Where do I put all this stuff?

[Barry M 73]

Hey all,

I'm starting to accumulate a lot of chems, supplies, equipment, parts, etc. And the old 12' x 8' shed is gettin pretty crowded. Some of my chems I keep in the basement to keep cool and that's getting old too, walking up and down and thru the house. I've actually laid in bed at night when my mind is racing and dreamed about adding on to the shed, only to wake the next morning and realize what a dumb idea. I don't know if I should buy or build another shed or rent somewhere or what. I don't have the funds to build a garage right now which would be ideal, a place to park the trailer too instead of the drive. I live in town to which really sucks, but I was just curious what route some of you took when you reached this point. I have to do something before I start storing containers of 12% under my bed.

[Jon 533]

First thing I would do is get all of the ones in the house and baement OUT.

If ever a fire happens or anything and they find those chems there you will not have any insurance to cover the damage and might end up being fined for keeping that stuff in the house.

You do have MSDS on everyone of them and the book they are in handy I hope.

Buy a shed, put one of those wall air conditioners in and relax.

I assume you are not married, if so and if you have kids then I cannot say what I want here.

Not being mean to you, being point blank honest.

Now remove all that stuff regardless of what time it is there.

Ok one question, why so many chems in the first place, I only used 3 different ones.

[Barry M 73]

Jon, thanks for giving it to me straight, it doesn't bother me. I don't have 12% in the house right now, sorry for making it sound like I did. But I have in the past, but won't anymore. What I do have in the basement is different brands and colors of sealer and a 55 gallon drum of citra cleen...lol. That one ain't coming out till it's gone. In the shed I have a drum of 12%, all my deck resto chems, gutter shock, and some other misc chems. But it's not just so much chems its all the buckets, tarps, equipment I don't need on every job and such. My trailer is small so I only take what I need to each job. Then I got regular shed stuff, bikes, yard crap, lawn mower, blah blah. I just need more room. I am leaning towards buying another shed just for my stuff. Just wandered what others did.

[Jon 533]

Barry you know I am blunt for the most part just say it as it is.

At least you have nothing to cause major physical damage to you or others.

I know most do not have the big barn like garages some of the old timers in the business have and some like yourself have limited space.

Best suggestion I can offer is try and cut down the amount of different chems used and find some that can do several different jobs.

Sure it was easy for me since I did only flat work and had 3 chems, one powdered and two liquid.

I wonder how many others store stuff in the house?

Jon

[mas3372 14]

Check a local self storage place. Around here they are $100 per month for a 12 x 20, pretty large, Put all your stuff in there, you could even fit your rig perhaps. I have none of my powerwashing stuff at home and I love it. I am lucky enough to have a good friend with a large shop for his landscaping equipment and he rents me a spot. I leave work at work and come home to relax.

[Jon 533]

Very good idea, just don't tell them what your putting in there.

What they don't know won't hurt.

[copgib 15]

I am in the process of getting my business off the ground. I am building a 42'X45' building that I will keep my chemicals in as well as truck & trailer. Buildings aren't cheap but I budget it in my inital setup cost. hugh

[Barry M 73]

Thanks guys, I've been pricing some pre built 16x20 barn style sheds and they really aren't that bad. There is a company out of PA that will deliver me one assemblied to IN on a truck for $3200. Of course I'd have to insulate and run electric to it, but I could do that myself to keep cost down. But then again I could probably build the shed myself for even cheaper, if I had the time.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I feel your pain there.

I had to build shelves to add vertical space for organization. This in addition to roof hooks and wall hooks to hang things from.

Rod!~

[PressurePros 248]

There are also OSHA standards I think you want to adhere to in order to c.y.a. If you ever had a fire, firefighters need to know whats in there. Here is a good link to give you some ideas.

http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/nfpa.html

[Barry M 73]

You all know as well as I do, that there are others who are storing or have stored chems in the house or have not had MSDS on hand. This thread has reminded me of the seriousness of the storage of chems, I knew when Jon jumped down my throat that I was going to be taking one for the team. I doubt anyone else will admit to the mis-storage of chems now, but that's alright. Ken has posted a great safety link that really shows the seriousness of this matter. I just hope by showing my ignorance, that some others realize how much care should be taken when storing chems.

[Don M. 14]

Very good idea, just don't tell them what your putting in there.

What they don't know won't hurt.

I personally think this is a bad idea. I own storage units, and if someone is telling me they are storing "household goods" in it that fine, but when I do an inspection and find 20 items that are very flammable or unsafe, we have issues.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Barry you know I am blunt for the most part just say it as it is.

At least you have nothing to cause major physical damage to you or others.

I know most do not have the big barn like garages some of the old timers in the business have and some like yourself have limited space.

Best suggestion I can offer is try and cut down the amount of different chems used and find some that can do several different jobs.

Sure it was easy for me since I did only flat work and had 3 chems, one powdered and two liquid.

I wonder how many others store stuff in the house?

Jon

I have lots of cleaning chems in the house.

I have bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, windex, degreaser, odo-ban, carpet cleaner, oxyclean, etc etc.

I also have some PW chems in the house, but nothing of any danger to anyone. I have some stuff on the carport too. Nothing flammible. Most chems are in the enclosed trailer.

[Barry M 73]

I have lots of cleaning chems in the house.

I have bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, windex, degreaser, odo-ban, carpet cleaner, oxyclean, etc etc.

I also have some PW chems in the house, but nothing of any danger to anyone. I have some stuff on the carport too. Nothing flammible. Most chems are in the enclosed trailer.

Touche!

[PressurePros 248]

A small bottle of bathroom cleaner containing bleach next to an acidic toilet bowl cleaner is an acceptable risk. An accident with 5 gallons of sodium hypochlorite in the same room with a 50 lb bag of oxalic acid is lethal and will probably evacuate half a street.

[Jon 533]

Looks to me I will have to fight it out with Mike Williamsons so shall it be swords? bow and arrow? whips? slingshots?

Or something else?

I suppose I could sneak into his home and remove all those DANGEROUS CHEMS under the kitchen sink before he wakes up.

But then how would he please his better half by washing the dirty dishes?

Jon