How to Clean Your Garage: Garage Cleaning Tips
Cleaning the garage tends to be a task we neglect. It’s a convenient place to keep things that we don’t want in the house but can’t quite bear – or be bothered – to get rid of. If you are one of those people whose garage is a dumping ground (let’s be honest, it’s most of us), you’ll want our advice on how to clean a garage. Read on for our garage cleaning tips, to discover how to clean out a cluttered garage once and for all – you might even be able to park your car in it for once.
Get your garage organised
It’s important that you go into this process with the end goal in mind so that you can properly transform your messy garage rather than just leaving it slightly less cluttered than you found it.
One of the simplest solutions for the predicament of how to clean up a garage is to consider purchasing things like shelving units, hooks and storage boxes/bins, to ensure that everything has its place when it gets reorganised and isn’t left on the floor or lost beneath more clutter. Check out our garage organisation tips for more ideas on how to make the most of your space.
You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got adequate cleaning supplies, and enough space to lay everything out whilst you sort through it.
Set aside the time for cleaning
This isn’t a task you can quickly get done in a spare couple of hours. If you want to get the job done properly, you’ll need to set aside a whole weekend where you have nothing to do. Try and pick a day when the weather is on your side – you don’t want to be carrying valuable items or heavy boxes around in the rain, nor when it’s too hot. You’ll see why this part is so important when you get to the later steps of removing all items and cleaning the garage floor – you don’t want your possessions to get ruined.
Take everything out of the garage
The only way you can declutter the garage properly is by starting from scratch and removing everything, until you can see the entire floor. This way you can get a better idea of how much space you have and how to best utilise it when putting everything back in. It also means that you are forced to look through absolutely everything, so there’s less chance of you leaving anything ‘for another day’ and holding on to unnecessary clutter.
Throw, Keep, Donate, Action
Now it’s time to sort everything into piles. It’s up to you to set the criteria for what to keep and what to get rid of, but you have to be as ruthless as possible – in general, if you haven’t used it in a year and/or it doesn’t bring you any joy, you probably don’t need it.
A good starting point would be to sort everything into four categories: Throw, Keep, Donate, Action. Throw anything that’s unused or too old and worn to be useful anymore. Keep the things you use regularly or that are keepsakes, such as old photographs. Donate things like clothes, books, sports equipment and furniture that you don’t need but are in good enough condition to be enjoyed by someone else.
Things in the Action pile are those that require a little effort on your part: things you’ve borrowed and forgotten about that need returning, things that need repairing before you can use them again, and things that are good enough to sell. Take advantage of sites such as eBay and Gumtree to try and make a small profit from your possessions – it might make the time spent decluttering seem more worthwhile.
Once you’ve finished putting everything into piles, go back to the Keep pile and sort through it again. Remember: be ruthless!
Give the garage a deep clean
Don’t put everything back in the garage just yet – it’s now time to give the floor and walls some attention and have a spring clean.
Now, how to clean a garage floor? Simply sweep it to start with, removing any cobwebs, then get rid of any oil stains. You can do this by applying hot water, mixed with a little detergent, to the stain and leaving it overnight, adding some cat litter if you have any – it will absorb the oil.
To get rid of spiders and insects, you can buy humane vacuum catchers which allow you to take them outside without harming them.
Air out your garage to get rid of any smells (this can be done whilst you are sorting) and check for signs of mould. If you do find any, you can usually combat this by mixing water with a little bleach, applying it to the walls and leaving for half an hour, then wiping away with a clean wet sponge.
Of course, the door is an important part of the garage too – so read our guide on how to clean a garage door for help with that.
Finishing touches
Although the garage isn’t usually a decorative room, you may want to add a coat of white latex paint to freshen things up and prevent mildew. Caulk any gaps around windows and seals to keep out moisture.
By cleaning your garage floor you’ve already taken a step towards making the room safer as there is less clutter for people to trip over. If necessary, you may want to repair any cracks in the floor using polymer cement crack sealant. For those who are more ambitious, you can prevent future cracks from happening by painting or properly sealing the floor – this will make it stain-resistant and easier to clean, too.
To really overhaul your garage, you could opt for a brand new garage door which will tie everything together and make it much more satisfying to look at. Here at Doormatic Garage Doors, we supply and fit quality, stylish doors alongside offering maintenance and repairs. With 20 years of experience, our friendly and professional team can provide you with the perfect garage door at a competitive price. Get in touch today to find out more.
