A garage often becomes a place where all sorts of items from the house end up.
While keeping your old clothes, empty boxes, paint cans, and whatever it is you want to deal with later in your garage can feel like a quick fix, you’ll soon face the inevitable: cleaning up your garage.
As daunting as it sounds, don’t let the clutter pile up and follow these tips that are sure to help you clean like a pro in no time.
Prepare a game plan.
Depending on how you want your space to function as (e.g., mini-gym, storage space, indoor music studio), you should plan on how to restore order in your garage.
Ask yourself what you want your garage to look like after cleaning up.
Make a list of what you want to get done, draw a floor plan, and follow it.
Is your garage also your laundry room?
Do you want your gardening tools as accessible as possible?
Do you have random sports gear that needs to be given away?
Different people have different needs and it’s important you figure out the functionality that you want your garage to provide.
Get everything out.
To help you effectively declutter your space, take out everything from your garage.
Lay them all out and arrange them in piles.
Identify your things and segregate them accordingly.
Keep the items you annually and regularly use and group them.
Labeling them into categories will also help you when you come searching for your things in the future.
Additionally, figure out the things you want to throw out or give away.
If you want, you may even sell some of your stuff in a yard sale or online!
When doing this activity, it is important to be honest to yourself on what items you are keeping purely for their sentimental value and whether you have the space to keep storing them.
Start cleaning.
Now that you’re all set, it’s time for the real cleaning to begin.
Start from the ceiling and work your way down to the floor.
Dust all cobwebs away, give your windows and light fixtures a good wipe, and keep an eye out for any damages.
Make sure your locks and seals stay intact.
This will not only keep you weather-protected but it will also ensure that your family is safe from intruders.
Next, give your walls some scrubbing and, if you want, have them retouched with a coat of latex paint.
Finally, clean your garage floor.
Thoroughly mop away the gunk that’s accumulated and, after drying, get out any oil, paint, and rust stains.
To make your cleaning easier in the future, it is advisable for you to paint it.
Not only will your garage floor look cleaner but it will also seal moisture away from the concrete.
Seal any cracks to lengthen the life of your garage floor overall.
Organize your space.
Now that you have a newly cleaned area, organize the items you decided to keep.
Figure out effective storage solutions depending on your space and what you need to store.
Learn to maximize the area and have shelves or hooks installed on your walls to free up floor space.
A collection of stackable bins can also help, especially if you have any tools or items lying around that you want to organize.
Next, identify the items that you won’t need for a long time (e.g., stacks of documents).
These things should be more hidden as you don’t need them as much.
Seasonal items like Christmas or Halloween decorations have to be put away too.
However, don’t forget to label their containers so you won’t have to put much effort when it’s time for you to pull them out.
Lastly, regularly used items should be put in easily accessible areas, making it easier for you to maintain the organization of your garage.
Once doing all these, you will have a cleaner and even spacier garage that you can make use for other activities.
Of course, do remember to make efforts to maintain the cleanliness of your garage all year round and have an annual garage check-up and check for any issues that need to be fixed.
If you find anything that might need help from a technician for a garage door repair, you should be able to find available professionals near you, especially if you are residing in Toronto, Newmarket, Mississauga, and Markham.
