It isn’t always easy to store large items when you don’t have a lot of storage space. Some people have large sheds and spacious garages where they can store many items, but not everyone will be so fortunate.
You might be working with somewhat limited storage space in your shed or your garage. In this situation, you might be trying to figure out efficient ways to store your lawn mower.
One idea is to store the lawn mower vertically so that you’ll be able to keep it on the wall. That could clear up some room on the floor so that you can store other things.
However, it’s important to take a step back and consider whether this is a good idea before proceeding. Is vertical lawn more storage even possible?
Keep reading to get more information about this topic. You’ll also be able to read about several storage tips that might help you to find a good spot for your mower.
Most Lawn Mowers Shouldn’t Be Stored Vertically
The first thing to know is that most lawn mowers shouldn’t be stored vertically. With many of the common types of lawn mowers, it’s just going to create big problems for you if you try to store things vertically.
When you store a lawn mower vertically, it’s possible that fuel and oil will start dripping into the engine. That could be very bad because this could cause significant issues that will cause your mower to stop working properly.
There are particular types of lawn mowers that are designed to be stored vertically. If you’re going to store a lawn mower this way, then you need to be sure that the mower was designed with that type of storage in mind.
Otherwise, you’re just going to be causing yourself too many problems. Keeping your mower safe is the most important aspect of lawn mower storage even when you’re dealing with limited space.
If you’re in the market for a new mower, then it might be a good idea to think about buying a vertical storage model. It’s a good thing to own when your storage options are fairly limited.
You’ll like the fact that these types of mowers are affordable. Anyone who is looking for a new push mower will be able to consider getting one of these.
Storing a Lawn Mower Outside
Generally, it isn’t going to be a great idea to store your lawn mower outside. However, this is sometimes a good option when you just don’t have a safe spot to store it inside.
You might have such limited space in your storage shed that your mower won’t fit properly. In this circumstance, storing the mower outside is perfectly acceptable.
However, it’s going to be necessary to take some steps to protect the mower. Lawn mowers aren’t made to be weatherproof, and this means that the mower could get damaged if you aren’t smart about storing it outside.
You need to try to keep the mower up off of the ground. It’d be good if you could keep it on your patio or some other type of elevated concrete surface.
It’s also going to be important to cover the lawn mower with a thick tarp. This will help to protect it from the elements so that you can keep using it for as long as possible.
Those who have awnings or gazebos might want to look into keeping the lawn mower underneath them. It’s a good way to keep rain and snow from negatively impacting the mower.
You’ll still want to use a tarp to cover the mower even if it’s placed under an awning or a gazebo. Just remember to ensure that the tarp is on in such a way that proper air flow will still be possible.
If you don’t have good airflow, then the mower could rust due to condensation forming inside the tarp. This can lead to issues with mildew, mold, and all sorts of annoying problems.
Build a Shelf for the Lawn Mower
So what if you want to keep the lawn mower inside even though there isn’t a lot of room? You can’t store the lawn mower vertically in the garage or shed, but you still want to have it up off of the floor.
It’s going to be possible to do this if you can build a simple shelf. You’ll need to build a shelf that extends far enough from the wall so that your lawn mower will fit comfortably on it.
If you thought that you had enough room to store the mower vertically, then you should have enough space on the wall to build a shelf such as this. You’ll be able to store the mower horizontally as intended while still getting the mower off of the floor and out of your way.
It’s generally a solid idea for anyone who is trying to save space. The only annoying part is that you have to take the time to build the shelf.
Thankfully, this is something that you can do with just a little bit of wood. You want to make it as sturdy as you can so that it’ll support the mower.
If you don’t consider yourself to be a very handy individual, then this might not be the best option for you. You could look into getting someone to build you a shelf if you think that you know someone who could do the job, though.
Hang the Lawn Mower From the Ceiling
This next idea is a little bit out there, but it’s easier to do than you might realize. If you’re short on floor space in your garage or shed, then you might want to hang the lawn mower from the ceiling.
Doing this will involve attaching some cables to studs and using a hoist intersection. You’ll then be able to attach hooks to your mower and raise it to the ceiling for storage purposes.
It’ll keep the lawn mower up and out of your way when you simply don’t have room for it on the floor. Getting the lawn mower hoisted to the ceiling will be simple when you use a hoist intersection since you can attach the hooks while it’s on the ground and then raise the mower up to the ceiling.
