Declutter, Clean and Give Your Garage a DIY Makeover

See how I transformed my Dad’s garage into a beautiful, functional workspace. Get inspired and plan your garage makeover today!

The garage. It’s not just a place for parking the car. It can be a used for hobbies, storage, exercise or maybe even a place to launch a business. In fact, five of the world’s most successful companies started in a garage— Apple, Amazon, Disney, Google and Harley-Davidson. Who would have thought?

However, most of us don’t use the garage for any of these reasons. According to research, 25% of people with a 2-car garage don’t park in them at all and only a third can park one of their cars because of—clutter. And 24% of homeowners are embarrassed to leave their garage doors open. The garage becomes a large catchall for tools, furniture, keepsakes, lawn equipment, paint and toys— the list goes on. And before you know it, the car is relegated to the curb—literally.

It’s time to declutter if you’re running out of floor space, struggling to find things or feeling claustrophobic when walking through your garage. In addition, clutter could affect your wallet as well. In one study, 82% of realtors surveyed said a disorganized garage has a negative impact on a homebuyer’s first impression. So, whether you’re getting ready to sell your home for top dollar, enjoy your garage more, or gift your time to a parent or friend, start by removing the clutter.

Get Rid of Everything You Don’t Use

Depending on the size of your garage and how much you’ve accumulated, set aside a day or two to get the job done. Make it a family project, especially if some of your family stores their stuff in your garage. You’ll be doomed if you throw away a bicycle that’s been untouched for years and they suddenly remember you’ve been storing it for them.

If you have an emotional attachment to things, recruit a friend or relative who can look objectively at the items. And be aware that getting rid of stuff that belongs to your spouse or significant other could be a reason for hurt feelings. What looks like junk to you may have sentimental value to them. So, be sure to check with them before you sell, throw out or give something away that could escalate into an argument.

To get started, pull everything out of the garage and give yourself no more than 10 seconds to decide whether each item stays or goes. You must be ruthless here. Fight the urge to keep things ‘just in case’—that might a contributor to how things got this way in the first place.

Place every single item in your driveway or yard into one of four piles. Quickly sort and place items in their right pile and move on. This will help you reset and prep the garage for the floor coatings.

• Keep
• Donate
• Sell
• Toss

Having a hard time making a decision or letting go? Ask yourself: “Have I used this in the past year?” If the answer is no, it’s time to donate, sell or toss. Athletic gear for skiing or other action sports is probably outdated if you haven’t used it in more than three years. If you’re hanging onto things you think you might use someday, think of how you could better use the space it’s occupying now. If you have multiple items of the same thing, keep only the best one and get rid of the duplicates.

Pack up any items you’re planning to donate and drop them off at the nearest donation center before you change your mind. Your local Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity are good places to start with but call ahead to ensure they can accept your donated items. If you’re planning to sell an item online, take a picture and post it right away. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are good places to list your items or advertise a yard sale. Do a little research online to assist you in pricing your items.

Manage Toxic Materials

Batteries, old paint, cleaning products, fertilizers and waste oil all need to be disposed of properly. Never pour anything chemical down your drain.  Most counties have drop-off locations for toxic items. Some even have specific days and time periods in which you can drop off.

Sort Even Further

Once you’ve sorted everything into these four piles, take inventory of what you’re keeping and organize what’s left into four more piles

• Frequently Used Items: Any items you use frequently should be kept within easy reach. Sort these items together.
• Similar Items: Group items you use frequently together, such as tools, gardening tools and auto care. Store these items together as well.
• Bulky Items: Save the corners of the garage for big bulky items—like the lawn mower.
• Rarely Used Items: Store seasonal items on shelves to keep floor space as free as possible.

Garage Makeover DIY—Preparation

Now that your junk, I mean clutter, is out of the way, it’s time to prep for your garage upgrades. Most of this requires hands on, small tasks you can knock out in a few hours and possibly a trip to your local hardware store. Here are the some of the additional tasks you might have:

• Replace any old drain caps or floor cover plates – If they’re rusted or are unsightly, purchase new ones.
• At a minimum, do some general cleaning.
• Update garage door seals – ensure they’re properly functioning.
• Remove anything non-permanent– If it’s not built into the wall or cemented to the ground, move it out. This includes cabinets, sinks or even appliances.

Garage Makeover DIY—Floor Coating

One of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make in your garage makeover is whether you want to apply a garage floor coating and whether you want to do it yourself or hire a professional to complete the job. There are advantages to both, and each has a wide range of options. Plenty of big box stores offer DIY epoxy garage floor kits, and there are numerous online tutorials to back them up. Click here to read my full blog and tips for doing it on your own.

Money is often times the determining factor of why people decide to redo their garage floor themselves. Overall, prices vary:

• Professionally done solid color epoxy coatings typically cost $3 to $7 per square foot.
• DIY kits range from $200 to $800 for 400 to 600 square feet of space.

