Helpful Tips To Organizing The Garage For A Cleaner Home

If there’s one project that people put off more than others, it’s organizing the garage. Around 57 percent of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park two cars inside them. Does this sound familiar? If so, you might be wondering how and why your garage is so cluttered.

The biggest reason, of course, is that you’re probably using your garage as a storage unit. Instead of throwing out items that you never use anymore, you just chuck it in the garage. After all, you never know when you might need that singing trout again! Over the years, the junk accumulates until you’re faced with a seemingly insurmountable task of organizing your garage. At this point, the clutter sticks around because it’s gotten too big. 

Of course, there’s no point in having a garage if you’re not going to use it for your cars. Sure, it might keep the clutter out of your house, but you’re doing your car a huge disservice if you’re parking it in your driveway. Storing your car in a garage provides the following benefits:

• It protects the exterior of your car from the elements, thus protecting your vehicle investment.

• Your car is more secure and safer from car thieves.

• It reduces wear on your engine and moving parts as the car fluids stay closer to operating temperatures.

• It’s more convenient for you as you won’t have to scrape off frost from the windshields or climb into a bowling hot interior.

• You might get reduced insurance costs as many insurance agencies will lower your premium if you routinely store your car in a locked garage.

So how do you start work on a messy garage? It might seem daunting, but if you enlist help from the rest of your family, you can probably get it organized in a day. All it takes is some elbow grease, a few organization ideas, and channeling your inner Marie Kondo. Besides, with quarantine still going on in many areas, there’s no better time to get some cleaning done than when you’re forced to stay at home!

Declutter First

Before you even start thinking about shelves, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all that junk in your garage. Take out everything from your garage and put them in your driveway or yard. It might be embarrassing as your neighbors get to see how messy your garage is, but this is a vital step. Doing this will allow you to assess everything you have, take note of the grime, and take note of all the junk you have. Depending on the size and amount of items in your garage, you should set aside a full day or even weekend to decluttering and organizing. 

Once you’ve removed all of the items it’s time to go through each one and sort them into four piles - keep, sell, and toss. Really take your time and examine each item to determine how you want to deal with the time. If you haven’t used an item in over a year, it’s a fair bet that you don’t need to keep it. If the items are still in decent condition, consider selling them either on ebay or by running a yard sale. This way you’ll know these items are going to a new home and you’ll make some money to cover the cost of organizing and cleaning. If you don’t have the patience for selling, consider donating these items to a local charity or goodwill store. Don’t fall into the trap of storing the to donate items back in your garage! Put them in your trunk and make sure to drive the items over the next day.

For items that you have decided to throw out, trash or recycle them immediately. This will help clear the clutter in your yard and will motivate you as you see your piles diminish. Don’t fall into the trap of keeping things around because you might fix them up. If you haven’t fixed it up yet, you probably won’t ever get around to it. You should always go with your first gut reaction when you look at an item. Don’t overthink it too much. If you’re not familiar with something, your partner might have a better idea of whether you should keep it or toss it. 

Once you’ve split up your items into piles, go through your keep pile again and purge further. Remember, your garage should be a place for your cars, not for storage. It’s definitely hard to get rid of items, especially if they were expensive. Just remind yourself that the money has already been spent and you probably won’t get back the full amount even if you do manage to sell them. So those golf clubs that you haven’t touched in a year? You can sell them or go to a sports store and see if they won’t buy them back.

When it comes to tools, only keep what you use frequently. If you have some power tools that you only use on occasion, it might be time to put it back on the market. After all, many power tools you can borrow or rent. When it comes to nails, screws, washers, etc. throw out any rusted ones. If you’re a gardener, only keep one rust-free version of each tool. 

For car repair items and cleaning supplies, you should examine each one for usefulness and potency. Some car fluids expire so make sure to look for a date on the can. If it is expired, toss it as these can be a fire hazard. Always throw out any oily rags. When it comes to chemicals and paint, make sure to dispose of them properly. If you’re not sure how to do that, contact your local sanitation department for instructions.

Organize What’s Left

Now that you’ve whittled down your pile, it’s time to start organizing. The first thing you should do is figure out how much space your car(s) will take and then work with what’s left. You’ll want to place items in spaces based on their type and uses:

• Keep items like leashes or bags on a hook by the door or somewhere within easy reach.

• Put similar items together. Create zones for groups of items you use together such as gardening tools, car maintenance, home improvement tools, etc. This will reduce the amount of time you’ll spend digging around your garage looking for that screwdriver.

• Big items like lawnmowers or snowblowers should be relegated to the back corners of the garage.

• Rarely used items should also be stored out of the way on the top of a shelving unit.

• Large tools like rakes and shovels should be stored by hanging them on the wall. The same goes for bikes. 

