If you are anything like me, you are just now recovering from the holiday hustle and bustle and the debilitating winter sickness that has plagued your household. That means that this is the best time to tackle something that you have probably been putting off for far too long: organizing and cleaning the garage. Besides reducing the amount of anxiety that arises every time that you need a sleeping bag or a screwdriver, cleaning out the garage can actually help you save money by preventing garage door damage and subsequently repair costs. You would be surprised by the amount of calls that we receive about doors coming off the tracks because they came down on a broom or a box that was too close to the garage door cause there was no other room in the garage to store it. Not to mention the amount of calls that we have to re schedule because our technicians cannot access the part of the garage door that needs diagnosis or repair because it is blocked by too much stuff.
There are tons of reasons to clean out the garage, but it can be a very overwhelming idea. Lets start at the beginning, and remember you do not have to do it all at once. Odds are that it took months, maybe even years to accumulate the mess so do not feel like you have to clean it all at once. A good place to start is with three piles. One of stuff to keep, that you use regularly and can be placed back in the garage once everything is cleaned up. The second pile is of stuff that is still in good condition but that you have not used in awhile and probably won’t again in the near future. This pile can either be sold via yard sale, or craigslist, etc or donated to those who need it more than you do. The third pile is trash. This should cut your job in half right off the bat as you now (hopefully) have much less stuff that needs to be stored in the garage.
Once you have the trash thrown away and sell/donate boxes or piles separated, and everything outside of the garage, now is when you want to either give the garage a good sweep or even a quick rinse with a hose or power washer, depending upon the amount of dust or dirt. Take note to be careful of the eye sensors located near the bottom of the garage if you are going to use any water. This is also a good time to inspect for any kind of security breaches that need to be addressed concerning rodents or insects.
Lastly, you want to inspect the garage door itself and all of it’s components.. If you are feeling up to the challenge, go ahead and clean out any old grease, cobwebs or anything else that could impede the movement of the garage door. Next, apply a light silicon or other garage specific lubricant to any moving part of the garage such as the springs, hinges, opener chain, etc. If you have any hesitations call the Garage Door Man for a tune up and we would be happy to get your door and opener in tip top shape. Now you can put back any boxes, containers, or objects that belong in the garage, grouping related items together so that they are easier to find in the future. I know that this does not sound like the best way to spend a saturday, but I promise that once it is done, you will be glad you did it.
