Is your garage a nice space to park the car and work on weekend projects, or is it an over cluttered, dirty mess? With the weather cooling off, fall is a great time to clear out the clutter and clean up the garage. After all, the garage is the first thing most of us see and first room we step foot in when we come home, so why not have it be as nice and welcoming as the rest of your home? Here are a few tips from House Spouse for tackling the project:
1. Drag Everything Out
Trust us, it is the easiest way to do it and the most painless way to throw out the junk. Start the garage cleanout by taking everything out of the garage and setting it in the driveway. We mean everything, if you can move it, drag it out. You will be surprised to see how much stuff you have and even more surprised to see how much stuff you have that doesn’t get used and isn’t worth storing.
2. Make Some Piles
Once everything is pulled out into the driveway, divide it in two. On one side put everything that you have used in the last year. Those items are to keep. On the other side, put everything that hasn’t been used in the last year – it is to discard. For the items to part ways with, sort them into trash, donate and sell.
3. Toss What’s Not Used
Now that we have three piles to discard – trash, donate and sell – it is time to take action. Put the trash items in the garbage or load them to be taken to the dump if they are too large. Take the items to be donated to Goodwill or your charity of choice and list the remaining items for sale. Take care when disposing of toxic items such as fertilizers, pesticides and paints – be sure to follow local regulations for doing so.
4. Dust & Mop
Now that the garage is empty, it is time to clean. Dust all shelves and cobwebs, sweep the floor and mop it out.
5. Organize the Keepers
With a clean garage, start putting the items to keep back in their place. Use care to organize the garage so that items can be easily accessed as needed.
While House Spouse does not offer garage cleanout services, we are experts at keeping your home at its most enjoyable best with routine cleaning services, pool care services and deep cleaning of carpets, tile and grout. For more information or an instant online quote, please visit our website at HouseSpouse.com.
