How to Clean the Garage: 11 Tips for Great Results

A cluttered and dirty garage can make it hard to enjoy your space and use your outdoor tools and equipment. But have no fear: Learning how to clean out your garage is a straightforward project that can reap major results. Drive into these nine tips for how to clean out your garage and organize it, too.

1. Prepare for Your Project

Choose a day when the temperature is moderate and there isn’t rain in the forecast. Mild weather allows you to feel comfortable while working in your garage and set things in your driveway without worrying they'll get wet. 

Consider asking other household members to join you for this clean-out project. Then, pull your vehicles out of the garage, plan out the tasks you’d like to complete, and assign everyone to a job. Like any home improvement project, setting up the area and enlisting help makes the process smoother and more enjoyable. 

2. Remove Everything From the Garage

It’s always best to start with as clean of a slate as possible. Take everything out of the garage, being mindful to keep things in categories, such as sports gear or summer toys. Placing items in groups will make it easier to organize and store them after you clean.

A clear garage provides space to work and gives you access to every surface for cleaning. Be sure to remove everything, including items on hooks and plastic totes stored on shelves. Seeing your space with fresh eyes allows you to reimagine where it's best to store everything.

3. Make Repairs or Improvements

Since your garage is empty, consider using this time to make any necessary repairs or upgrades. Here are a few tasks to consider:

• Repair drywall damage

• Touch up the paint

• Reinforce shelves, hooks, or organizing systems

• Inspect and repair any damaged or exposed wires and outlets

• Switch out lightbulbs

• Repair cracks in the concrete floor

• Consider an epoxy floor finish

• Chalk your windows seals

• Tune up your garage door

• Search for signs of rodents and seal holes or set traps

• Clean the gutters around your garage

4. Create Floor-to-Ceiling Storage Solutions

Optimizing your garage depends on how well you use the walls from top to bottom. Opt for shelves and hooks to fill the space vertically. Consider placing seasonal and lightweight items up high, and more frequently used items within arm’s reach. Map out your walls and draw a sketch of possible storage solutions. Aim to create zones for grouped items, such as storing all of your gardening equipment or tools in one area. 

Keep in mind how you use the space and move through it. If you drop recyclables in a bin, make sure it’s in a spot close to the door. If you bike to work, store it in a convenient place near your helmet. The flow of your space matters as much as the amount of storage.

Consider garage organizers such as:

• DIY garage shelves or wire shelves

• Wall hooks

• Overhead, rafter, or ceiling-mounted shelves

• Pegboards for smaller tools

• Corner shelves

• Storage tubes for long-handled tools

• Tool rack

• Bike storage on wall or ceiling

• Ball bin or basket

• Rolling cart for tools

• Plastic storage totes with lids

Don't fret about making your storage solutions perfect. Focus on getting a few main storage areas set up. You can always adjust or add to them later—or reach out to a garage organizing expert for help.

5. Clean Surfaces From Top to Bottom

When cleaning your garage, start at the top to ensure any debris that falls below gets cleaned up later.

Sweep Ceiling, Walls, Shelves, and Floor

With a broom or a long-handled duster, knock the cobwebs out of the corners of the ceiling. Brush down the walls and any storage units and containers to remove dust and debris.

Sweep the baseboards and the floor, starting from the far end of the garage to the garage door. Use a dustpan to collect the debris and dump it in the trash.

Wash the Floor 

Mop your garage floor with a mixture of equal parts distilled white vinegar and hot water or a commercial concrete cleaner. Work from the far edges to the garage door, being careful not to walk on the wet ground. You can also pressure wash your garage floor instead of mopping. 

Let your floor dry completely before walking on it to decrease your fall risk. While you wait for the floor to dry out, consider sorting through your items or tackling other cleaning tasks.

Remove Stains

Garage floors are typically speckled with various stains from cars, lawn equipment, and more. Remove oil or rust stains by scrubbing them with a grease-fighting dishwashing liquid or lemon juice mixed with baking soda. You can also create a solution with 1 ounce Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) and 1 gallon of hot water, but remember to wear protective eye gear, gloves, and sleeves when working with this product.

