How to Get Your Garage Back

by Jen Ward

Has your car ever seen the inside of your garage? I know someone who has never parked their car inside the garage. Between sports equipment that nobody uses, three dusty bikes, leftover flooring and cans of paint from a renovation, and the boxes and packing paper from online deliveries, there simply isn't room.

Garages have a way of turning into storage for things we don't know what to do with. A folding chair sits down "just for now," then a tennis racket joins it, then somehow you're storing a mattress from a bed nobody sleeps in anymore. If your garage has become an obstacle course, you're not alone.

When is the Best Time to Clean the Garage?

Early fall is the best time to deal with it. Summer's over, and winter is coming with muddy boots, road salt, and snow blowers that need somewhere to go. Handle it now, while the weather's still decent enough to work with the door open, and you'll be glad you did the first time you need to find the ice scraper in a hurry.

You don't need to rent a dumpster or clear your whole weekend for this. Three steps will get you there: declutter, clean, organize.

How Do I Declutter My Garage?

Pull everything out of the garage on a dry day so nothing gets rained on. Sort into three piles: keep, donate, trash.

A few questions that make the sorting easier:

When did you last use this? If it's been over a year and it's not a specialty tool, it can probably go.
Would you buy it again? If not, that's your answer.
If it were covered in grime, would you take the time to clean it before using it?
Does it even belong in the garage, or did it just end up there because the garage was closer than the closet?

You might even find a few things you forgot you owned!

Is There a Right Way to Clean a Garage?

Work from the top down so you're not re-dusting a floor you already cleaned. A long-handled duster or broom handles the corners (garages collect spiderwebs in a way that always surprises me). Wipe down the workbench, shelving, doors, and any window blinds with an all-purpose cleaner, then vacuum the floor. A shop vac makes quick work of it. This step matters more than people expect. Whatever's sitting on your garage floor gets tracked into your house, especially once the door starts opening and closing on wet floors through the winter.

If the floor needs more than a vacuum, hose it down while you still can. Once temperatures drop, that option disappears until spring. For stubborn spots, use dish soap and water in a bucket with a deck brush, then squeegee the extra water out so it dries faster.

How Should I Organize All the Stuff in My Garage?

Get things off the floor if you can. A wall-mounted track system works well for rakes, shovels, and anything that tends to lean against a wall.
If you've got open shelving, consider swapping it for a cabinet with doors. Open shelves can turn into catch-alls no matter how carefully you load them.
Clear plastic bins are especially helpful when sorted by category so you're not digging through a mystery box looking for the jumper cables.
And don't overlook the ceiling. Overhead racks turn dead space into real storage for the stuff you only need once or twice a year, like holiday decorations.
Save the big stuff for last, once you can see how much room you actually have to work with.

Do I Really Need to Clean and Organize the Garage?

Once your garage has been decluttered, cleaned, and organized, it’ll feel like a different space. It’s amazing how much more useful an organized space feels than the endless abyss of things that have no place.

Remember, none of this needs to happen in one day. Even tackling one section, a wall, a shelf, a corner, makes your next trip into the garage easier.

And if you're thinking about selling in the next year or two, a garage that's clean and organized appears to buyers as a home that's been well maintained. It's one of the first things people notice when the door goes up. I’ll say that it is rare to see a clean garage on my showings and when I do, I’m really impressed!

What Do I Do With the Junk I Cleared Out?

If you have some large items, all Maryland counties have bulk trash pickup on specific days. If you can haul your items to the dump, check out the hours and acceptable items for each county.

County Landfill locations:

If you need a recommendation for a hauling service, a shelving system, or anything else on this list, let me know.