I had a reader ask me today about whether or not it is okay to store their inventory in the garage.  Specifically, she was concerned about large temperature changes.

My response was:

I do not think storing books in the garage is a real problem if: 

1)     They are not stored near the floor or exterior walls where the temperature changes might cause condensation. 

2)     If you are absolutely sure you don't have mice; they like to shred paper to build their nests. 

3)     The garage does not have a leaky roof. 

4)     Other highly combustible things are not stored near the books.  A minor fire could prove to be very intense if a lot of books started burning. 

5)      The garage is free of fumes and vapors that would be absorbed by the
books.

One thing I did not discuss with her initially, but have told others with the same question is that a lot of the concerns that most people would have about storing books in the garage are based on long-term outlooks.  If you plan to turn the books in your inventory within a year, that should be the time you think about having them in the garage.  Having a book in your garage for ten years is probably not a good idea, but a year isn’t going to hurt it if you follow the rules above.  The only books I would make an exception of are those very old and frail rare collectibles.  I would still keep them in the house even though I think the garage is a safe place for books. 

I keep my own books downstairs in my house, but I control that area as though it were a garage, i.e., I do not heat it well in the Winter, and well, my house like most in Seattle, does not even have air conditioning, we don’t need it.