Did you know that an average American household spends around $8,000 for a garage makeover? In fact, in another study conducted by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), 50% of homeowners find the garage as the most disorganized area in their homes. Moreover, suburban garage homeowners spent $800 million on garage organizing products alone, according to the market research firm Packaged Facts. Bulging garages have long been a cause of headaches for homeowners. It is estimated by the NAPO that there are more than 500 organizing businesses that specialize in garages due to the fact that garages are seen as an important space in a house, which is the most disorganized area, unfortunately.Garages, for so long, have been used as vehicular parking spaces. However, in recent times, as many garages have been utilized as a multi-use space, more often than not, the garage has become a dumping ground for junk and a whatever-floats-your-boat kind of area. This now brings us to the next point that your garage space could be on the more topsy turvy side of the cleanliness scale.If you are not keen on paying hefty amounts for a garage deep cleaning and makeover, you can do so yourself this spring. Not much of a tidier and cleaner yourself? Do not worry as we are here to help you take on such a daunting task and offer you effective spring cleaning tips.
Prepare a spring cleaning plan and checklist
First things first. Prepare a checklist of tasks and materials that you will need to take on the spring cleaning task. Remember that if the task is overwhelming for you, better ask the help of your family members and divide the tasks. In this way, it would be much faster to finish cleaning the whole garage and the workload would be much lighter for you and the rest of the family members. You can divide the tasks by zones like you will spearhead the clearing of the shelves, the eldest son will do the cleaning of the floor, the kids will take charge of the sorting of the stored items. As much as possible, when assigning the tasks, take a mental note of the kind of tasks that the person would most likely enjoy the most so that the process of cleaning will be more effective.Another tip is to pace yourself to avoid burnout. Take your time and do not pressure yourself to finish early. But always keep in mind the goal at hand which is to deep clean and finish the spring cleaning process. You can also blast on speakers your favorite music or podcast to keep you entertained.
Declutter and organize your garage
The first step to decluttering is to remove everything. Yes, you read that right: remove everything. As you want the spring cleaning process to be a top-to-bottom cleaning, clearing all items inside the garage will help you sort out everything that is stored inside the area.From here, you would want to sort the items into five categories: keep, sell, donate, recycle, and throw. Making these categories and putting items to the “keep” category is the easiest part. For the harder parts, it is for the other four categories. Getting sentimental over our stuff is normal. However, it is not helping your spring cleaning process. To help you eliminate the items that take the bulk of your garage space, ask yourself if these items served their purpose in a span of a week or a month before spring cleaning. If not, better let them go. No amount of justifying if they deserve to occupy space in the garage if you do not see yourself using any of them in a month or two.After sorting them out, all those you decide to keep, put them back in the garage right away after you do the rest of the cleaning. And remember to use an effective storage system.Using overhead garage storage racks eases the problem of overstoring on the valuable floor space of the garage. When things are carefully tucked away on the ceiling compartments, the ground will open up for your vehicles and activities that you will be doing inside the garage. However, the only downside is carrying the boxes onto the ceiling storage and eventually putting them down when you need something. This poses a danger to you as you might accidentally fall over to the ground due to the weight of the items lifted. In fact, 500,000 people are treated every year for ladder-related injuries and 50% of which are all ladder-related accidents due to individuals carrying items as they climbed, according to AAOS.Fortunately, Fleximounts offers the GL44B 4′ X 4′ Overhead Garage Storage Lift. This storage lift removes the need for a ladder or any heavy lifting, protecting you from potential accidents. It can be raised and lowered by a crank or power drill for a smooth and effortless operation. And it eases access to your items that are high above the garage floor without using a ladder. It can lift a maximum of 108 inches vertically and can carry a maximum weight of 300 lbs.The storage lift has a safe and secure mechanism–a specially designed safety lock prevents any movement when not in use. Use the winding pole to pull out the safety lock on the gearbox, then push back in to lock after use. Moreover, the rack is made of heavy-duty steel cables, which secure the rack in place.The GL44B also boasts flexibility when it comes to compatibility with angled ceilings because of its adjustable length steel cable. Additionally, it is universally compatible with different ceiling joists of both wood joists and concrete ceilings–12”, 16”, and 24” ceiling joist spacing. However, it is not fit for metal joists.Aside from its storage capacities, the GL44B 4′ X 4′ Overhead Garage Storage Lift is designed for multiple uses such as lifting hardtops, car top carriers, kayak with straps, and many more.
Clean and inspect every nook and cranny
Wiping and sweeping may not be enough to clean the garage thoroughly as dust, dirt, and salt deposits (no thanks to snowfall during winter) have accumulated over time. You must do a lot of scrubbing or water pressing down the garage floor for a more effective way of clearing unruly dirt.As the garage is cleared out, also take this time to inspect the windows, doors for rust, warping, and other age-related and weather-related problems. Make sure that the springs, hinges, rollers, and other parts are maintained well.Also, it is good to open all windows and doors during spring cleaning to give your musty garage a good airing.
Prepare a spring cleaning plan and checklist
