Spring cleaning tips for the garage

If you are like most people, you may have turned your garage (whose main purpose is to store your car), into a general storage shed full of bicycles, yard tools, junk and generally all the ugly and unwanted items you try to keep out of your home.  If this is the case, your garage should be included into your ''to do'' list for this year's spring cleaning activities. If on the other hand, your garage is immaculately clean, give yourself a pat on the back and feel free to exclude this area from all your spring cleaning efforts.

• Careful Planning

Unlike cleaning up your home, attic and yard this spring, cleaning up a garage requires specific strategies and careful planning. You will need a piece of paper, a pen and lots of outdoor space so you can place all the items out of your garage and go over them carefully. It is advisable to take the car out and park it  temporarily somewhere so to have sufficient space.

• Getting Everything Out

 A good place to start is by taking all the stored items out and making a list of all the items that are stored in your garage. Then along with all family members, the items should be divided into three categories. The useful, the ugly and the useless should do, in order to determine their level of importance and their ultimate fate. At this point, three outdoor areas must be created to temporarily store these three categories of items. Your child may have fun by marking such areas with sidewalk chalk.

•Cleaning Up

While all the garage's contents are out, what better time to clean up the garage? Arm yourself with a broom and sweep away all the dust and debris from the floors. Wipe down all the cabinets, shelves, tables and chairs, if any. Take away all the spider webs from the ceiling's corners and make sure to collect all the debris left behind.  

• Getting Rid of the Useless

The main purpose of spring cleaning your garage should be primarily getting rid of the clutter (all the useless items). That means removing all items that are not necessary to you and that you may have stored away because you did not have enough time to determine how to get rid of them. Now is that time to put these items finally to rest by either: plan A, putting them in the trash,  plan B, calling a junk removal company, or if they can be of any use to others, plan C putting them for sale in a yard sale or donating them to the poor. 

• Planning for the Ugly

If you are left with some items that are useful but are simply too bulky or too ugly to store in your home you must be ready for some major decision making. You may either store them in your attic, find a space for them in some  secluded closet, or simply decide to keep them still in the garage if feasible. 

• Taking Care of the Useful

You have determined that you have on hand some items that you definitely cannot live without. No problem. Everybody has their own. The most important factor is to ensure that you have a spot for them and that this spot is well organized. There are many solutions if you are willing to invest some money on some items that will facilitate storing them. Overhead storage, tire racks, cabinetry, shelves and slat wall panels may be the perfect solution for your storage needs.

By now, if you have worked hard enough, your garage should look well organized and clean. Now, it is surely worth it to put some effort from now on, on trying to limit the accumulation of clutter and junk, so next year's garage spring cleaning chores will be a breeze.