How to Organize and Clean Your Garage
There is nothing better than a clean and organized garage. Having a clean garage makes it easier to find what you need, and allows you to use the space functionally. When you are organizing and cleaning your garage, cleaning should probably be your first order of business. Here are 8 easy steps for cleaning your garage.
Cleaning the Garage
The first step towards achieving an organized garage is to clean the space! Here are eight easy steps to achieve a clean garage:
1. Start With a Good Plan
When you begin cleaning the garage, you want to have a plan.
Not thinking things through in the beginning can cause double work and pointless efforts.
2. Empty Everything Out
The second step is usually to empty it all, but this will depend on how bad the mess is.
Heavy-duty tools are often left in the way making it difficult to move objects around without causing damage. Start by removing heavy-duty equipment that is in your way.
3. Power Wash Clean
Then you need plenty of space in which to work. You can use a power washer to clean certain things, such as bicycles and garden furniture. It is not as powerful as the ones you would use for your car but it will do the job well enough.
4. Work From Top to Bottom
It is important to clean the walls, shelves, etc first before cleaning the floors.
This is because dust falls and if you clean the floors then the walls, the dirt will just collect on the floor once again.
5. Sweep
Sweep up all of the dirt and dispose of it.
If there is a lot of dirt, you may need to sweep, then go over the area again with a damp cloth to remove excess dust.
6. Clean Up Oil Spills
If there is any greasy oil or petrol spills that need removing then it is best to use an absorbent powder and leave it overnight.
The next day just sweep up the residue and dispose of it correctly.
7. Polish the Floor
There are machines available to hire if you want to save yourself some hard work, but they are costly for one-off jobs. If the floor is concrete then it can be polished in much the same way as a wooden floor would be.
This will bring out the shine and revive the color of the concrete. The only difference is that you should use neutral oil to finish it off.
8. Begin Organizing
Once finished you need to store everything back in its rightful place. If you are not sure where that might be, then take the time to sort things out into piles of like items.
This will make it easier to put things away later when you have more storage space available.
To summarize, to clean the garage from filth and grime you need a good plan. Start by removing all items in your way, giving everything a quick dusting, and sweep up all of the dirt with a broom. Then use an absorbent powder on spills of oil or petrol.
Finish off by polishing the concrete floor with a neutral oil, putting everything back in its right place and your garage is clean from filth and grime.
Begin Organizing the Garage
Organizing the garage can be one of the most daunting tasks for a homeowner. The garage is where everything goes that is seasonal, unuseful, or we love but we just don’t know what to do with it.
That is why I have compiled these 8 steps to make organizing your garage a little easier. The key to organizing your garage is to stay organized.
As redundant as that sounds, many times we can get so overstimulated in the garage, that we start and stop things. It is important to work on one thing at a time and be thoughtful with every step
Having a garage can provide you with so many wonderful benefits. It gives you the ability to have another parking spot in your home. It makes it easier for you to keep items that are not being used in storage. You have more space to work on projects or just hang out when it’s raining outside.
However, if you have a garage that is cluttered and disorganized, it can be very frustrating. It may leave you feeling overwhelmed about how to get your garage back in order.
If this sounds familiar, here are eight simple steps for organizing and cleaning the garage.
1. Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
The first thing you need to do is stop bringing in items that you will never use. If you have old tools or sports equipment, don’t just shove them in the corner of your garage thinking that you might need them one day. Instead, sell them on eBay or contribute them to a charity so another family can get some good out of it.
You can also get rid of any items that are broken. We all have those DIY projects in the corner of our garage we think we will get to. Bottom line, if you have items for more than 1 year that you haven’t done anything with, it is probably time to give it up.
2. Go Through Old Boxes One by One
Start going through all the boxes that you have in your garage. Go through them one by one and remove anything that is unnecessary or that you haven’t used in a while.
That includes old books, old plates, cups, or anything that is broken. It is important to go through each box completely for starting another. It is important to not get into too many things at once.
The most important thing when organizing the garage is to do whatever it takes to not get overwhelmed. This is why completing one task at a time is important.
3. Get Plastic Storage Containers
Plastic storage containers are a great way to store items that you don’t use often in your garage. You can also put these containers on shelves so they are out of the way but still easily accessible.
It is also a great way to store items that you will need for certain projects. Having random loose objects strewn about is one of the main causes of clutter.
Putting everything in storage containers with labels makes everything organized and accessible. To maintain a clean garage, you must be able to access things easily. This is why containers are key!
4. Organize the Garage by Category
One great organizing trick is to organize your garage by category. For example, if you are working on restoring an old car, keep all of the parts in one section of the garage.
This way, it is easy to find everything that you need without wasting time looking through the garage. Keep decorations in one area, tools in another, etc. Grouping tools can help you save time and effort, and putting touch-up paint kits in a specific spot makes sure they’re easily accessible when you need to make repairs.
You want to minimize the need to dig around and search for things. Back to point number one, everything you have in the garage at this point should be things you need and are going to access at some point during the year.
5. Use Shelving Units
Having shelves in your garage is a must. In the garage, it is so important to make use of the verticle space. Shelves allow you to pack and house more items, without inhibiting floor space.
These walls can be built and are fairly expensive to purchase. Make sure you pick shelves that match the depth and height of your needs in your garage. Storage space is very important!
6. Hang Paints and Sprayers on Pegboards
Pegboards are an easy way to hang tools, spray paint cans, and small lawnmower attachments.
If you have a pegboard in your garage, you can hang your items on hooks that are attached to the board or just put them in different bins.
7. Put Your Lawnmower Away in the Winter
Having your lawnmower take up space in the winter can be frustrating. Especially if you need to park additional motor vehicles in the garage due to inclement weather.
Once you have mowed your lawn for the last time in the fall, clean the mower, put a cover over it, and store it on a shelf, or in a corner somewhere. That way it is out of the way. In addition, storing the mower keeps the mower from incurring unnecessary damage in the winter.
8. Have a System for Holiday Decorations
Every year at Christmas time, there is always a time that the Christmas lights won’t work. This can be a frustrating process because you have to climb up the ladder and check every single string of lights to find out which ones aren’t working.
One way to avoid this is by having a system for your Christmas decorations so you know exactly where everything goes when it is time to store them away. This goes for any holiday decoration.
You want to make sure that the decorations are organized, labeled, and working. If you open up the holiday decorations and items are broken, be sure to trash them immediately. In addition, take note of any decorations that are outdated or dingy.
It is very common for people to hang on to decorations for years without using them. If you haven’t used certain decorations in the past 2 years, it might be time to purge them.
With these easy steps, we hope that cleaning and organizing your job will be a simple process!
