While you may pride yourself on having a clean and organised home, many homeowners have a tendency to overlook the garage. This can easily lead to it becoming an undervalued, cluttered and forgotten space. The garage can often end up as a room for storing the things you don’t need, or items that you don’t need very often. While you can surely go ahead and use the garage for this purpose, you can do so without creating a cluttered, messy garage space.
The garage can be a practical and organised storage area for all your extra stuff, though it may feel overwhelming to know where to begin. We’ve put together some steps for how to clean out your garage, how to better organise the space, and how to keep a garage clean.
1. Empty the Space
Remove all items from your garage and start with a blank slate. It’s likely you didn’t even realise how much you had in your garage until all the garage’s contents are pulled out. Gather all your belongings and arrange them into collections of similar items. Decide which items you want to keep, donate, sell, or throw away.
Donate or sell
Be honest with yourself as you embark on your journey to a clean garage. It can be tempting to hold onto old items just in case, but a garage declutter is a good time to get rid of things you no longer need. Good condition unwanted items such as furniture, bags of toys and sports equipment can either be donated to your local charity or sold.
Consider holding a garage sale one weekend to clear out some of the good condition second hand items you want to part with. It’s a great way to get all the family members involved, and at the end of the garage sale if you still have items left, put them on Facebook Marketplace or donate them.
Rubbish Removal
The garage can very quickly become a dumping ground for rubbish. If you’ve filled up your roadside recycling bin, you may find yourself just putting your excess rubbish in the garage to get it out of the house – out of sight, out of mind, right?
Except this can be a tricky habit to get into. As you empty the space of your garage, clearing out all the garbage bags of rubbish, old paint, cardboard boxes and other stuff that’s accumulated, you’ll likely very quickly have huge piles of items that need to be thrown away.
Have skip bins ready for safe and convenient rubbish removal of bulky loads. Hiring a skip bin is a handy way to dispose of waste and rubbish – simply book in your hire, and a skip will be delivered to you. Fill it up with all the rubbish you need to get rid of, and then it’ll be taken away and disposed of. Doesn’t get much easier than that!
2. Deep Clean with these Garage Cleaning Tips
When it comes to cleaning, chances are your garage doesn’t get as much attention as the other rooms of your home. Not to mention the fact that it’s often open to the elements when the garage door is opened to allow you to drive your car in and out.
This is why the garage often has layers of dirt and filth on most surfaces. The true state of your garage will become even more evident once you remove all the junk hidden inside the garage.
Give the space a deep clean, using a broom to sweep out all the leaves, sand and dirt. If the garage floor is littered with oil spills or tyre marks, borrow a high pressure water cleaner from a friend or neighbour and spray all the dirt away.
Use a cobweb broom to get rid of creepy crawlies hanging out up high in the corners of the walls, and place traps for cockroaches or vermin if necessary. Remember to clean each part of the entire garage – don’t just focus on the floors. If you have cabinetry or storage units in the garage already, they’ll likely need a good wipe down to remove dust and dirt.
3. New Storage Units
After separating and culling your possessions, you should know the things that you’ll be putting back into the garage. Make sure that everything has a dedicated place by installing new storage units, bike racks, shelves, and hooks. These will help restore order in your space by giving each item a specific place.
It will also stop you from unnecessarily adding junk back into the garage down the track – be strict with ensuring everything has its own home, and it will hopefully ensure you keep the garage organised long after you’ve decluttered.
4. Put Things Back In
For a truly organised garage, make sure that only the items you need go back in. Evaluate how important the item really is, and decide whether you should dump it or donate it. Assess how often you’ll need different items, so you can store and relocate them as necessary.
Dedicate a spot for your frequently used items such as garden tools, ensuring they are easily accessible and easy to put away once you’re done. Larger items (or items you use less frequently, such as holiday decorations) can be stored on higher shelves or in harder to reach places, as you won’t need to access them as often.
5. Keep the Garage Clean
This one can be tricky if you and your family members are in the habit of using your garage as a bit of a dumping ground. Once your garage space is looking clean and organised, commit to maintaining it. It’s easy for garage clutter to build up again, so make sure everything goes back into the dedicated storage spaces after use, and make sure rubbish goes straight into the bin.
It can seem overwhelming to know how to clean out your garage (and also how to keep it clean!) but once you begin you’ll likely find it therapeutic and satisfying.
With a little bit of commitment and time, you can have an organised, clutter-free garage space. For all your rubbish removal needs while clearing out your garage, get in touch with the friendly team here at Kwik Skips. We offer skip bins Perth services at competitive prices and can help you get rid of your old, unwanted items and rubbish.