How to get Started on Floor Coating

• Rent the Equipment if you Choose This Preparation Method
  • Rent a floor grinder/buffer with 60 grit grinding pads.
• Remove the Paint and/or Grime and Scuff the Floor
  • Run the grinder/buffer over the floor to remove loose paint and scuff the surface to create a texture so the epoxy sticks.
• Or, You Can Use the Cleaning Preparation Method
  • Sweep the floor clean. Then, just as important, clean the floor with a cleaner and/or degreaser. The cleaner/degreaser will break the molecular bond of the grease, so it’ll come off the floor. Epoxy won’t stick to oil- or grease-contaminated floors. Let the floor dry for a full day, then apply the coat of epoxy. My blog article details out this preparation method in full detail.

Envision Your Finished Space

Once you pull everything out and sort and redo your floors, envision how you’d like your garage to look. Divide your space into zones to ensure you have enough space for all your things. Consider a car parking zone, workshop/home improvement zone, lawn and garden zone, sports and recreation zone and storage/rarely used items zone. You may even want to create a lounge area with a comfy chair and television. Remember, only so much stuff will fit, so as you organize, consider how it will all come together

General Organization Tips

• Replace cardboard boxes with sturdy, insect- and rodent-proof plastic bins. Use clear containers and a shelving system. I personally like Gladiator’s wide range of storage options. Label all containers.
• Because yard tools tend to be slim and tall (such as rakes and shovels), think about choosing a dedicated wall for vertical storage. This allows you to save space while making items easy to grab and go. It’s also a great way to store bicycles vertically. By getting things off the floor, your space will look a lot neater.

• Avoid packing everything in too few containers. If you stuff them full, bins might be too heavy, difficult to reach or search through.
• Whether you attach shelves to the wall or purchase free standing ones, sturdy shelves are a must have in getting organized.
• Invest in some heavy duty cabinets. They can go a long way when it comes to garage storage. They are great for storing things like soil and plant fertilizer that often get shoved into corners.
• Label boxes with decorations by holiday and purpose. Separate outdoor decorations from indoor decorations and label your plastic containers. Remember to keep labels facing outward.
• Look up. Utilize unused garage ceiling space with overhead racks to organize items. It’s a perfect place to put all those items you don’t need everyday access to—like Christmas and Halloween decorations or even seasonal clothes. I’ve even seen racks designed to store everything from surfboards to kayaks and luggage to fishing rods. Utilize every inch of square space by going vertical.
• Get wood, pipes or even skis off the floor with a wood organizer and lumber storage metal rack. Keep your floor as clutter free as possible.

• Give your sporting good’s equipment room to breath in a mesh basket.
• Keeps paper towels and cleaning supplies visible in the garage in a flexible cleaning caddy.
• Invest in an extension cord reel that is easily mounted on walls, ceilings or rafters with. Some have an adjustable total length of up to 50 feet. Say goodbye to multiple, unwieldy extension cords.

Tool Organization Tips

• Use a metal pegboard system to organize the tools you use frequently. A wall-mounted, multi-tool hanger design keeps tools within easy reach, while freeing up your work bench space by keeping things out of the way. Kits include hooks and hangers that are easy to reconfigure and rearrange and can be expanded as your tool collection grows.
• Keep other tools neat and secure in a mobile workbench with a set of drawers for another easy storage solution. Utilize ones with deep sliding drawers to hold bulky power tools and accessories. Drawers are often fully extendable and padded to protect tools and prevent them from sliding around. If you ensure everything has its own place, you can save yourself time and headaches looking for tools you need in the future.
• Utilize a cabinet-style organizer, with see-through drawers, that enables you to find and organize things quickly. It can sit on top of your table or work bench or tucked inside a cabinet. They’re often stackable, so you can buy a few to hold all your screws, nails, nuts, bolts and miscellaneous items. It’s a versatile storage that can be used for small parts, fishing accessories or even craft supplies

Keep It Clutter-Free

A garage decluttering/makeover project may seem like a daunting task, but it is often a top priority home improvement project. The key is just getting started. Removing the clutter, redoing the floor, and adding storage might even create a space you’ll want to spend more time in. Once you have your garage in order, you’ll need to develop habits for keeping it clutter-free for the long haul.

Putting things back where they belong reduces clutter, but it also keeps you from buying replacements for tools you already own because you couldn’t find them. Taking care of your weed eater by properly winterizing each year will stop your garage from turning into a weed eater graveyard. Keep the floor space clear and sweep on a regular basis.

Having a clean, well-organized garage could make your life easier. You’ll no longer spend time searching for things, and you’ll be able to park your car inside in inclement weather. But remember—decluttering is an ongoing process. Some say “clutter is just a delayed decision.”  If you’re tempted to just throw something in your garage—stop, don’t do it. Put it where it belongs or find a new home for it. It may take a few more minutes, but it will save you from another major decluttering project later. And finally, performing an annual purge of your garage will ensure clutter doesn’t re-accumulate. Happy decluttering! Now you can keep those garage doors open!