Is your garage noticeably warmer during the summer? Keeping your garage cool can be challenging, and it’s especially necessary if you use your garage as an additional living space for a workshop, gym, or laundry. And considering that your garage door is the largest opening in your home, your efforts to combat the heat might also be causing your energy bill to go up, too.
While adding insulation or ventilation to your garage can help lower the temperature of your garage, there are a few tricks you can try without making costly, permanent upgrades. Try these tips to help you cool your garage without spending a dime. They will hopefully help you and your garage feel cool and comfortable all summer long!
Open the Garage Door
Though it is often overlooked, the quickest and easiest way to get hot air out of your garage is to simply give it a chance to escape. So long as your garage isn’t in direct sunlight, simply opening the door can let the hot air out and the cool air in. And if you have windows in your garage, opening them increases your chances of creating a cooling cross-breeze.
By the way, this doesn’t mean that you need to leave your garage door open for all the neighbors to see: Even raising the door a foot or two off the ground can help cool your space while still giving you some privacy. Just don’t forget to close everything up once your garage has cooled, and don’t leave your garage unattended!
Cool Down Vehicles Before Parking
Anyone who has touched the hood of a car after it has been turned off knows that cars run hot — especially on hot days when the car has been in direct sunlight. If you park your car in your garage immediately after you arrive home, you’re transferring that heat to your garage and raising the overall temperature of the space. Instead, consider letting your car cool down before pulling into your garage. Avoid letting that heat radiate into the space!
If your driveway is shaded, you’re in luck: Your car should cool off in an hour or two on its own, and then you can move it into your garage. On the other hand, if your driveway gets a lot of sunshine, you might consider giving it a quick rinse with cold water to speed up the cooling process.
Declutter Your Garage — Especially the Floor
Does your garage look a little bit like a storage unit? Unfortunately, your clutter may be contributing to a hot, stagnant space. All of that stuff does not allow your space to breathe: Clutter not only absorbs heat, but also prevents air from freely circulating.
The worst culprits are often stacked boxes and other bulky items on the garage floor. Getting these items off the floor and onto shelves will improve air flow throughout the garage. Organizing and decluttering these items will improve the temperature of your garage while helping you to feel more at ease.
Choose the Right Time of Day
If you’re using your garage as a workshop or a space to work out in, you’ll want to avoid entering it during the hotter hours of the day. The sun is hottest in the sky around noon and heat tends to continue to build up until around 3 or 4 p.m. This means that getting that workout in during the early morning will make you sweat a little less, while utilizing your garage for evening projects will keep you cooler than you would be during the afternoon heat.
If you’ve tried these tricks and your garage still isn’t cooling to a comfortable temperature, the next step could be trying an insulated garage door. Garages with older doors often have poor seals and deteriorating insulation that leads your HVAC system to work harder than it needs to. (Consider this: Your garage door is the single biggest opening in your home.) Just like insulating your home, an insulated garage door will help keep extreme heat outside where it belongs.
