Show Your Garage a Little Love This Spring
Come spring, homeowners everywhere start breaking out their mops and dusters to dive into some heavy-duty cleaning. Most people will do a thorough sweep of their entire home, cleaning, organizing, and tossing out unnecessary items room by room. The garage often gets neglected, unfortunately, especially when homeowners use it for storage and nothing else. It becomes the place where things are tossed and left to gather dust.
The garage is actually a very valuable part of the home, however, and keeping it, as well as the garage door, in tip-top shape will increase your home’s value. We understand its a daunting task – especially when you’ve neglected it for years. You’ll feel so much better once it’s clean, though, and you might even find how useful it can be. Having a clean, organized garage can give you a newfound appreciation for the space, and will help you notice more often when things are being neglected or in need of repair. Garage doors that are overlooked often cost more to repair or replace than those that receive regular maintenance.
5 Tips for Getting Your Garage Clean and Organized
Before you get started, you’ll want to grab a few items to make the task go a lot smoother. Before you even think about actually cleaning anything, you’ll need to sort through all of your stuff first. So make sure you have lots of heavy-duty trash bags on hand, as well as boxes for any items that you might want to donate. Gloves may come in handy as well, depending on how dirty the garage is.
1. Make a “Keep” and a “Toss” Pile
Start grabbing and go. If you try to make any logic about where to start or what you want to keep, it will end up taking forever. Just start grabbing things and making two piles, stuff you want to keep and stuff you don’t. You can either make the piles on the floor of the garage or if it’s nice out, we recommend having the garage door open for fresh air and making the piles out in the driveway.
Seriously, don’t think too hard about this. Just start pulling things out and separating them into two piles only. Once you have everything cleared out, then you can start narrowing things down. Sort through the “toss” pile and see if there is anything still in good shape that could be donated or given away. Bag everything else up that you don’t want and take it out to the trash. You will likely need to make a special call for junk removal if you have a lot of stuff you are throwing out. Some things might need to recycling as well, instead of just tossing it in the trash.
2. Sweep and Hose Out the Garage
Congratulations! The hard part is over. Now that you’ve cleared everything out, it’s time to give the garage a good scrub. First, wipe down surfaces with a dry rag or towel, and sweep the floor to get rid of loose dust and dirt. Next, use a wet cloth and some cleaner to wipe down surfaces more thoroughly. Once any shelving and storage, as well as the walls, are clean, you can move onto the floor. Spray the floor of the garage down with your hose and use a heavy-duty mop or brush and floor cleaner to give it a good scrubbing. Hose it all out again and then let everything dry.
Don’t forget to clean the garage door as well. Spray and wipe down the door itself and dust and wipe down the hardware. Just be careful around the springs and wheels on the tracks, so you don’t injure yourself.
3. Inspect for Needed Repairs
After everything is cleaned and dried out, start doing a thorough inspection for anything that may need repairs. This could be windows, outlets, any of the hardware related to the garage door, the garage door opener, or anything else. If you already have some shelving or storage cabinets in the garage that you will be keeping, check that they are still in good condition and don’t need repairs or replacement parts. If you think your garage door needs repairs, you should call a professional to handle the job, especially if it has been neglected for a while. You should also call a professional for any electrical work needed.
4. Make a New Organization Plan
Now comes the fun part. Take stock of everything you will be keeping and start planning where and how you want to store it. If you are using original shelving and cabinets, you also might want to consider painting them or fixing any broken pieces to spruce them up. If you want or need all new storage, it might help to make a simple sketch of the layout of your garage. From there, you can start planning where you want things to go and what type of organizational systems and pieces you want to use.
If you are completely lost and don’t know where to start, a trip to your local hardware store, or even a place like IKEA, might help. Some stores have their own setup of ways you can organize your garage to inspire you. You can also look for inspiration on the internet. Don’t be afraid to get creative. If you think you might use the space for something more than just storage now that it’s clean and organized, you will be happier and more comfortable if you don’t just go with simple plastic storage bins and cabinets.
5. Install Any New Storage and Put Everything Away
You’re almost done! Just build, install, or hang any new organizational components or pieces and then start putting everything from your “keep” pile away. Don’t forget to clean things first before putting them back.
Take a step back and enjoy all of your hard work and effort. Feels good, doesn’t it?
How Your Local Garage Door Experts Can Help
The garage door is more than just any old door. It not only protects your garage and home from harsh elements and even intruders, but it can enhance the curb appeal and increase the value of your home as well. If you find that your garage door is in need of repairs or if you are considering a new garage door installation, contact All About Doors in Portland, OR today!