Garage Deep Cleaning: A 5-Step Guide

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The garage is typically the hardest room in our homes to keep clean and organized.

It’s the interior space that gets the most exposure to the outdoors and is often used as a home’s main entry and exit point. These factors cause a lot of dust, dirt, moisture, and debris to get brought indoors.

Garages also tend to be dumping grounds where random items end up that we plan to just deal with later. “Later” rarely comes, unfortunately, based on the numerous stats that show the garage is the most cluttered room in our homes.    

Because we put our garages through so much, it’s essential to do an occasional garage deep cleaning.

7 garage deep cleaning benefits

Before we explain how to effectively do a garage deep cleaning, it’s worth understanding why this project is worth your time and effort.

Here are several practical reasons to give your garage more cleaning attention than it may have had in years:

1. Save time looking for items: it’s harder to find things when you need them in disorganized garages. That wastes a lot of your time and causes frustration.
2. Make it look more presentable: A garage that’s filled with clutter and been neglected for a long time is an eyesore. An Impulse Research survey found that 24% of homeowners are embarrassed to leave their garage doors open.
3. Improved safety: a messy garage likely has several safety hazards. For example, floor clutter is a tripping hazard and stacked boxes and leaning items are tipping and falling hazards. 
4. Park your vehicles indoors: many homeowners can’t use their garages for parking because they’re filled with clutter. It makes little sense not to use the most secure space you have to store your expensive vehicles.
5. Make the garage a healthier space: the air quality in most garages is fairly poor. A garage deep cleaning can remove allergens, mold, mildew, and unpleasant odors.
6. Unclean garages attract pests: Untidy, neglected garages may attract pests like rodents and insects. Identifying a potential pest problem is harder in a packed garage.
7. Improve the garage’s functionality: refreshing the garage’s interior by cleaning, eliminating junk, and maximizing your storage space makes the room much more functional and easier to use.

A clean garage is safer, healthier, and more comfortable for your family to use.

How to do a garage deep cleaning

Multiple surveys, including this one from Stanley Black & Decker, have found that about half of American homeowners aren’t satisfied with how their garages are organized.

To make the room a more useful part of your home that can better accommodate your family’s needs and lifestyle, most garages could use a good deep cleaning. This involves a lot more work than merely doing a little tidying up, getting rid of a few junk items, and giving the room a light sweep.

The goal here is to do a serious cleanup to transform how your garage looks, functions, and feels. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to give your garage a top-to-bottom deep cleaning.

Step 1: Make a plan and gather supplies

Before the cleaning begins, formulate a plan on how to proceed with this garage deep cleaning task. This can produce more successful results.

Just jumping into the project without setting realistic goals can lead to slower work efficiency, frustration with your progress, and eventually burnout.

Allocate enough time to complete the project. Depending on the size of your garage, how dirty it is, and how much clutter there is to deal with, the job can take anywhere from a few hours to a full weekend. Particularly messy garages that have been neglected for years may even take a couple of weekends to get in order. 

Try to pick a day or weekend with warm, sunny weather. This will make the job a little more comfortable for you and the things you remove from the garage to clean the room won’t get rained on.

Once you’ve set aside the time, gather the necessary tools and supplies. Using the following items should ensure the work goes smoothly:

• heavy-duty garbage bags
• cleaning rags
• broom and dust mop
• dust masks
• all-purpose cleaner or degreaser
• shop vac
• pressure washer or hose
• rented large dumpster bin

Step 2: Declutter your garage

The first major step to deep clean a garage is decluttering. Begin by removing everything you can from the garage. This process is time-consuming, but you can’t effectively clean a space filled with random items. A complete purge of the garage’s contents also makes it easier to sort through all of your belongings.

If you don’t have enough room for everything you’re moving, focus on emptying one section at a time. It’s understandable if you’d rather not have your most expensive belongings sitting in the driveway or yard for neighbors and passersby to see. If privacy and security are a concern, rent a moving truck or mobile storage locker for safer temporary storage.

Once the garage has been cleared out, sort through your items and categorize them. Group things into piles of items you want to keep, items you can donate, items to sell, and things to throw away.

The decluttering process involves making some tough decisions on what to keep and what to get rid of. Many of us form strong emotional attachments to our belongings. However, remember that the goal is to maximize space in the garage. If it’s been a year or more since you last used something, chances are you can let it go.

