Reclaiming Your Garage

When you bought – or even built! – your home, you had plans. You were going to keep your entire home clutter free, with everything having a place and all other unnecessary junk tossed, donated, sold, or given to friends and family. Better yet, you weren’t going to let your garage become just another storage shed, one where you can’t park your car or do much more than walk inside, consider cleaning and organizing everything, and then give up because the job has simply gone beyond you.

Yet inevitably, your garage has become exactly that. The thought of trying to find something in that mess fills you with dread, but you aren’t quite willing to let anyone else clean it for you. After all, your garage is your man cave, your private space, and you don’t like anyone messing with your stuff – even if it could use some messing-with. As such, the job of clearing out your garage to make it suitable for leisure and privacy is up to you. Fortunately, it isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think – so long as you take the time to plan ahead, and set goals for yourself!

A Plan of Attack 

First, plan to set aside a whole weekend for the project. Tell your friends you aren’t available, make sure you don’t make any engagements with your partner, and if you have kids, get them out of the house! If you have a television show you like to watch, set up the DVR, because this weekend is all about you and your garage. Yes, trying to do everything at once can be intimidating, but the truth is that you aren’t going to spend the next 48 hours on the garage; it’s really only a few hours, spaced out over two days. You’ll take frequent breaks, and in the end you’ll be happier for it.

Next, purchase some solid-shelving units. Whatever you decide to keep from your garage, you will want to be able to organize and store it quickly and easily. No more piles! Get plastic containers for the shelving unit so that things can easily be stored there.

Finally, you’ll need three large containers for the actual cleaning process. One container is for trash – anything that can be thrown away. The next container is for donating; everything that ends up in that container goes to a charitable organization, and everyone will be better off for it. Finally, the last container is for “action items.” Action items are things you borrowed and need to return, things that need repairing, and things that should go elsewhere in your home beyond your garage.

The Real Work Begins 

Now it’s time to actually clean the garage. The first thing you have to do is empty the garage – entirely. Everything from the tiniest nail to the largest equipment should be taken out of the garage and put onto the driveway. (Obviously, you want to do this on a weekend when good weather is forecasted.) Sort your belongings into their designated containers; it is important to stay as organized as possible at this stage of the garage cleaning.

With your garage emptied out, you can begin to clean the garage itself. You may be surprised at just how dirty the garage has gotten over the years; grim, dust, dirt, and other detritus can build up under all of your stuff, making it an allergenic nightmare. Use a broom, then use a vacuum, then use a mop, then let it dry and start the process all over again! The floors, the windows, the walls, the ceiling – everything needs a good workover.

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With the garage hygienically clean, you can make it organizationally neat and tidy by installing your storage units. Shelves, drawers, whatever you may need. This is a good time to make changes to your garage to make it more amenable to your purposes; maybe you want a man cave for yourself, or a workshop. At this point, you’re free to do as you please to the garage’s layout and design.

Once you’ve rearranged your garage, you can begin filtering everything back inside. Whatever didn’t end up in a donation/trash/actionable item container can go back to the garage. Make certain, however, that you were very strict in what actually goes back in and what doesn’t need to be donated, moved elsewhere, or thrown away! Weakness now will only lead to more garage-cleaning later, which means more lost weekends. With your garage clean and organized, you can start to use it as the haven and private space you always meant it to be!