5 Tips to Help You Spring Clean Your Garage Like a Pro

Updated on 3/11/2016 at 2:15 PM

When it comes to cleaning and organizing our homes, most of us tend to focus in the areas we live in most. The problem with this is that it often happens at the expense of other potentially valuable spaces, which are left a cluttered mess — case in point: the garage.

A recent survey conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance found that 33 percent of Americans said that the most organized room in their house is the living room while the least organized room is, you guessed it, the garage. When you consider that the garage contains many of the most expensive items in the house (cars, bikes, skis, tools, etc.), this seems like an especially bad area to neglect. Furthermore, when properly organized, the garage provides significant storage space in the home.

To help us organize our own garage, we consulted with HGTV pro and Liberty Mutual Insurance spokesman Chip Wade. Keep reading to learn the five tips, tricks, and strategies he uses to organize his own garage.

Hang a Slat Wall

"Almost everyone has room in their garage for a slat wall. A slat wall panel is the perfect solution for those who don't feel like adding shelving or for saving space if they have a single-car garage," says Chip. Best of all, slat walls offer a multitude of display options, their horizontal grooves are made to accept a wide variety of storage accessories, and they can be mounted right onto the existing surface.

Label, Label, and Label Some More

"Your garage is different from your kitchen or living room, as it's not a "hang out" spot but more of an area in your home that you store items," reminds Chip. "Rather than throwing items into giant bins, I like to have designated drawers for my tools that I label so I am never rummaging to find that one hammer. If you use labels from the start, it will save you time in the future and you'll be more inclined to place the items back in the correct spot rather than tossing them in a miscellaneous box."

Install Cabinets

"Most people don't think of it, but even if you just have a few extra feet of space on one side of your garage, adding cabinets can be a great addition and provide ample storage space," says Chip. In addition to adding shelves and drawers to cabinets, he recommends, "lining the cabinets with contact paper, especially if your tools have been exposed to dirt, grease, or grime — it's a simple solution that will help keep your storage area clean for the long-haul." And for neat freaks, he advises picking cabinets that hang from the wall instead of resting on the floor. "If you leave about 10 inches of clearance to the floor, it makes future cleaning a breeze, especially with a leaf blower!"

Make Room For the Car

"Sometimes people forget their garage was originally designed to house vehicles and not the junk we don't feel like keeping in the house," says Chip. While adding cabinets and slat walls is a great way to get junk off the floor, he understands they're not in everyone's budget. "There are inexpensive organizing solutions to allow more space to fit the car. Adhesive hooks are sold in a variety of different sizes that have the ability to hold things from Winter coats to sporting equipment. Rolling bins or drawers fit easily into corners and labels can be added to the outside." His big takeaway is that regardless of what you use to store items, anything that keeps you from allowing a pile to form on the garage floor is an improvement.

Be Considerate of Your Garage

"Add garage cleanup to your Spring-cleaning list along with your bathroom and kitchen," advises Chip, who believes the garage should be treated with as much care as any other room in the house. "If you're storing items in the garage you plan to use or want to in the future, it's important these items are protected and taken into account. A simple way to create an inventory of your garage items is with Liberty Mutual's free Home Gallery® app, which lets you store images and information such as purchase price and date for each item on your phone."