How to Clean Your Garage after a Fun Holiday Celebration
Nov 04, 2021
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If there's anything people hate other than the holiday itself coming to an end, it's also cleaning up the accumulated mess after all the fun and games.Needless to say, Halloween is one major holiday that is tough to clean up after the hype and events. Not only did the whole family dress up in costumes and use props, the garden, the house, and yes, the garage were all decked up in Halloween decor to carry out a spooky and scary celebration. This would entail a lot of cleaning up where normally people in the household would run away from and leave the task to the person in the family who loves tidying things up. It's not always fun though; but of course, not impossible, especially when there's no other way to make the mess disappear but to do the work.And since you're at it, a clean-up after a holiday may actually be the perfect time to finally declutter your garage and organize it. Other parts of the house are regularly cleaned but it's the garage that has always been taken for granted by most homeowners. Grab this opportunity to do a major clean-up and before you know it, you have a brand new garage ready for the next holidays and seasons to come. It might even be easier to clean after every holiday when you keep your garage tidy and organized.It's Day 1 of Clean-up and the first thing to do is to take everything out of your garage. What we're doing here is a major clean-up which involves cleaning the ceiling, floor, and walls. Once all the items are out in your garden, it's time to segregate them into Discard, Sell, or Keep piles.A good rule of thumb that has become popular in recent years is Marie Kondo's tip to determine which items must be thrown out and must be kept: keep the things that spark joy in you. If it doesn't bring joy to you anymore, maybe it's time to say goodbye and part ways. Throw the pile that you don't want to keep or sell right away. When you're left with two piles, determine how you're going to sell the items you want to make money off. You can sell them online or open a yard sale for your neighbors. This can ease your mind knowing that things you previously loved would have new homes and that the money you will make out of it may partially cover the cost of your garage clean-up.Set aside the objects that you will keep in proper storage because you'll be returning to those once cleaning up the garage is done. Once stored properly, the clean-up may now begin!Your clean-up will depend on how dirty your garage was after the holiday festivities, and maybe even after years of neglect. According to Tidy.com, what you'll need are sponges, cloths, brooms, brushes, and a bucket. You might also need an oil stain remover, paint, and a wire brush. Of course, it would help if you get someone from the family to lend you a helping hand, or much better if they volunteer to assist you with the task on hand.Here's how you'll do it once the cleaning tools are ready. Start cleaning from the very top, slowly working your way down to the floor. Get your broom, a long one is preferred so that you could use it to clear the cobwebs on the ceiling. The next step is to check for damages and defects in the lights, hardware, and windows of your garage. Clean them up first of dust and then fix the damage if there are any.After that, get ready to soak the walls and windows with a car washing sponge. Speed up the drying process by using old towels of yours to wipe them dry.Another rule of thumb is to start from the back of the garage going towards the door. Sweep all the debris using a push broom from the back to the front. Make sure you won't leave anything out. Next is to get your bucket and mop the floor, scrubbing it hard to remove every piece of dirt and dust that is in there. If there are oil stains on the floor, use a wire brush or if need be, a commercial oil stain remover to clean it.After the thorough clean-up, one thing to consider is painting the floor. It has many benefits including making it easier to sweep and mop, extending the life of the tiles, sealing cracks, and preventing damage from moisture that reaches the concrete. Start in one back corner and paint to the opposite side near the garage door. When the paint's all dried up, it's time to return your belongings inside the garage.It’s the perfect opportunity to introduce shelving in your garage. These would organize the objects in your garage as well as free up floor space for your workshops, fitness, and car. Maximize vertical space from the floor to the ceiling using FlexiMounts wall shelving and overhead or ceiling options. They come with one to three tiers of storage; are made of high-quality steel; are very easy to install even by just one person, and are highly custom with utility hooks and height-adjustable levels of shelves. After installment, your garage will look cleaner, organized, and much more pleasing to the eyes. Plus, it would be easy to spot where the items are when you need to use them.One shelving technique is to separate items for long-term storage from items that you need to be accessible to you every day. Items that you don’t need for a long time such as documents and old clothing as well as those depending on the season (yes, including those Halloween props and costumes!), must be kept on a farther side or a higher level of your storage equipment. These items that are not used that often must be kept hidden so that those that you need every day or monthly can be easily accessed by anyone.