Spring Cleaning: Organizing Your Garage for Summer

It felt like we’d never get there after the doozie of a winter we’ve endured here in Minnesota, but spring is here long at last! For homeowners, the changing season calls for some spring cleaning. And there’s no shortage of spring cleaning chores for homeowners to tackle. Cleaning and dusting around appliances and hard to reach areas inside the home, sealing up small cracks or holes on walls, doors, and windows, inspecting the roof and rain gutter system, and of course, the garage.

Most homeowners will give their garage floors a solid sweeping and spraying down in the spring, to wash away all the dirt and grime that has accumulated over the winter. While cleaning the garage floor is a great thing to do, you might want to take it one step further this spring and give your entire garage an organizational makeover and prepare yourself for summer.

Don’t know where to start on your garage organization project? We got you covered.

1. Take Inventory of Your Stuff

If you were already planning to clean up the floor of your garage, you more than likely were going to have to clear out the garage to make space to clean. To start off your organization project, clear out your entire garage and take inventory of everything you’re storing. Chances are you have some stuff in your garage that you no longer need.

To get a better idea of the things that can be decluttered and rid off, take everything out of your garage that isn’t nailed down and sort your stuff into groups. Organize the groups broadly: sports equipment together, lawn tools together, general storage together, etc. Once you have your stuff organized in groups, go through it all and decide which items can be thrown out, recycled, donated, or sold in a yard sale.

By decluttering some of the stuff that you no longer need or that no longer functions, you’ll have more available storage space later on.

2. Clean & Examine Your Garage

Having your garage emptied out gives you plenty of room to give your garage a power clean. Hose down the floors to remove oil, dirt, mud, and grime. Get an old broom and clear out any spider webs that have developed in the corners of your garage. Wipe down any storage units, shelves, or workbenches that you may have in your garage. Once you’ve finished cleaning, it’s time to examine your garage to make sure it’s in good shape for summer.

With your garage being largely empty, take the opportunity to inspect everything. Check the walls for any cracks or moisture stains and  inspect any windows for cracks or air leaks. If you find some problem areas, get them patched up and repaired before the spring and summer rains cause you further issues down the line. Aslo, make sure no rodents or insects having fortified themselves in your garage over the winter.

3. Boost Organization with Cabinets

Most homeowners find themselves wishing they could increase the amount of storage space they have available in their garage. The more space you have for storage, the easier it is to stay organized. The best way to maximize your garage storage capacity is by installing cabinets or shelves.

Garage cabinets keep your garage organized by storing items out of sight and creating a clean system for grouping grouping similar items together. Cabinets also give your garage a more professional look. Cabinets are perfect for storing away some of the winter-specific things you may not need until next winter. Some items to store away in your garage cabinet include ice salt, heavy gloves and hats, ice skates, and winter boots.

4. Position Your Summer Items Ahead of Winter Ones

One of the best parts of spring is that you get a long reprieve from shoveling snow and won’t be needing your shovels anytime soon. With summer on the horizon, it’s a great time to reposition your seasonal items in your garage. You likely had your snow shovels, snow blower, and ice scrapers in an easily accessible spot in your garage. Conversely, your lawn mower, weed trimmer, garden tools, and lawn chairs are probably stored in the back of your garage.

Move all of your winter stuff where you were storing your summer stuff. Having all of these items stored neatly out of sight will give your garage a more organized look and feel, as well as make it easier for your to retrieve the summer items you’ll need to use in the coming months.

Boost Garage Storage with Harkraft

Looking for more inspiration for your garage storage and organization project? Harkraft is here to help. We’ve helped homeowners in Minnesota with their home projects for over 50 years.  Our garage organization systems, including garage cabinets and wall racks, let you customize a storage solution just for you. Contact us to find out more or to schedule an appointment.