Garage cleaning.

Just hearing those two words makes me shudder. I would rather clean anything – ANYTHING – before tackling my garage.

But if we don’t pay attention to the garage it can become a dumping ground. This has happened to me before and required a lot of effort to get it under control. Don’t get me wrong, getting your garage in order is a big job (possibly a weekend-long one). But do it right once and it’s so much easier to keep it like that in the long run.

Between the gardening tools, sporting gear, recycling and everything else that gets tossed in there, cleaning it out is a big undertaking.

To protect my sanity, and yours, here’s the plan I’ve devised for you to tackle the garage:

Pick a good day or weekend to do it

The last thing you want is to be carrying heavy boxes, sorting through them and scrubbing dirt and grime when it’s too hot out. The same goes for when it’s raining, so you can put stuff in your driveway or backyard without worrying about it (and you) getting soaked.
This is important because you’ll be leaving everything outside while you give the garage a good cleaning.

Tidy and Organize

Start by taking absolutely everything out of the garage – cars, bikes, tools, shovels, boxes, recycling bins and rubbish bins – all of it, until you can see that concrete floor. Enlist the family for this part (if you can), put on some good upbeat music – it’ll make the job faster and more fun.

Why not listen to one of your favourite golden oldie CD’s to up the mood. Ask you family for their favourite songs too. Crank up the volume and I promise it will get you right in the mood (just don’t offend your neighbours)!

Now that the music’s going, sort all your stuff into groups: keep, donate, sell and throw out. It’s a good idea to do this at least once a year. That way junk won’t pile up as much and it won’t be overwhelming when you get around to doing it. Haven’t used something in a year? Odds are you probably won’t, and it can be put in the toss/donate/sell pile. Of course, use your judgment here.

Once you decide what to keep organise it into categories. For example: Christmas decorations, sports equipment, surf boards, tools and so on.
If your garage doesn’t already have a Shelving Unit, now is a great time to get one (or more, if necessary). Old kitchen cabinets are another possibility if you think the open shelves will look messy or cluttered. Plastic storage bins for everything you’re keeping is also a must. Label the bins so you know where everything goes and of course, where to find something without endless digging. This will keep stuff from piling up on the floor again and make it easier to sweep.

A quick note about storage bins, they are better to use than cardboard boxes. For one thing, garages are often damp – moisture is not cardboard’s friend. For another, cardboard is used by rats and mice to make their nests. Let’s not give these furry pests a reason to make themselves at home.
Of course, not everything will fit nicely into storage bins. Let’s get into that now.

Organize Your Tools

I love the idea of creating a tool wall in the garage to keep the ones you use regularly in easy reach. It can be done easily with a Pegboard. We moved in to a house where the garage had a pre-installed pegboard. Before you install it, decide which tools you want on display so you’ll know where the hooks should go and how much space on the board each tool needs.

For nails, nuts and bolts and so on, I’d invest in something with small drawers, like an organizer.

Finally, those lesser-used tools can go in a good old-fashioned tool box. Here’s a cool tip: so the toolbox won’t rust place a few charcoal briquettes – yep, the ones used on the braai – in the box. They suck up dampness but also create dust. So, put them in a cloth bag first.

Larger Items

Bikes take up a ton of floor space. That can be fixed by a bike storage rack, mounting them on the wall or with a freestanding bike stand.

For rakes, shovels, brooms, ladders – vertical hanging organiser’s and hooks are your new best friends, easily found at Builders Warehouse. Remember, by having a spot for everything you’ll be able to keep your stuff off the floor – and hopefully, keep the garage from becoming (too) messy again.

Cleaning and Deodorising

Creepy crawleys

I dread cleaning out my garage partially because I am terrified of gho ghos. I’m always scared to see what creatures are lurking in there. I’ve seen some of the biggest spiders and parktown prawns in my garage, so be prepared for that when you start. I also wear gloves when I am cleaning the garage. Garden gloves or thick rubber gloves will do.
Now remember, do this before you bring anything back in; otherwise it will get dusty and dirty.
The easiest way to get rid of spider webs is with your vacuum cleaner and an extension. I recommend doing this at least every few weeks, because it’ll take less time to clean and be more likely to keep insects at bay.

