Garage Makeover: From Messy to Clean and Organized

For the belongings we have that there is no space for in the house, we usually relegate it to the garage, where it just piles up. As a result, the garage looks messy and unorganized.

Here are three steps to help you clean, organize and improve your garage.

Step 1: Clean

You need at least a full day or even a weekend to clean out the garage. You can also involve your family in decluttering the area; this will make it go faster than you just tacking all the cleaning to be done alone. You need go through everything single thing, from the boxes that you have not yet unpacked to stuff you stored there last week.

You also need to sort all the items into three categories: those you plan to keep, donate or put up for sale, and throw away. A general guideline for things you need to dispose of include anything that you haven’t needed or used in two years or more. Other things to toss would be things that are broken and cannot be repaired and also household chemicals past their expiration date.

For the items you plan to keep, sort them into broad categories, for example, books, tools, and sports equipment. You can place them into labeled boxes or even plastic containers to keep them organized.

Step 2: Plan the Floor

Before you purchase any shelving or storage items, jot down the dimensions of the garage and also make a note of how much space your car(s) need. Planning is the next step. Put the items that you use together, for example, the gardening tools. Bigger-sized equipment such as the lawn mower should be stored in a corner – there is then less of a chance that they get knocked over and bump something, like your car. You can put the more regularly used things, like the bicycles, closer to the garage door. Rarely used items should be stored in hard-to-reach places.

Step 3: Improvements

After you have sorted everything and planned the floor of your garage, make some much-needed improvements. For example, if the lighting is bad, then you can replace the lights with a higher voltage and automatic turn on switch for when then automated garage door opens. When you come in at night, the area is lit and you can easily park your car and also walked into your home in light.

You might also want to consider tiling the floors – the concrete probably doesn’t look much better after you have cleaned it. Tiles floors look nice and they are easy to sweep and wash.

Once you are done, your garage will look new and organized.