It’s finally spring! The snow and ice have melted, the grass is getting green, and you may even need to mow your lawn soon. You open the garage door and the sunlight shines on… a cluttered garage. You close your garage door quickly, hoping the neighbors don’t see the mess. What if you could remedy this situation in three easy phases? Here’s how to spring clean that cluttered garage.
Phase 1: De-Clutter
The first step to any good spring cleaning plan is to get rid of unnecessary items. Do this easily by dividing your items into three categories: keep, toss, or donate. When deciding whether to keep an item, ask yourself how often it gets used, how well it works, and how much you enjoy using it. Say you decide not to keep it: ask yourself whether someone else would benefit from it. If the answer is yes, donate it. No? Toss it. By simply decreasing the amount of “stuff” in the garage, you will already see a less cluttered space!
Phase 2: Clear and Clean Your Garage
Before you organize, you want to make your garage a blank slate, clear of dirt and grime. Pull your cars out of the garage, move your “keep” pile to another space, and clean from top to bottom. You’ll start with clearing any cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling, replacing any light bulbs that have died, and lubricating your garage door opener’s chains. Next, clean the garage door and wipe any grime off of the walls and trim. Then, you’ll want to sweep out the entire garage, finishing by hosing the floor down and squeegeeing out any excess water. You can finally take a sigh of relief. You officially have a clean garage!
Phase 3: Organize and Store
Rather than hastily putting your remaining items away, take a moment to make a game plan. How do you fit everything back into the space in a way that looks organized, less cluttered, and will stay clean? For some, it may be as simple as building some shelves or storing items in existing cabinets. For others, the right move may be to create some built-in storage solutions, complete with bins and containers that blend right in. It all depends on just how big your “keep” pile is.
That being said, what do you do if your “keep” pile includes a lawn mower, a shop vac, pool toys, a work bench, and all the tools you could possibly imagine? What if, even after de-cluttering and deep cleaning, you still can’t park your car inside? It may be time to look at a bigger storage option, like a utility building from The Pool People. Our Old Hickory® buildings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some serve as a nice storage shed, while others become an additional garage. No matter the amount of extra storage you need, a utility building can be the solution you’ve dreamed of to combat a cluttered garage. Not sure where to start? Contact The Pool People today to find the utility building that’s right for you! We have all of the options to make your garage clean-out the best experience possible.
