A cluttered garage is more than just an eyesore. When your garage is cluttered and unorganized, it isn’t a place anyone wants to be. Not only is it difficult or impossible to park your car, but you may also have trouble finding anything. Have you ever tried to get a shovel and accidentally dropped boxes of Christmas decorations onto your foot?

A clean garage will not only help you stay organized, but it will also give you back tons of square footage. We’ll go over everything you need to know about how to clean your garage. It is time to get started on how to get rid of your clutter, this guide has it all. Let’s get organized.

Take Everything Out of Garages

The first thing you should do when you start cleaning out a cluttered garage is to remove everything, including any possible mess you may find. Take every single item out of your garage. While this might seem overwhelming, it’s the only way to do it. Always remember that in order to see results during this process you must commit to taking everything out, this includes things like garbage bags, old sports equipment, and dirty old cabinets that are filled with unnecessary junk.

This is what we mean by everything

Start By Clearing out the Garage Floor

Take all the clutter off the walls, off the floor, and in any rafter storage. When you take everything out, you’ll have a better idea of what’s inside. Without all those storage bins in the way, there is a lot more room on the garage floor to begin garage cleaning.

Think long term

Emptying the garage will also help you plan your storage and organization plan. You’ll be able to see where you can install some extra shelving or organizers if needed. For large items, there are service options available to haul them away.

Focus on the things you have never touched before

We are talking about all those cardboard boxes, that huge box of paint that you got for Christmas 5 years ago, and those random house materials you never knew you had. Everything, even what you do not care about or will ever use, needs to be put aside in order for you to effectively clean your garage.

Cleaning Tips

Sort and Organize

Next, you’ll want to think of your criteria for keeping certain items. Think about how often you use things and when the last time you used that particular item. If you find an infant life vest for example, and your child is 10, chances are it doesn’t meet the criteria to keep. Make sure any possible item you find is something that you will use at some point. If you do not have a garden anymore but you have dirt soil then you probably no longer need that. If you have a fire hazard box then put it somewhere safe.

Consider a Garage Sale

Another possible technique to efficiently deal with all these items is by hosting a yard sale. It can be useful to organize a list of items that you know people will have interest in, and account for others that might have an interest in some tools you no longer need. All this work will pay off when you start making some profit off of all that dirt in your garages. Keep in mind some items will not sell at any event. Some items are going to have to be either donated or stored away for no extra value.

Treat Your Garage Like Your Home

Having a clean home goes hand-in-hand with having a clean garage. You would not have random tools like a garden hose, bins, boxes lying around your house. The same goes for the garage, anything that is unnecessary junk should be dealt with. Having floor space is a must for anyone who wants to have space in their home garage. The floor is not a space for random cat litter or kitty litter to be present. Random items such as cardboard boxes will need to be disposed of.

Don’t just set it and forget it

It is physically impossible to use a vacuum cleaner without space in your garage to do so. Keep up with your recycling, clean your cabinets, search for any junk, and toss it. Do not use your garage as a glorified trash can, treat it like you would your house!

Choose to Donate, Toss, Sell, or Keep Garage items

You’ll then want to separate everything into four piles. Your piles will include things to donate, toss, sell, or keep. You can section off a place in your yard or your driveway, so you have enough space. Keep in mind that some of the things you want to donate might not be useful to that pile, and this goes for the other situation as well. Some useless junk that you may find worthless could be actually what is worth something and what you might find useful could possibly carry no value.

Remember that you can donate

The donate pile will be items in good condition that you know someone else can still use. If you find something new with tags on it, you might be able to sell these items on a secondhand marketplace or to a resale shop. You can have a garage sale or a garage giveaway type of event with some friends or just your neighborhood. Something that you may find useless might be something your neighbor is in dire need of.

Your next pile will be all the stuff you’re keeping. Don’t put this back into your garage just yet. You’ll want to keep your garage empty so you can clean and organize it.

Don’t forget to get rid of whatever items you will never use

The final pile will include stuff you’d like to throw away. There are just some things that aren’t worth keeping, selling, or donating. Luckily, there are several service options available to make tossing your clutter easy. You can arrange a convenient and hassle-free pick-up right from your garage.

