As you take the time to Spring Clean your home each year, it’s also a good time to spring clean the garage.
Spring cleaning can be a stepping stone to what feels like a brand new home and it shouldn’t be confined to just your living space! Don’t neglect your garage.
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Deep-cleaning and decluttering the garage should be an annual event as well. You should clean your garage from time to time so you don’t drag the dust and dirt into your home from the garage.
Growing up, our garage was my dad’s domain. He’s a handyman and likes to work on cars, so our garage was always full of tools, car parts, paint cans, wood and all other sorts of things. My mom is someone who likes to keep things clean, so the garage could become a source of contention at times. She encouraged him to get rid of as much stuff as possible.
My husband and I don’t have as full of a garage as my dad since we don’t own many tools, but our garage can get cluttered other with things. I try to clean it out a few times each year. As I clear everything out to sweep the floor of dust and the walls of cobwebs, I also try to declutter and organize the garage at the same time.
With everything that can accumulate in a garage, you may be asking yourself
How do I keep my garage clean!?
Here are a few ideas for you as you tackle the project of cleaning your garage.
Tips to Help You Clean the Garage
Get Rid of Unnecessary Garage Clutter
The first thing to do when spring cleaning is to go through all the items you have and decide what is no longer useful. Are you saving miles of extension cords or extra spare car parts?
Ask yourself these questions as you go through your things:
- Are the things in your garage truly useful to you personally?
- When was the last time you used an item?
- Do you still have the product that the parts you’re holding onto go to?
- Is there a new tool or part that you have which replaced what you’re holding onto?
Be honest with yourself, and keep only what you truly need.
Dusting Is Important When You Clean the Garage
The boxes and items in your garage will tend to build up dust rapidly. Because of dirt blowing in from outside, and a large garage door leading directly to the outside elements, you will need to be vigilant about dusting.
Spring cleaning is a great time to run a microfiber cloth over everything that is exposed. You may need several cloths, as they will fill up with dust rather quickly.
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Create a Clean Garage Floor
Before cleaning the garage floor, you will want to remove as many items as you can from the garage. Make sure it’s a nice day when you tackle this project as you don’t want your items to get wet as you move them out to your driveway.
Once things are moved out of the garage, it’s time to do a major floor washing.
First, you will want to take a large broom and sweep the main dirt away. Next, take a bucket and mop with some soap and vinegar, and wash the floor as thoroughly as possible.
Make sure you let the floor completely dry before moving everything back in.
>>READ NEXT: The Ultimate Guide: Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home<<
Wash Equipment as You Clean the Garage
Some of the items in your garage will need to be cleaned, and it will not be as easy as wiping the dust away. Perhaps your extension cords, bicycles, and rain boots have mud or other grime caked on them.
Lawn equipment can get especially dirty with caked on grass clippings. Be careful and be sure to use gloves when cleaning your lawn equipment.
Take all of your dirty items outside and give them a good rinse, using soap when appropriate and necessary.
Make Room for Your Vehicle
Now that everything is clean, it is time to get organized. One of the main benefits of having a garage is being able to park your vehicle inside. Unfortunately for many families, there isn’t even enough room to fit their car in the garage, thanks to all the accumulated junk.
Assuming you have sorted through all your items, you can now decide whether to keep or get rid of them. After you do this step, put what remains back in an orderly manner. Arrange what you have left so that you can once again fit your vehicle back in the garage, giving it back its main purpose.
Install Storage Solutions
If you have tried your best and still can’t fit everything in the garage in an orderly manner, you may want to take the organization a step further.
Browse around for various storage systems, and choose something that works for your situation. There are systems that include everything from stackable storage boxes to weather-proof storage, to overhead storage.
Safety First
No matter what, put safety first. Use every precaution when taking on a job such as spring cleaning your garage. Be sure to secure overhead storage properly so it does not fall down later. Unplug electrical items before cleaning. Be cautious about sharp objects when digging in boxes.
A little foresight can save you a lot of time and pain later on.
Taking the time to Spring clean the garage can take a lot of effort, but is worth every moment that you put into it. When you are done, you will have a garage that is efficient and useful once again!
Let us know in the comments below what you do to clean the garage each year.
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