The idea is very simple when you get down to the basics. You should be able to feel confident that the mower will be held in place so long as you do things properly.
Even so, it might be a good idea to avoid parking a car underneath where you store the mower. You don’t want to take any unnecessary risks, and it would definitely be terrible if a mower fell on your car and smashed the hood or the windshield.
Build a Shed
Why not just build a shed so that you can store your lawn mower safely? This might be the easiest way to solve the problem that you have on your hands.
You don’t have room in the garage or your current storage shed to keep the mower on the floor. This shows that you truly need more storage space.
If you have enough space in your yard to build another shed, then you could just go ahead and do so. Technically, you don’t have to build a shed yourself if you don’t want to either.
You can easily buy pre-built sheds from local businesses. These will be available for purchase at fairly reasonable prices in many instances.
It’s easy to buy sheds such as this from popular hardware store chains. Many of them will even come out to your home to install them in your yard.
If you wish to build a shed yourself, then you’ll just need to buy lumber and draw up designs. Try to build a shed that will fit your mower and any other tools that you might need to store alongside it.
Buy a Lawn Mower Storage Box
There are also smaller storage structures that you can buy to help you out. If you don’t have enough space in your yard for another full shed, then maybe you can at least fit a lawn mower storage box.
This is going to be a box or small shed that is just big enough to store a mower. You might also be able to fit some accessories in the box, such as a gas canister or maybe a weed trimmer.
They can be a bit costly when you compare the amount of storage space to an actual shed. Even so, it’s a good option for those who don’t have a lot of space in their yards.
You can easily just roll your mower into this convenient storage box when you’re done using it. It won’t take up a lot of room and your mower will be protected from the elements while inside the box.
If you don’t wish to buy one of these, then you could try your hand at building a small box that can house the lawn mower. Building something such as this shouldn’t take too long, but you will need to have the necessary tools and skills to build a simple shed-like structure.
Keep the Mower in Your Basement
Do you have a basement? This might not be incredibly practical, but you could keep the lawn mower inside instead of having it take up space in your garage.
If you have a basement or some other type of unused storage room, then you could store the mower in there. You’ll want to avoid running the mower while it’s indoors, but that much should have been obvious anyway.
One reason why you might not want to do this is that it would be tough to carry the mower up and down stairs. This is why it might be more practical to store the mower indoors at ground level somewhere.
Even so, there are some people who resort to doing things such as this when they have no storage space in the garage. You don’t need to do anything special to do this, but it might be a good idea to keep a tarp underneath the mower or something in case it leaks fuel or oil.
It’s actually recommended to go ahead and empty the gas tank before storing the mower indoors. This will keep it from being quite so dangerous.
You could run the lawn mower outside until it’s completely out of gas. This might seem a bit wasteful, but it is safer to do things this way.
This won’t be a problem if you have an electric mower of some sort, though. It’s just that gas lawn mowers are significantly more common in North America.
Consider Getting a Smaller Mower
If space is a really big problem for you, then maybe it’d be wise to invest in a smaller mower. You can find mowers on the market that take up a lot less space.
Having a smaller mower might be inconvenient in certain ways. For instance, a mower that isn’t as wide might make it so that it will take you longer to mow the lawn.
If space is such a big issue for you, then there’s a good chance that your yard is small. This means that having a small mower shouldn’t be a huge deal.
Not everyone is going to want to get rid of their mower just to get a smaller one, though. You might not want to spend the money on a new mower either.
It’s just something that you can consider if it seems as if it’d be practical in your situation. A smaller mower will take up less space in your garage or shed, after all.
Final Thoughts
Storing a mower vertically is usually not a good idea. There are lawn mowers that are built to be stored vertically, though.
If you buy one of these, then it’ll be easier to store it without it getting in the way. There are many other ways that you can store mowers when you have limited storage space.
You might want to store the mower outside, but you’ll need to protect it by keeping it off of the ground and covering it with a tarp. Some people will even put their mowers in their basements.
Building a new shed for your mower might be a great idea. You could even buy a shed if you don’t have the necessary skills to build one yourself.
Some people have even done interesting things such as adding shelves to the garage to store their mowers. You could even store a mower by hanging it from the ceiling if you want to go that route.
Decide what the best course of action is in your situation. You’ll be able to figure out how to store your mower properly even if you have minimal space available in your garage or shed.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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