According to statistics, around 57% of people who owns a two-car garage rarely have room to use them, or can only fit one at most. You probably know why by now, and many people are guilty of keeping things in their garage, instead of properly disposing them or keeping them in storage space.

If you’re tired of all the mess and clutter in your garage, here’s a simple step by step plan on how you can deep clean your garage, and maintain its organisation.

Step 1: Declutter

Get rid of all the things that you don’t need. Start from one side of the garage and go through all your stuff one by one. Things that you don’t need, you can give it away to charity, or if they’re still in good condition, you can post them on buy and sell listing websites.

The key here is to never be attached to things. They’ve been sitting on your garage anyway, and there’s also a greater chance that some of those items are completely forgotten about. If you don’t need it, throw it away or sell them – whatever you wanted to do just to get them out of the way.

Step 2: Organise

This goes hand in hand with the first step. Make sure that you have storage boxes to segregate things that you’ll need, from things that you wanted to get rid of. If you’re planning on selling some of the stuff you have there, make sure that they’re also in a separate bag or container. This way, it’ll be easier to go through things without having to go over them again.

If you’ve found some items that you know you’ll need soon, you may want to rent a private storage space. They usually come at cheap prices so you can either rent them out for a couple of months, or, for an entire year. Completely up to you.

Step 3: Start The Deep Cleaning Process

Your garage is often the most overlooked place that needs to be cleaned, but if you want it to be functional again, not to mention to prevent it from being a breeding grounds for dirt, germs and other bacteria, this needs to be cleaned at least once a year.

Start from the top going down. Clean the ceilings – if you need to use a ladder, do so. If you’re not comfortable doing this on your own, you can always hire a professional cleaning service for this.

Once you’re done with the top part, clean the mid-level areas of the garage. Use a sanitiser/disinfectant will help you make sure that the things that are usually touched are clean. Re-paint the walls if needed.

Lastly, do the floors. Mop the floors and make sure that every single corner is clean. This is also a great opportunity for you to inspect your garage and make sure that there are no broken or damaged walls, pipes or other areas.

Step 4: Re-Organise

Now that you’ve cleaned the entire garage, put the necessities back into your garage. Make sure that you have storage containers which are properly labeled. It’s ideal that you also have a couple of layers of shelves for easy storage and access.

Step 5: Keeping It Tidy

Make sure that the floor area is clean and clear as much as possible. From time to time, use sprays to get rid of insects and pests. Lastly, do this yearly to keep your garage clean and clutter-free all year long.

Deep cleaning a garage may sound like a tedious task – but believe me – it’s better in the long run. It gets easier every year, now that you’ll have fewer things kept in there.