Invest in some plastic bins to store items such as small tools, screws, seeds, etc. Not only will this help keep you organized, but they’ll also keep away insects and rodents. Of course, you can try other organizational options. Instead of tossing tools into a bin, why not use a pegboard where you can hang the tools and easily see them whenever you walk in? If you don’t have too much stuff left over after the initial purge, you can probably arrange everything neatly on a shallow shelf. If you want to make sure you know where everything is located, label each bin and ‘zone’ of the shelves so that everyone knows where to put the hammer when they return it back to the garage. 

Clean The Floor

Now that you have everything out of your garage, it’s time to clean the floor. A messy garage tends to collect plenty of garbage and spills. Now is the time to give the floor a good wipe down. When cleaning the floor, first start off by sweeping every bit of debris from the back to the front and then out of the door.

Once you’ve swept away the floor clean, now it’s time to take assess the state of your garage floor. Garages tend to suffer more from extreme weather conditions. After all, most are not heated or cooled so the temperature fluctuations and moisture can lead to issues such as mildew, leaks, and more. Take some time to walk around your garage and take note of any cracks or problem areas. You can fix up small cracks with spray-in foam or sealants. For mold, you can wipe it down with a watered-down bleach solution (one cup bleach to one gallon of water).   

During this time you should also inspect the area for any signs of rodents. This might be droppings, old nests, holes in the walls, etc. Clean up the droppings and nests and plug up any holes that you come across. You might also want to take a closer look at your garage door to see if there are any gaps where mice can get in from and find a way to close those up. 

When cleaning your garage floor, you’ll probably run into a variety of issues, all of which require different treatment methods. While it might take you longer, it’s a good idea to get rid of all spills and stains as the longer these are left untreated, the more damage they can do to the floor. If you’re not sure how to treat these problem areas, the tips below should help. Always make sure to wear safety goggles and gloves during these treatments:

• For oil stains and grease you want to mix together an absorbent solution (such as trisodium phosphate) with some water. Mix into a creamy paste and then place it onto the stains. Keep the paste on until it dries. Scrape the paste and then sweep it away.

• If there’s old paint on the ground get some paint strippers and apply it to an absorbent material to make a creamy paste. Spread a thin layer over the stain and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes before scraping it off.

• If you’re noticing some rusting, mix together some muriatic acid with water (add the acid into the water, not vice versa). Pour a little bit of the solution onto the spot. After it finishes bubbling scrub lightly with a nylon brush to see if the rust spot disappears. If it doesn’t, add a bit more solution and continue until clean. Make sure to thoroughly wash the area off with water to dilute any remaining acid. 

Once all of that is done, give your garage floor a once over with a power washer to really get out any caked-on dirt. After that, if your garage floor isn’t painted yet, now is the perfect time to do so. It makes the floor much easier to sweep and mop, plus it can extend the life of your garage floor and prevent further cracks and other damages.

Install Racks / Ceiling Racks For Storage

If you don’t already have storage solutions, now is the time to invest in some. Shelving is a great way to keep your garage organized and free up floor space. If you don’t have much space on the ground, you can always install ceiling racks. Just make sure that these racks don’t interfere with your garage door opening. 

Even with a smaller garage, vertical shelving and ceiling racks can provide plenty of storage for you to keep everything you need. When purchasing racks, make sure that you don’t exceed the weight limit as your rack will collapse under the weight. When picking out the right racks, you should first figure out what you are putting on them. If you plan on storing paint cans and other heavy items, you should find racks that can hold over 100 pounds. The same goes for your wall mounts - make sure you don’t overstock them with items.

Keep it Clean

Now that you’ve organized your garage, it’s up to you to keep it clean. That means regularly going in and making sure all the items remain in their place. While it might seem tedious, if you check in on your garage at least once a week and do some light organization, it will save you from doing another big clean like you just did. 

Always pick up any trash lying on the ground as these attract rodents and insects. You should also spray for pests from time to time to keep the insects at bay. As well, regularly sweep and hose down the floors to get out any built-up dirt. If you do these small steps, your garage should stay nice and tidy. With that said, it’s a good idea to go through everything once a year to get rid of anything that you no longer want or need.

Organizing The Garage Is Well Worth Your Time and Effort

Yes, cleaning your garage will take a lot of time. After all, you’re probably going through year’s worth of storage. It can be daunting, but you’ll feel much better once your garage is nice and tidy. Plus, you’ll once again be able to use it for its intended purpose, storing your car.

Once you’ve organized your garage, make sure that everyone else in the family respects the fact that it is no longer a storage area. If you start noticing that people in the household aren’t putting the items back where they belong, make sure that they know where everything is supposed to go. Keeping the garage tidy requires effort on everyone’s part so make sure they all follow the new rules. If you do that, you should be able to keep your garage nice and clean.

Lisa Czachowski is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Lisa is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sustainability, natural, sleep products, health, fashion and many more. She is passionate about what providing as much information as possible on products you bring in your home and what we wear.

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