storing your family's overflow in a storage unit

Since a lawn mower has so many parts that bugs can get into, you should take measures to protect it before you toss it into a long-term self-storage unit. But while wrapping a tarp over some household equipment like cabinets is relatively easy because of their simple shapes, the complicated structure of most residential lawn mowers will make your task particularly difficult. So before you wrap a lawn mower in a tarp in preparation for long-term storage, read these three tips.

Ignore The Metal Handle And Focus On The Lawn Mower's Body

Remember that preventing bugs from infiltrating your lawn mower is the main reason for wrapping it in a tarp. While the lawn mower's body has a lot of stuff that can easily be accessed by bugs, this isn't usually the case for the metal handle.

Leave the bulk of the handle uncovered and use duct tape to give the tarp a good seal around the handle's metal base. It's better to apply duct tape around the handle's metal base instead of the lawn mower's body so that the tape can have a good grip on something.

Use A Nylon Cord Or Rope To Wrap The Tarp Extra Tight Around The Wheels

It won't matter how well the tarp covers your lawn mower's motor if bugs can sneak in via the wheels. Therefore, to make the tarp fit as tight as possible around the entirety of the wheels, wrap a nylon cord or rope around the metal axle connecting the wheels and the body.

When you're pulling the wheels off the ground to slide the tarp under them, move carefully so that you don't accidentally tear the tarp. It's also important to leave enough slack in the tarp to prevent it from tearing as you're tightening it up with the cord or rope.

Clear As Much Dust Off The Motor As You Can Before Starting

The longer you're planning on storing your lawn mower, the bigger the threat that dust poses to the motor. A tarp that's tightly fitted around your lawn mower will trap all the dust that you fail to clean off of the body and encourage it to fall into any open slits that it can.

As long as both the tarp and the lawn mower's body are clean, you shouldn't have to put any other material over the motor to protect it. When you're cleaning dust off the area around the motor, make sure that you stick a dust cloth into any open slits that you can see and shake it around.

For more information about how to properly store an item, contact a professional like those at National Self Storage - Denver.