Ways to Clean the Garage

Now that your garage is empty, you should use this time to clean out your garage. You’ll want to start by giving it a good sweep. You can also bring out a vacuum to make sure you get all the dirt, dust, and cobwebs out.

Start with sweeping

Sweep the walls, corners, and ceilings if possible, to remove the cobwebs and dust from the hard-to-reach places. Don’t forget to wipe down the stuff you’re keeping as well. Dust your totes, bins, storage containers, and other idle stuff to remove all the buildup.

Do not leave all that dust lying around

The worst part about garages is having all those nasty spiderwebs and dust all over the garage walls. Having clean garage walls is garage cleaning 101.

Part with what is permanently useless

Another thing to remember when cleaning out your garage is to ensure that any tools you are trashing you truly do not need. Most of the time it is not a good idea to get rid of these tools as they may have some use to you at some point, so we would recommend having a separate cabinet or bin to store items like this.

Cleaning a Garage

Don’t skip on deep cleaning

When your garage is empty, this is also the best time to give it a deep clean. Arm yourself with some rags, cleaning cloths, a mop, disinfectant, and a window cleaner. Make a soapy solution to give your floor a nice clean. Take advantage of the empty floors and remove oil stains as well.

Remember to clean surfaces

Disinfect and dust any surfaces, shelving, seal cracks, and doors. The last thing you want to do is put away the stuff your cleaning on dirty, dusty shelves. You can use a window cleaner to clean any windows you have as well. It’s also a good time to clean your garage door track and sensor if you have one. Do not store this junk on your driveway either. It is important that you store items that need to be recycled in recycling and so on. This way you can take a step in helping keep the environment clean as well as your garage. Cabinets, the floor, and your garage door are all things you do not normally clean that you should take the chance to clean while you can. Garage cleaning is a long process but after the effort, the result is always worth it. And it will be worth it for your sanity as well.

Consider fresh paint

A new paint job can make a massive difference. There’s no better time to put a fresh coat on than when the entire garage is cleaned out and ready for paint. Don’t forget to use an acid wash on the floors, sand the walls, fill holes with patches, and wear protective clothing.

Organize Your Garage Space

The most satisfying part of removing garage clutter is getting yourself organized. You’ll want to take stock of everything you’re keeping. Once you see what you have, you’ll have a better idea of what storage you need.

Freestanding shelving units, wall shelves, and hooks are all great to have. Design your organization system into different categories. Things you use most often should be easily accessible. Hooks are great for these types of things. Shovels, rakes, brooms, and a dog leash, may all fall into this category.

Tips to keep clean

You can then create zones for things used once a year. Holiday decorations, sleds, and summer gear will likely fall into this category. Extra toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies should also be easy to access but childproofed.

Sort the what-if gear

Stuff you don’t use very often but you’d still like to keep can be placed on the hard-to-reach shelves or even in the rafters if you have storage there. Make sure to also have a place to hang your bike if you have one. Getting this off the floor will open up a lot more space.

Cleaning a Cluttered Garage Once and for All

A cluttered garage is difficult to use and spend time in. Think about all the square footage you’re losing by having a garage full of junk and useless tools. A garage that is clean and organized will be safer and more enjoyable for the entire family to use. Everything will have a place and cleanup will be a breeze. Having an organized garage makes it more useful as well since you will have ease of navigation around your garage.

Stay focused

Getting rid of clutter will feel like a huge weight lifted off of your shoulders. You’ll not only get a ton of storage space back in your garage, but you’ll also gain peace of mind. To jump start your garage cleanout, fill out the contact form here to get in touch with a junk removal company specialist. Your trusted pro will help you schedule a time and make junk removal easy and hassle-free. Make sure you attach your email address so that we can get back to you as soon as possible. Don’t wait to start your garage cleaning process.

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Our company is dedicated to junk removal. No matter what your situation looks like we can come and deal with your junk. The Victory Junk Removal Company works specializes in leaving any messy place spotless, no matter if the place is a garage or storage facility.

Our staff is trained for hoarding cleanouts as well as whole house cleanouts.

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