winter home maintenance task is protecting house walls, roofs and surrounding areas from snow and rain. But people often forget that there’s another area which requires extra care and attention during winter: garden sheds, garden gym sheds, and garden offices.

Winter temperatures, snow, and moisture can damage the exterior walls and roof of a shed or garden office. In severe cases, piles of snow and low temperatures can also weaken the walls, leading to leaks and mould.

garden shed with french doors

7 tips to maintain your garden shed this winter

To avoid these problems, you need to spend some time taking care of your shed. Read on for seven easy ways to maintain your garden shed this winter.

1. Thoroughly clean the inside of your garden shed

The first tip for maintaining your garden shed all year round is to clean and organise it frequently.

People often treat their garden shed as a dumping ground for unwanted or rarely used possessions. This can quickly lead to a messy pile of stuff, which makes it hard to find what you’re looking for. Keeping your shed organised and tidy will save you time, and also make it easier to spot any damage or areas that need repairs.

Clearing out and cleaning the shed isn’t the nicest job to tackle in chilly weather, so if possible you should aim to get things sorted before winter arrives. Dust and sweep the walls and floors of your shed, making sure to remove any leftover bird food to deter mice and other animals.

grey garden shed

2. Treat the exterior wooden walls

The second tip for shed maintenance in winter is to inspect and treat the exterior walls of the shed. This tip is specifically for owners who have timber garden sheds.

Winters are harsh for wooden exteriors. Snowfall, rain and lower humidity can weaken the wood and cause dampness. To protect timber garden sheds, apply fresh coats of paint in autumn. Doing this means that by the time winter arrives, your paint will be ready to protect against weather damage.

3. Inspect for holes and repair them

Snow, rain, and moisture do not need a huge entrance. They can easily make their way inside a shed through a tiny crack or hole in the walls, roof, doors, or windows. Once this happens, the moisture can quickly ruin your belongings and permanently damage the shed structure.

To stop this happening, you need to ensure that your garden shed has no cracks or holes. Take a good look at it in daylight to inspect for signs of damage. If there are any holes or cracks, make sure to seal them.

shed roof with snow and icicles

4. Check the shed’s roof

It’s really important that your shed roof is sound in winter. Start by clearing away all dust and leaves. Dust attracts moisture, and leaves attract bugs. Both of these can damage the roof.

If your roof needs repairing or replacing, you might like to hire a professional to do the job. If it’s in good condition, consider adding a waterproof sheet secured with weights as an extra barrier to moisture.

5. Store your tools and equipment properly

Don’t leave your tools lying around in the shed. Always store them in a cupboard or organise them neatly to minimise the risk of damage.

You can store your tools in boxes if you have a corner garden shed without any cupboards. Categorise the tools and label your boxes; stackable boxes will minimise the amount of floor space you need.

Don’t store boxes right up against the shed wall; instead, leave a little gap so that any dampness in the walls doesn’t transfer to your storage.

rusted door hinge

6. Lubricate the hinges

Shed doors and windows can get jammed due to increased friction caused by the cold season. To avoid this, use a brush to generously apply oil to all the door and window hinges.

You can also apply oil to window frames to prevent them sticking. Once you’re done, make sure that all the windows are closed – the tiniest openings can invite moisture, bugs, and mice into the shed.

7. Take care of ventilation

Like any building, proper airflow is important in your shed. Stale air can become warm, triggering mould development and making the whole place smell pretty bad. Warmer air is also potentially a fire risk if you’re storing flammable materials such as paints or fuels in the shed.

The easiest way to let stale air out and allow fresh air to circulate is to simply open the garden shed for a few minutes on a dry day every now and then. Another tip is to install an electric ventilation fan which will maintain a fresh air flow when switched on.

So there you have it: seven easy ways to maintain your garden shed this winter. If you have a great shed maintenance tip please do share it in the comments.

Pin for later

Take care of your garden shed and protect your belongings with these seven easy ways to maintain your garden shed in winter.
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin5
5 Shares

Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Garden, garden buildings, Garden maintenance, Garden tips, Home maintenance, Shed, shed maintenance, Top Tips

« Tips for renting out your house
Mother’s Day nature crafts for kids »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

ORDER MY BOOK

Search

VuelioTop10Badge2020

CandideTop10Badge2019

BRAMBLECREST GARDEN FURNITURE

Search

Connect

Catherine Hughes is a home & garden blogger sharing ideas, inspiration & tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
Learn More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

modern kitchen island with bar stools
radiator thermostat

AMAZON ASSOCIATE

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright Growing Family 2022. Design by Stacey Corrin.