A clean garage is a good sign that a household has their stuff literally together. Whether you are organizing for one or combatting the storage clutter of your entire household, now is the perfect time to clean your garage. There are just a few weekends each year where the air is warm yet also refreshing and crisp, the ideal time to clean your garage and refresh your space.

What is the best way to successfully clean your garage and create new spaces? Here at Overhead Door in Knoxville, we know more than a little about organizing a household garage. Here are eight easy steps to clean your garage the right way.

Step 1: Dust and Wipe from Top to Bottom

Start from the top and work your way to the bottom. So, look up. Find the light fixtures, highest shelves, and garage door mechanism above your head. Dust and wipe down these topmost things, knocking dust to lower regions as you go. Then clean the top shelves and upper storage areas. Then you are wiping down your prime-time spaces with reachable shelves and any workshop surfaces you may have previously set up. Sweep, dust, and wipe down just about everything you can reach, from the top, down. 

Step 2: Clear, Organize, and Re-Stack

The next step is to re-organize everything you have stored in the garage. Rethink the tools hanging from the walls or mounted near at-hand. Especially re-think the totes and boxes you have stored that aren't used or accessed regularly. Pull items off shelves and then require yourself to re-organize before they can go back onto the shelves. Open boxes and re-sort. Stack tools and organize them into drawers or trays. Make your garage organized by force of will and mental checklists.

Step 3: Hang Items On the Walls

The next step is to store your tools and most at-hand supplies from the walls of your garage workshop space. The best way to do this is with pegboards. Pegboards are actually boards with a grid of small holes where you can insert peg hangers. Pegboard hangers can hold all sorts of things, from single hooks to secure drawer, the pegboard brings everything to the perfect height and distance for you, and is a cool way to maintain your active toolkit.

Step 4: Export Long-Term Storage to the Attic

What haven't you used in the last 6 months that is usually stored in the garage? That old tote of flower bed fences that don't fit your current landscaping can go right up into attic storage instead. Why clutter your garage with stuff you're not going to use or access when you could use that space for other things? Take anything you don't normally use - especially unopened boxes and totes - to alternate long-term storage spots in the house like the attic or basement. Get your space back.

Step 5: Mop, Mop, and Mop Again

In a garage, your floor can never be too clean. If you are planning to spend human time in the garage space, be sure to mop with a strong cleaner, and then several rounds with the clean, wet mop. Why? Concrete absorbs things that are spilled into it because the slab is porous. If you want a garage space that is safe for kids and pets, be sure to mop thoroughly to ensure the accessible floor space is clean and toxin-free.

Step 6: Set Up Parking Spot Indicators

Make it easier to park in your garage for one or two vehicles - set parking lot indicators. Use reflective tape along the garage floor to show where to glide in smoothly. Hang a tennis ball from the overhead rafters at just the right height and place to bump the windshield when parking is perfect and complete.

Step 7: Rebuild Your Workshop Space

Do you want to have a garage workshop? Did you have a garage workshop once before typical garage clutter moved in? Now is the time to make your dream of a garage workshop into a practical reality. Establish your space, your work tables, and the tools you will use most frequently and rebuild your workshop. Start from the ground up, creating a space you would be comfortable and proud to work in. Use pegboards for more efficient vertical storage of your tools and smart shelving for your supplies.

Step 8: Clean and Check the Garage Door

Last and certainly not least, have your garage door inspected. Garage doors are often neglected in home improvements. However, the quality and performance of your garage door matters every single day. You need a door that is safe when it is pulled open overhead and secure when closed against the elements and neighbors. Your garage door should pull smoothly and always respond to the remote control. If not, start changing batteries and getting quotes.

Do you need garage door inspection, care, or a professional garage door repair? Contact us today for garage door services or more insights to help get your garage into ship-shape.

Contact us