Quick Answer: Start by clearing everything out on a dry day and sorting it into three piles: keep, donate, and trash. Once the space is empty, dust from the top down with a cobweb duster, wipe high-touch surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner, and vacuum the floor thoroughly (rinsing and scrubbing it only if needed). Finally, organize by getting items off the floor and onto the walls with a system like Rubbermaid FastTrack, using a storage cabinet and clear bins for smaller items, and reserving ceiling racks for things you rarely use.
The garage is one of those spaces that can get out of control fast if you’re not careful. We’ve all done it, tossing something in the garage thinking we’ll deal with it later, only for later to never come and the clutter to pile up. The good news is that reclaiming your garage comes down to three simple steps: declutter, clean, and organize. Here’s how to work through each one.
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Step 1: Declutter and Sort Everything
The first step is to clear everything out of the garage, and a quick tip here: do this on a nice day so a surprise rain shower doesn’t damage anything. As you pull items out, divide them into three piles. The keep pile is for the things you want to bring back in and organize. The donate pile is for items you no longer use but that still work and could benefit someone else. And the trash pile is simply for the stuff you want to get rid of.
Decluttering can feel overwhelming when you’re staring at a garage full of stuff, so a few simple questions make the decisions easier. First, ask yourself when you last used the item. If it’s been over a year and it isn’t a specialty tool, that’s usually a good sign to donate it. Pair that with a second question: would you buy it again? If the answer is no, it’s time to let it go.
Another question that helps is a little unusual but effective: if the item is covered in dirt and grime, would you actually spend the time to clean it up? If yes, keep it; if no, get rid of it. Finally, ask whether the item even belongs in the garage at all, because you’ll often find things out there that really belong inside the house. Sorting this way is also when you rediscover things you’d forgotten you owned, which is half the fun of cleaning out a garage.
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Step 2: Clean From Top to Bottom
With everything out of the garage, it’s time to clean. Start by giving the whole space a really good dust, and just like anywhere else in your home, work from the top down so everything falls to the floor where you can remove it. A duster or even a broom works, but a cobweb duster is my favorite here since garages tend to collect spiderwebs, and it gets into all the corners and nooks. Keep in mind you’re not going for perfection; a garage will always have a little dirt, and that’s okay. You’re just clearing out the big stuff so it doesn’t stick around and attract more.
Once everything is dusted, go over the high-touch areas and surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner. Depending on your garage, that might mean a workbench, some built-in shelves, or the doors, and don’t forget any windows. If you have a dirty window or blinds out there, vacuum everything up first and then wipe it all down so it looks great.
Next come the floors, and the first move is always a thorough vacuum to pick up as much dry debris as possible, which makes every following step easier. A shop vac is ideal thanks to its stronger suction, but a broom works too. Go slow and clean in sections, and pay attention to the ledge where the walls meet the floor, since dust and cobwebs love to gather there. Keeping your garage floor clean matters more than you’d think, because all the dust and debris tracked in by the garage door and your cars will slowly migrate into your home, making the inside dustier. A clean garage floor helps keep your whole house cleaner.
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Should You Wash the Garage Floor?
Honestly, once you’ve dusted and vacuumed, you could call the cleaning phase done. Your garage is a space with a door that’s always opening and cars driving in, so the floor doesn’t need to be pristine. But if you notice areas of buildup or spots you’d like to scrub, here’s how to do it.
Grab a hose and give the floor a good rinse, but be careful to stay away from the walls, because you don’t want to soak drywall or wood and cause moisture damage. For areas that need extra attention, mix a little dish soap and water in a five-gallon bucket and scrub with a deck brush. Once everything is rinsed, come through with a squeegee to push the water out so the floor isn’t left wet and dries faster.
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Step 3: Organize So Everything Has a Place
Now for the fun part. When it comes to organizing, the first thing I like to do is get items off the floor and use the wall space. A system like the Rubbermaid FastTrack works great for this, with customizable hooks that are perfect for gardening tools or anything that normally leans against the wall. Getting those items up and out of the way frees up a surprising amount of space, which is especially helpful if you’re trying to fit cars in the garage and walk around them freely. Because the layout is customizable, you can rearrange or add hooks as your storage needs change.
Open shelving units can work in a garage, but they tend to get disorganized and messy, often becoming a catch-all for random items. Instead, a good storage cabinet keeps things tidy behind closed doors, with plenty of shelves for the items that would otherwise look cluttered out in the open. Pair the cabinet with clear plastic storage bins, sorting everything into categories like tools, gardening supplies, and sports equipment. The clear bins let you see exactly what’s inside at a glance, so everything has a home and it’s easy to put things back.
To use space you normally can’t do much with, ceiling storage racks are fantastic. They get items up and completely out of the way, though it’s best to reserve them for things you don’t use very often, since they can be a bit of a challenge to get down. And once everything else is organized, don’t forget the big stuff; just place it wherever makes the most sense for the flow of your space. With a few simple organizational tools, you can completely level up the garage, make it flow better, and finally get those cars back inside.