When you’re finished sorting, organize the things you’re keeping into logical groups. This will help you visualize how much space each group will require and assist you in creating an organized layout later. Dispose of unwanted items by donating, selling, trashing, or recycling them. This should significantly reduce the garage’s clutter.

Step 3: Clean every surface

With the garage emptied, you can now focus on the actual cleaning process to eliminate the dust, dirt, debris, and grime that has built up in the space.

Work from the top of the room down to the floor while cleaning. The reason for this is that you don’t want to start by cleaning the floors and then have them get dirty again with falling dust when the walls and ceiling are cleaned.

Use a specialized microfiber wall or ceiling mop to make cleaning easier and more thorough. Pay special attention to corners and hard-to-reach areas, where dust, dirt, and cobwebs often gather. While doing your garage deep cleaning, take the time to inspect for signs of mold, mildew, and pests. Look for any structural issues that may need fixing, too.

Turn your attention to cleaning all of your storage systems such as shelving, cabinets, storage racks, or wall storage systems like slatwall or pegboard. Wipe down all light fixtures and any other items in the garage, such as a fridge. Use a damp cloth, a microfiber cloth, or an electrostatic cloth to trap dust more effectively.

Now move on to the garage windows and doors. Take the time to clean both the inside and outside window surfaces, removing any smudges or buildup of dust and grime. For the garage doors, clean the fronts and backs with some water and a light cleaner using a sponge or soft cloth. Rinse the doors off with a hose.

Finally, turn your attention to the garage floor. Uncoated concrete floors require a lot more maintenance than floors with a polyaspartic coating, so more scrubbing and stain removal treatment may be required. Most garage floors can be cleaned with these simple steps:

• sweep up dust, sand, and dirt with a broom or dust mop
• scrub the floor with water and a non-toxic, non-abrasive cleaner
• hose off the floor
• remove the remaining water with a squeegee or mop   

Step 4: Reorganize and maximize your space

With your garage now clean, the next step is to reorganize and optimize the space. This is where investing in smart garage storage solutions makes a lot of sense.

Here are a few garage storage systems to consider adding or upgrading:

• slatwall
• cabinetry
• wall-mounted shelving
• shelf racks
• overhead storage racks
• specialty storage racks (for things like tires and bikes)

As you organize, create different storage zones in your garage. For example, designate one area for tool storage, another for sports equipment, and put seasonal items in an overhead rack. Creating these zones helps everything stay organized.

If you can create a home for everything you own, the issues that cause garages to become untidy (like having floor clutter) will be minimized, if not eliminated altogether. Using the things stored in your garage becomes much more efficient because they’re easy to locate and put away.

It’s a good idea to create a garage inventory as you organize the room. Having an inventory of everything in your garage will be invaluable if your property is ever stolen or damaged.

This is what a clean and organized garage can look like. Slatwall eliminates floor clutter and the hanging accessories can be easily moved around to fit your changing storage needs.  

Step 5: Keep your garage well-maintained

A tidied-up garage can quickly return to being a cluttered mess. Once your garage deep cleaning is done, the key to keeping the room clean and tidy is regular maintenance.

People with consistently clean garages know that it’s wiser to do a little cleaning regularly instead of procrastinating and tackling a big cleaning job later.

The same philosophy applies to decluttering. Take a proactive approach to limiting the amount of clutter in your garage. Ensure you’re only storing the things you truly need to keep the clutter in check.

Set aside some time every couple of months to do some light cleaning and remove items that no longer belong in the garage. A more thorough garage deep cleaning can be done once a year. The spring and fall are ideal times to devote a little more time to organizing and cleaning the space.

Keeping your garage clean and well-maintained improves its functionality.

Take the next step to improve your garage

Doing a garage deep cleaning may seem like a daunting task, but with a solid plan and this step-by-step approach, the room can be turned into a more organized and functional space.

The hard work you put in now will save you time and stress in the long run and transform your garage into a space that works for you instead of against you.

Giving your garage a thorough cleaning and decluttering isn’t all you can do to improve this part of your home. Garage Living can take your garage’s level of functionality to the next level and give it a modern, stylish appearance.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to make it happen.

See also:

• Garage Dust Control: 5 Effective Tips Everyone Should Know
• 9 Smart Strategies to Improve Your Attached Garage Air Quality