I can't think of any reason not to do it. It would beat my current method of having strips laying under and over everything. Flourescent lights are fairly cool burning lights...though the ballasts do get hot. As long as you are several inches away I see no problem. The only concern I would have in storing strips at the garage ceiling level is light and the ceiling heat of the garage itself over time. I would suggest slipping the strips into some containers...such as 4" or 6" pvc pipe that are hung at ceiling height. Now...after saying all this...I have used strips that have been haphazardly laying around for years and have had no problems other than some scuffed edges where some club footed dummy (me) has stomped on them.