Clean Your Garage With Irvine Garage Door Repair and Tips
No matter how much time you spend in your garage, it manages to accumulate a lot of clutter. From the clothing you put away from one season to the next to the holiday decorations you only use once a year, your garage has tons of stuff. That doesn’t even include your tools, lawn and garden equipment, and miscellaneous goodies. Some of the work you do can even leave behind stains on the floor and make the garage look dusty. See how the right Irvine garage door repair and simple tips will give your garage the sparkling clean look you want.
Declutter First
Long before you call to schedule an Irvine garage door repair, you need to declutter. Now is the time to take out every single thing in the garage that isn’t nailed down. Feel free to leave any cabinets, shelves, or other organizers in place. Once you have it all laid out, you have an easier time deciding what to do it. It’s helpful to set aside one area for the things you want to put back in the garage and another for things you want to sell at an upcoming yard sale or donate to those in need. Don’t forget to set up a dedicated trash area for the things that no one can use.
Take Care of the Floor
If you do any repair work in your garage or work on your cars, you might see a few oil stains. Most garages have concrete floors. Once motor oil falls onto the concrete, it soaks through the surface and leaves behind some dark marks. Get rid of those stains with a mixture of powdered laundry soap and water. Mix equal parts to form a thick paste and apply it to the floor. You’ll then scrub it into the stains and rinse it with water. It may take several attempts to remove all the oil stains. Switching to an epoxy floor gives you flooring that lasts longer and is less susceptible to stains.
Create Storage
Don’t call an Irvine garage door company until you get your garage organized. Your seasonal storage should include anything you only use during a certain season such as Christmas lights or Halloween decorations. Put all the tools that you use in a different area like car repair tools as well as hammers and power tools. You’ll also want to reserve some space for lawn and garden essentials that you use to keep your outdoor spaces clear. The best storage organizers for garages include plastic totes and bins placed on shelving, overhead racks, and pegboards with hooks.
Clean the Walls
Don’t focus so much on the floor that you forget about the walls. Most garages have a lot of accumulated dust and debris. All you need is a bucket with a little distilled white vinegar and some cold water. Use sponges to run the combination across the walls and a sponge dipped in clean water to rinse away the dirty water. Tackle the layers of dirt with a brush. All it takes is a little elbow grease to get the walls looking clean again. If your garage still looks dirty and dingy, consider painting the walls once they’re clean and dry before you arrange for garage door repair in Irvine.
Look for Signs You Need an Irvine Garage Door Repair
Now is a great time to look for signs that you need an Irvine garage door repair to make your garage look cleaner. Check the hardware on the door itself. Missing hinges and/or handles make it harder for you to use the doors and also make them look dirty. Even if the hardware is in good shape, you may want to replace it with cleaner and more modern designs. Consider looking for new garage door openers in Irvine, too. When you can conveniently open the doors, you’re more likely to put away the clutter that you usually leave sitting outside or stacked inside the entrance. Spring and track repairs can also help.
Get Rid of Hazards
Garages often have hazards that you don’t think about such as harsh chemicals. You may even assume that they’re out of sight and at a safe distance from your loved ones. Remove any chemicals that might injure others or make them sick like pesticides, insecticides, old oil and paint, and dangerous chemicals. If you need to use any of them in the future, invest in a locking cabinet. Keep all the chemicals and other hazards locked away and place the key in a safe place out of your child’s reach. Moving those bottles, jugs, and cans to a hidden spot may make your garage look cleaner and less cluttered too.
Choose the Best Storage Options
Don’t expect to make your garage look sparkling clean again unless you have enough storage and the right type. In addition to a locking cabinet, consider using a combo of shelving and pegboards. Pegboards are great for anything that you can hang such as wrenches and other basic tools, garden shears, and sporting goods. Make sure that you have pegs sturdy enough to support the weight of those items. Shelving comes in plastic, metal, and wood options that hold items of different sizes. Look for ways to secure the shelves to the walls to keep them from tipping over.
If you have mason jars or old baby food jars, use them for extra storage. Baby food jars are the perfect size to organize all your screws and other hardware. You can even glue the tops of the jars to the bottom of your shelves to keep them out of the way. Most shelving units are big enough to hold storage bins. To ensure that you never lose track of anything, add labels to the front that show you what you tucked inside. You’ll also find lots of special racks that store certain things and keep them organized on your walls such as bikes and skiing equipment.
Keep Your Garage Clean
Keeping your garage clean is easier when you get rid of the clutter and come up with a plan. Instead of just leaving stuff near the door or dumping things inside, create dedicated spots for everything. Let your family know that anything they take out of the garage needs to go back to the same spot. You can even implement a policy that for anything new you buy, you need to get rid of one thing. With an Irvine garage door repair and other tips such as taking care of the floor and getting rid of hazards, you can give your garage the clean and sparkling look it deserves.
