Get Your Garage Organized for Spring

Have you been stacking boxes in your garage and shoving sports equipment, holiday decorations and other items into any space you can find? If your garage looks like a disaster and has lost all functionality, now is the time to finally tackle this cleaning project. Spring has arrived and you're going to need to be able to get to all your yard maintenance equipment and outdoor furniture that’s been tucked away. Follow these garage cleaning and organizing tips to get your garage ready for warmer weather.

Get Rid of Clutter

The first step in cleaning out your garage is getting rid of unwanted items. Not only will this increase available space, it will reduce your stress levels. Start by creating three piles: keep, donate and trash. If you find that you’re having trouble parting with items and everything is landing in your keep pile, try to think about the last time you used an item. As a general rule, if you haven’t used it in the last year, it’s probably time to say goodbye.

Clean the Garage Floor

Once you have gotten rid of clutter and cleared out the garage, it’s time to tackle cobwebs and floor stains. Give the garage a thorough sweep, wipe down any cabinets or surfaces and be sure to get into rafters and corners to clear out any debris. When that’s done, you can focus on those tough stains.

Grease and oil stains are common problems that can be remedied using absorbent cleaners that draw the oil out of the concrete. Look for products that contain trisodium phosphate (TSP), which come in a powder form and are mixed with water to form a paste. To remove stains, a thick layer of the paste is placed directly on stains and left to dry for about 24 hours. After the paste has dried, you can remove the excess and scrub the stain using a coarse brush and water. For tougher stains, you may have to repeat this process.

Add Storage Solutions

No matter what types of items you have floating around your garage, there are plenty of creative and affordable storage ideas that will make the best use of your space and allow you to easily access the things you use most. Here are some common garage storage problems and solutions:

Organize Sports Equipment

If you have all sorts of balls, bats, bikes and other sports equipment in the garage, there are some easy ways to get organized. The best way to corral balls is with a tall storage bin that uses flexible bungee cords to form the front panel. This way, you can easily view the balls and they can be stacked and stored.

When it comes to storing bikes, there is no reason to give up valuable garage floor space. Hang bikes from hooks and take advantage of unused vertical space. There are also racks that can be used to stack multiple bikes. Best of all, these devices are relatively inexpensive so that you can get organized without breaking the bank.

Build Garage Storage for Tools

Properly storing your tools will prolong their life and allow you to quickly find what you need. Installing wire racks and shelving in the garage is an easy way to increase storage space and allow for a customizable system. If you go this route, be sure to spend some time planning out your configuration for optimal results.

Magnetic strips can also be mounted on the garage walls and used to organize scissors, screwdrivers and other metal tools that you use often.

If you want an adjustable storage system that you can change as needed, consider a peg board solution which allows you to place and move supports that hook into the holes in the panel making it easy to reconfigure the entire system.

Hang Storage Bins

Rather than stacking plastic storage bins in the corner, you can install simple wood slides in the ceiling and hang them instead. This type of track storage is easy to create and makes the most of overhead space.

Use these cleaning and storage ideas to finally tackle your messy garage and turn it into the functional space it should be. Get your spring-cleaning off to a strong start by giving your garage some much need attention and preparing the entire family for warmer weather and more outdoor activities.

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Published 5.3.19