Having a spacious garage is among the biggest assets a modern family can have and all that extra storage space is something you can certainly put no price on. However, not all garages are the same and having even the biggest garage in the world means literally nothing if it’s untidy and unorganised. Cleaning it from time to time and keeping it organised is absolutely necessary if you want to locate everything you’re looking for in a matter of seconds. Therefore, if you too have a problem with an untidy garage, here are a few tips that might help you make this entire process a bit easier.
Clean the floor
The most important thing when organising your garage is cleaning it first – only after doing it thoroughly will you be able to organise it in a meaningful and sustainable manner. So, take everything out and identify the areas that need attention: most importantly, the walls, the floor, the door and the storage units. While it sounds like a long and exhausting task, cleaning the garage floor is actually not that hard if you know what you’re doing and are using adequate cleaning products. This way, even the most stubborn stains, such as the ones from anti-freeze, for instance, can be taken care of.
Once you’re done with cleaning the floor, all you need to do is sweep it once again, and move onto the other areas.
Clean the walls
When it comes to cleaning the garage walls, you need to remember to use rubber or garden gloves that will protect your hands. This might seem like an unnecessary step and most people seem to forget it, but it’s quite crucial if you want to protect your health and achieve maximum cleaning results. Start by vacuuming the spider webs from the corners and dusting everything else, and then attack the mold on your walls with a sponge. Don’t be afraid to use as much pressure as you can, but if some of the dirt still survives your vigorous cleaning treatment, move onto heavy machinery. What lots of people opt for are powerful karcher pressure washers that are sure to clean every inch of your garage and make it sparkle again.
Clean the door
No matter how big and seemingly clean your garage door is, it still needs attention, too – luckily, the majority of these are made of wood or aluminum and are thus easy to clean. Just brush the dirt off and hose the door down with water before wiping it with a sponge. In order to get the best results, use a mild detergent or, if you an environmentally-aware person, a homemade borax-based product. Finally, grease the door, tighten the screws and you’re good to go.
Organise the shelves
Every garage needs a ton of shelves – extra storage space is, after all, the point of a big garage – and since a lot of people are unsatisfied with their current storage options, they decide their own wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling shelves that are guaranteed to provide them with enough space. Choosing these DIY solutions instead of shelves you can buy at a store also means you can set them up any way you want and dedicate every part of the shelf to your specific needs.
Before you arrange your stuff on the shelves, don’t forget another important task – going through your possessions and deciding what can stay and what needs to go. This decluttering process can be hard and painful in the beginning, but it’s more than necessary if you want to do something good for your garage. After you’ve taken everything out, sort your things into four piles – things to keep, things to donate, things to sell and things to throw away – and then bring only the first group back into the garage, arranging it onto your brand-new shelves.
Organise everything else
Using wooden shipping pallets you can find for free at your local supermarket or tech store is one of the best ways to store items you can’t fit into the shelves. These can be easily mounted onto the walls of your garage and accommodate all your gardening tools and larger items such as brooms, snow shovels and ice scrapers. You can even give them a new paint job and thus create a storage solution that’s both practical and appealing. You could also find a pegboard or two and turn them into a place for hanging all your smaller tools and gardening supplies you use on a daily basis.
Keep it tidy
Once you’ve cleaned and organised your garage, your job isn’t over – you need to continue maintaining it in the future as well. Keep in mind that keeping only the most valuable things close-by, decluttering your possessions regularly and cleaning the floor at least once a month is the key towards a tidy garage.