6. Get Rid of Excess Items

Group your garage items by categories, such as sports, toys, winter gear, and lawn tools. Look through each group and decide what items you want to keep and what items you don’t need.

Decluttering your space makes it easier to store things in a tidy fashion.

There are many places where you can donate your unwanted items, though you should note that every charity is different and has restrictions on what they can accept. Here are a few of the major donation centers and what they usually accept:

• The Salvation Army: clothing, electronics, furniture, jewelry, books, some mattresses

• Goodwill: Cars, clothing, books, games, electronics, household appliances

• Habitat for Humanity: Furniture, appliances, building materials

If you don’t have any of these options nearby, you should call around to non-profits and see if there is anything you have that they need. For instance, some pet shelters need old blankets to create bedding for rescues. Most donation centers, however, won’t accept damaged items, recalled items, and mattresses or box springs. 

Donating unwanted items feels good—as they say, one person’s trash is another one’s treasure. 

7. Designate a Home for Each Item

Creating a defined location for each item makes it easy to put things away. You can even label storage bins, hooks, and baskets with descriptors such as "bike helmets" or "snow shovel." By being specific, you'll know exactly where an item goes every time, and you won't be as likely to put something back where it doesn't belong—leading to unnecessary clutter.

8. Contain Loose Items

It’s easy to set random items down in your garage, but it’s difficult to locate them again. Create homes for groups of loose items, such as putting garden gloves in a small bin instead of piling them on a shelf. Throw basketballs and soccer balls in a large plastic basket, and keep your flower seeds in an airtight container. 

By containing your items, you limit the amount of space a certain item can take up, helping you from accumulating too much of one type of item. 

9. Maintain Your Systems and Space

After your initial clean-out, you should continue to make your garage work for you day in and day out. By maintaining your garage throughout the year, you'll have a beautiful, well-organized space for you and your family to enjoy. Brush away cobwebs and sweep the floors at least four times a year to keep your garage clean and tidy. Mop the floor at least twice a year to keep it looking fresh.

Aim to put items back where they belong as soon as you're done using them, rather than setting them somewhere else to put away later. If you come across an item you no longer use, pass it on instead of storing it in your garage. All of these steps help to keep clutter and disorganization at bay.

10. Remove Odors

Garages often smell bad because they’ve been the holding place for garbage or storage boxes and containers, which can contain mildew, leaving a stale, icky scent in the air. After you’ve done the top-to-bottom deep cleaning, make sure to throw away any old cardboard and paper items that could be holding on to mildew. Clean any garbage cans or bins that live in your garage—you can do so with baking soda, water, and some essential oils. Make sure to leave the garbage bins outside to fully dry before placing them back in the garage.

Finally, give your garage some time to air out. Open the door and any windows for a few hours to help air circulate. Letting a fan run as well can be very useful. For really funky smells, you might want to leave some deodorizers out: leave containers of white vinegar, baking soda, clean kitty litter, or activated charcoal around the garage. These odor absorbers can help eliminate any bad scents—just make sure to replace them once a month.

11. Create a Plan for the Future

Now that you have a fresh-smelling, organized, clean garage, commit to keeping it that way. Always put items back in their place, make sure all your bins and shelves are marked, and tightly seal all garbage bins to prevent messes and spills. Clean your trash cans monthly and give them a sprinkle of baking soda to keep nasty odors out. 

Once a season, do a little purging of the items that have collected in your garage over time to keep things orderly and organized.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Professional Organizer? 

Hiring a professional organizer costs anywhere from $250 to $835, with an average price of around $525. The final price depends on the job size, location, and your pro’s experience.  Garages are known for being one of the more complicated organization jobs, due to the size, so that will also impact the price. In the case of a truly cluttered space, the cost may be much higher.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Garage cleaning is a DIY-friendly project, so long as you have enough time and some supplies to help things move quickly. Most of all, you need some storage to put all the knick-knacks that don’t have a home after you clean the garage, plus adequate cleaning supplies.

Storage items can be pricey, and costs skyrocket if you build shelving as part of the cleaning process. DIY-wise, you might need to hire two pros: a local cleaning expert and a home organizer near you. Some companies may do both projects in one visit.