Cleaning Your Garage

Cleaning out the garage is probably the chore you've been putting off longer than all the others. It is a big, in some case massive, project that must be approached with determination and care.

Why do people hate cleaning the garage so much? There are several reasons. First of all, few people enjoy the dark, dusty atmosphere that the garage offers, and would just prefer to put off going out there and working. Another issue is that the garage is where so many things pile up and it can be hard to even know where to start. Often, things that have no place in the house or aren't immediately needed find their new home in the garage. Because of this, there could be any number of random items just waiting to be organized. Also, people are often put off by the size of the job. In many cases, cleaning the garage is not a task that can be competed in an hour or less. In fact, it could take all day, or more

Don't panic at the thought of cleaning out the garage. It can be made easier than you think. Just keep these tips in mind next time you venture out into the dusty jungle of boxes, junk and unused items:

1. First of all, remove your car and if you keep it in the garage. This will give you ample room to work.
2. A good idea is to break up the garage into manageable sections. Start with one area of the garage and, when you finish with it, move on to the next. Taking the job in chunks makes the work seem less daunting.
3. If you keep a lot of your storage in the garage, your main goal is to see what you can get rid of so that you can create more space and a cleaner atmosphere. Sort through each area of your garage, going through boxes that aren't labeled and looking through random piles that may have stacked up. At this point, it is a good idea to try and let some of the things you have been storing go. If you haven't used it in the last 6 moths to a year and it isn't some kind of keepsake, put it in a "throw-away" pile. You can either donate these unneeded items to a thrift store or have a garage sale to sell them.
4. Go through the items you have decided to keep and organize them. Box them up and be certain you label each box specifically. This will save you trouble later on when you are searching for things.
5. Stack the boxes neatly. Perhaps you will want to invest in a shelf if you don't already have one. This can also be helpful for storing larger items that need to be set out of the way. If there is a box or item you know you will need to get to more often, put it in an easily accessible place.
6. Finally, sweep out the garage. Now it looks neat and clean!

Cleaning out the garage isn't so bad if you make goals and set some time aside to organize.