Garage clean up

1. Box—If you’re staring down a mountain of clutter and you don’t know where to begin with it, set out three boxes and label them keep, give and toss (if you have a recycling program in your area, you can label a fourth box recycle). Then, take a quick first swing at sorting the clutter into those categories and box it up. Once you have a bit of cleared space, you can take move the give, toss and recycle boxes aside and find places for the kept items to fit.  

2. Reorganize Your Tools—Simple tool sets can quickly grow into huge collections before you know it! Take some time to identify doubles and tools you no longer need and add them to the give box for donation. If you know someone who needs a tool set, you might also coordinate them into an extra toolbox if you have on handy and give it as a thoughtful second-hand gift.  

3. Rearrange Shelves—It’s easy to add random items to garage shelves throughout the year without finding them a permanent home. Now’s a great time to remove everything from the shelves and reorganize them to determine what can stay and what can go. Use your boxes to sort these items and add anything that might be helpful to your makeshift gift toolbox. The person who receives it will be getting a heck of helpful homeowner kit!

4. Check Cans and Bottles—Liquids in cans and spray bottles can dry up or expire before you have a chance to use the contents. Check expiration dates and determine if the contents need to be safely disposed of. If you have interior or exterior house paint that can no longer be used, be sure to take the color code from the lid or label so you can have more created the next time you need it. And if there are any glass or plastic bottles that can be reused or recycled, be sure to clean them out well and add them back to the shelves. 

5. Sweep and Dust—Finally, once you have the cluttered cleared enough for sweeping and dusting, you can do some real cleaning! Sweep away webs from the corners, give baseboards a good dusting and sweep up sawdust, leaves and any other debris that might have blown in through the seasons. Give the walls a good washing with a clean cloth and some warm water. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can give the floors a stain-resisting coating while you have them nice and empty. This will help keep oil drips and discoloration from accumulating, which means a cleaner garage for years to come!