Hands up if you are one of those that procrastinates over doing anything to the garage until at least mid-late spring?
Some of you may have made the most of the Easter weekend to get ahead while others may be waiting for sunshine or the next bank holiday. Well, if it is on your list of jobs to tackle around the home, here is our list of top tips for spring cleaning the garage.
De-clutter
Many of us are guilty of collecting stuff around the home. Once we are sick of looking at it, or have decided we don’t need it but we don’t want it in the house, it invariably gets relocated to the garage. There it stays ‘just in case’. You never know when you might need it! Sound familiar? Well, now’s the time to declutter. Really think about what you need and what is just junk. You may be able to make some money selling things on your local buy, sell, swap sites or by popping a post in your local neighborhood Facebook group.
If it’s really past its sell-by date (a dishwasher from ten years ago for example), bin it! Take it to the tip or give it to the scrap man that comes around. Do you really need it?
Organise
Once you have got rid of everything you don’t need or want and have things that you want to keep, it’s time to get organised. Don’t just stack a load of boxes in a corner – that corner will soon become half the garage or more.
Plan where everything will go
Carefully consider where things should go. What do you need access to and what can be stored in the least accessible places. Can you have a layout that allows you easy access to everything? What is the roof space like? Is it possible to store things in the rafters by boarding across the roof space or can you add shelving to the wall?
Store things off the floor
It’s best to keep things off the floor as the garage isn’t likely to be an airtight space and the damp could get to your possessions. Stack valuables and things that you don’t want to get wet off the floor.
Garden tools, the lawnmower, decorating tools etc. can be hung on brackets on the walls. Shelving units can be put up and you can label plastic boxes to clearly identify things.
Make a floor plan
You could also make a floor plan so that you know where things are in your garage for future reference or colour code your boxes for home, DIY, garden, car etc.
Repair/refurb
How sound is your garage? Is it structurally sound and is the garage door secure? Could it do with a service or are there parts that need replacing? Is your garage door in need of replacement? If you are planning a spring makeover of your garage, repairing, or servicing the garage door should be top of your list.
Are you looking to make your garage more of a space that you can use? Perhaps you could turn it into a home gym or a hobby room. If this is the case you will need to consider having the garage renovated so that it is damp-proof, has electric, and is watertight etc. It is surprising how much you can achieve on a minimal budget. Best to talk to the experts though if you want the room to be usable all year round.
If your garage is one of those jobs that is currently overwhelming, spring cleaning the garage could seem like a tall order. Start with one job at a time and tackle it in stages. Start with any repairs or servicing and then move on to decluttering before you start organising. It might take you a few weekends, but it will be more than worth it.