Garage stench

Smells, now, are a whole other ball game. I suggest first airing your garage out. Keep the door open for a couple of hours (perhaps while you’re organizing and clearing everything out) and run some fans to get the air circulating.

Also check for signs of mould. Mix one gallon of water with 6 to 8 ounces of oxygen bleach and use a sponge to apply to the walls. Leave it on for half an hour then scrub with a tough scrub brush (wear a protective face mask and rubber gloves while doing this). Then fill a bucket with hot water and wipe down the walls with a new sponge (to avoid spreading the mould spores around).

Spraying undiluted white vinegar regularly will keep the garage from smelling. If you’re not a fan of that strong vinegary scent, adding water with a few drops of essential oil (peppermint, orange, lemon, sage or rosemary) will take care of that.

Just like you do in your fridge, put open boxes of bicarb around the garage. Bicarb will trap those gross smells and should be replaced once a month. Bicarb, mixed with icing sugar is a great ant bait.

The Floor

Oil, dirt, – those concrete floors sure take a beating! No matter how organised your garage may be now, if the floor is in bad shape it takes away from all your hard work.

Sweep

First sweep the floor with a large broom. This will give you a clean base to get rid of those tough stains.

Stain management

Then turn your attention to those stubborn stains. Clean oil marks with laundry detergent mixed with warm or hot water (one-third a cup of detergent for each four litres of water) if the stains are small. For larger stains use the detergent mix first, but a thin layer of cat litter (it helps to draw the oil out of the floor) should be left on the stain overnight. Be sure the litter is ground into the stain really well – use the heel of your shoe. The next day, sweep it up with the same broom and rinse the floor with your hose after.

If detergent doesn’t do the trick, a concrete degreaser will. Follow the directions on the bottle, and you can still use the cat litter trick after.

Unsealed concrete absorbs things really easily and attracts dirt like a magnet. After taking care of the oil marks a pressure washer will clean it up nicely. In a pinch a bucket of water and a floor scrubbing brush is a good substitute – more work for your muscles, but it will get the job done.

If you go the pressure washer route look for one that’s electric, not gas powered – the gas powered ones give off carbon monoxide – poisonous and odorless – and in a closed-in space like a garage, that’s bad news.

Sealing

If you want to seal the cracks you can use polymer cement crack sealant because it’s stronger than regular cement and is perfect for doing repairs.
If you’re feeling super ambitious you can seal the floor or get a professional to do it. It will save you a ton of time in the long run because sealing resists stains – meaning you can just wipe the floor with a mop. Sweeping will be a breeze too. (If you do this, wait until the floor is dry to bring all your stuff back in).
If you don’t seal the floor cleaning up those oil stains can be added to your spring cleaning routine. Sweeping and mopping is a more regular task – every few weeks or so, or more if you think it’s needed.
Once you finish bring the family back (again, if you can) to restock the garage (neatly) with everything you’re keeping.

Tips for keeping your garage tidy all year-round:

• Create designated areas, with bins, for rubbish and recycling. Make them easy to get to so anyone asked to take out the bins isn’t tempted to dump things in the first place they see.
• Collapse boxes before taking them to the garage, or have another designated space to do it in there – then boxes won’t get thrown in just anywhere
• Keep that vacuum nearby. Use it every few weeks, or really any time you see dust building up or spider webs forming.
• Every six months I would do a ‘sweep’ of the garage, see if there’s anything in there you don’t need. It doesn’t require dragging everything out like that first big clean-up, but doing this twice a year can keep it looking tidy (or as tidy as a garage can look). At the same time you can dust, sweep and do all those little things I hope you’ll have gotten used to.
• If you have anything like old paint or chemicals lying around read up on how to get rid of that stuff. Pouring it down the drain is a big no, no for the environment.

While it may seem like a boring, annoying, long and labour-intensive job, I promise it’ll feel so good when you step into your clean and neat garage. Take it a bit at a time and you’ll be done with a few dedicated days of effort.

So, when are you getting started on your garage cleaning?