Ultimate Guide for Spring Cleaning Your Garage

Spring is just around the corner and we don’t know about you, but we’re ready for some warmer weather after another snowy New England winter! With longer, milder days ahead, we’re fast approaching the ideal time for spring cleaning your garage so that you can have this task out of the way by the time the really hot weather hits.

Roll up your sleeves, get out your cleaning supplies and follow these steps for a fresh, clean space and improved garage organization.

Declutter

The first step to spring cleaning your garage is definitely the most tedious, but it’ll make the steps that follow that much easier—trust us! Decluttering your garage the right way typically consists of the following:

1. Removing everything from your garage. As you can imagine, this is the kind of project that calls for one of those mild spring weekends where you can drag everything out onto the driveway and lawn without anything getting ruined. Once everything is removed, you’ll want to…
2. Sort your items into categories. We recommend three categories: Keep, Sell/Donate and Recycle/Trash. If you haven’t used something in a few years, chances are it no longer needs to be taking up space in your garage. When your sorting is complete, set aside the Keep pile and dispose of the Recycle/Trash pile accordingly. For the Sell/Donate pile, it’s a good idea to…
3. Host a spring cleaning garage sale. Pick a nice weekend day, hang those “Garage Sale” signs around the neighborhood and see what you can sell. Anything that doesn’t go can be donated after.

Deep Clean

While you have all your items removed, take the opportunity to deep clean your garage. Sweep and mop the floor, treat any oil stains and wash all surfaces. For deep cleaning a concrete garage floor, you can mix a solution of ⅓ cup of Tide to 1 gallon of water, then use a large brush for scrubbing and a garden hose for washing out the garage cleaning solution. You could also rent a power washer from your local home improvement store to get the job done a little more efficiently.

Organize in Zones

When it comes time to put the items you’ve decided to keep back into your garage, it’s helpful to think about organizing your garage in zones. Brainstorm the different categories of items you have (e.g. sports equipment, woodworking equipment, power tools, holiday decorations) and organize them accordingly throughout your garage. This way, when anyone in your family is searching for something, they’ll have a general idea of where to look.

Inspect Garage Doors and Opener

Spring cleaning is the perfect time to inspect your garage door for signs of warping, rust and other common wear and tear. While you’re doing this, don’t forget to make sure that all safety functions are working properly. In addition to inspecting your garage door, set aside some time to clean the windows and the door itself.

If you find any parts of your garage door that are in need of repair, it can be dangerous to attempt that yourself, so we recommend always reaching out to the professionals for garage door maintenance needs. Here at Champion Overhead Door, we’ve seen it all, and no problem is too big or too small for us to help with.

Spring cleaning your garage can seem like an overwhelming task, especially if you have a lot of clutter to work though. But by following the steps outlined above, it’ll feel a little more manageable. And once you’re finished, you can reward yourself with a nice cold beer (or non-alcoholic beverage) outside in the spring sunshine!