What can be stored in an unheated space?

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Carl

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I just acquired some extra storage space in my home. Unfortunately, it is not heated space, but it is protected from rain, snow, etc. It is almost like having a small attached garage that is not heated. The temperature here can get way below freezing in the winter even as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

I'm trying to think of things that I can store there without worry of the cold weather harming them.

Some things to note that could go there:
  • Wooden soap molds and cutters.
  • Plastic measuring cups
  • Steel pots

What about some of these items though (safe or not?):
  • Lye
  • Plastic bottles for liquid soap
  • Plastic pump tops, etc for lotions liquid LS
  • Mica
  • Botanical such as lavender flowers

Anything else you can think of? This area is literally about 5 feet away from where I work, so I would be quite nice (Just through a door).
 
What is the temperature going to be like in the summer? How long will you store things in there?

If it is never going to get hot, I would add oils to the mix.

Plastics can become quite brittle with long term storage in freezing weather. But in the short term, and if properly allowed to come to room temperature before putting them back into service, I have had no trouble with plastics. But if left in those conditions for just a couple of years, I have had plastic pots (for plantings) crack and break. Some plastics are more fragile than others, so I am not sure about the type of plastic bottles for liquid soap. I think those tend to be a bit more fragile.

You could cover the plastic bottles with some sort of insulation. My FIL used to store bottled water in the garage (no heat) and he always wrapped them in towels to insulate them. It seemed to really help prevent damage to the PET plastics. Of course they were never stored for extended periods.

Personally, I would not store lye in freezing cold, anymore than I would store it in extreme heat conditions. I believe it does best in moderate conditions, as well as low humidity conditions.
 
I just acquired some extra storage space in my home. Unfortunately, it is not heated space, but it is protected from rain, snow, etc. It is almost like having a small attached garage that is not heated. The temperature here can get way below freezing in the winter even as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

My garage isn’t heated and it can fall below freezing overnight. What I store: extra oils, butters, beeswax, lye, Titanium Dioxide, Kaolin Clay and sea salt. I also store my soap trays, lotion bars, soap bars, and silicone and wood molds.

I would test your botanicals to see what freezing and thawing will do to them (even if they are ‘dried’). I would test the plastics to make sure they don’t sustain any damage being stored at below zero. And I would bring them up to room temp for a couple of days before using them.
 
What are the temperature ranges in your garage in the summer? I would not store oils and butters in an area that goes above 75F. In Virginia my garage & sheds are consistently higher than 75, I store all my oils, butters, and EOs in an extra refrigerator.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest and we only have a couple of months of 'summer' here so the oils and butters will have to come back in.
 

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