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Your Spring-Cleaning Check List

Garage Edition

It’s that time of year. The snow is melting. The sun is starting to shine. If just feels right to get everything looking spick and span for the new season. It’s time for spring cleaning. And while lots of areas in your home are worthy of your time and attention, don’t forget about your garage. Putting a little elbow grease into your garage can go a long way toward preserving the longevity of your garage door. So, while you put together your to-do list, consider adding these seven projects—they really will make all the difference.

1. MAKE A PLAN

This may seem obvious, but it can be helpful to have a clear plan and a desired result from cleaning out your garage. There is no point in dragging everything out to only put it back in the same disorganized manner. Start by thinking about all the ways you can optimize your space to get the most out of your garage for how you use it.

Is it a workout space?
Is it primarily a laundry room?
Is it storage and overflow?
Is it only a place to park your car?

Once you pinpoint how the space is utilized (or how you want to use it moving forward) you can put all your energy and effort in that direction.

garage spring clean before after

2. MAKE A MESS

A stressful, but necessary, next step is to pull everything off shelves and out of the corners to properly clean or change how you use your space.

Inspect storage boxes for damage or evidence of pests.
Evaluate if storage totes are in good shape or if they can be doing a better job.
Move any furniture or large items to check for hidden items.
Take the opportunity to have a garage sale or donate anything not used in the past 12 months.

If you want to transform your garage from a storage unit into something useful like a hobby space or home gym, this is your moment to make room.

3. CLEAN SWEEP

With everything out, you can properly clean the space inside and out. Be sure to wear a mask to avoid inhaling too much dust.

LOOK AROUND: Dust your shelves, wipe down toolboxes, brush debris off bike racks. Look around at all the fixtures and surfaces in your garage that tend to collect evidence of the outdoor elements.

LOOK UP: You also need to clean off the tracks of your garage door. Leaves and other things tend to get trapped in this area. This could be a good job for your vacuum with an attachment hose. When you have cleaned up all the dirt from the tracks, wipe everything down with a damp cloth. You can also use a mild detergent if necessary for stubborn spots. When everything is dry, add a thin layer of lubricant that is appropriate for your garage door.

Or let the professionals do the work for you

LOOK DOWN: Bag the trash and debris, then sweep out all the dirt and dust that may have accumulated in your garage over the last year. Mop or wash the floors if your floor type allows. This will give you a clean base to work from for whatever you want to do with your garage.

LOOK OUT: Now that the inside of your garage is clean, don’t neglect the outside. Cleaning your garage doors can improve the curb appeal of your house and help maintain the longevity of your garage doors.

Start by sweeping away any kind of debris that may have accumulated—spider webs, leaves, dirt, etc. Make sure your broom has soft bristles that will not scrape or damage your doors.
Next, give it a good spray with a garden hose. Nothing high pressured, just enough to wet the work surface.
Then take a bucket and mix some mild detergent with water. Use a nonabrasive sponge to clean the entire door with the soap mixture. Rinse again with the garden hose to remove the soap.
Finally, use a microfiber cloth or soft towel and dry the door. Make sure you don’t leave any areas with pooling water.

wiping down garage

4. IN WORKING ORDER

Inspect all the equipment in your garage-including the garage door. Look at your lawn mower, your leaf blower, your bicycles, and your power tools, etc. to make sure it is ready to use and working safely for when you need it. Pay attention to your garage door as this is perhaps the largest piece of moving machinery in your home.

Almost all modern garage doors have an auto-reverse safety feature. This keeps you safe in the event you’re in the way of a closing garage door. There are two basic tests to check if your door is working properly.

First, place an object on the ground in the path of the garage door (a box, a block, a brick, etc.). Next, lower your door. When the garage door touches the object, it should immediately reverse and open again.
Second, close your garage door. As it is coming down, stick your leg out into the path of the garage door. The sensors should see your leg and reverse the door to open again.

Look at your rollers (the little wheel or disc that sits inside the track). Make sure they are not cracked, warped or in any way damaged. If you notice any wear and tear, replace with new right away.

Visually inspect the pulleys and cables that help lift and lower the garage door. It is important to only look and not touch as the pulley system can be very dangerous. If you notice anything out of place, call a professional to make it right as soon as possible.

Let Overhead Door™ Brand take care of you take care of you and your garage with a service call from a garage door professional. One of our expert technicians can go over all the points on this list and then some to keep your garage door at its best. With more than a century in the garage door business, you can trust Overhead Door to have the knowledge and the skill you are looking for to maintain your garage door for years to come.

5. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE

Before you cram everything back where it was, take some time to properly organize and maximize the way you wish you use your garage along with thoughtful consideration of what you no longer need. Just because you have storage room doesn’t mean you need to store something. Let this clean-out project free you from things you were holding onto for no reason.

Are your holiday decorations all over the place? Invest in a storage system that will save you space and keep your possessions in pristine condition.
Consider installing shelves or a peg board system to hang tools and help keep things in their proper place.
Invest in a way to label your shelves and boxes so you can quickly locate your stored items.

garage organization pegboard

6. MAKE IT SHINE

Once everything is clean, inspected, repaired and organized, it is time to re-assemble your garage.

Give the space some sunshine and fresh air. First, clean any windows in your garage to maximize natural light. Use a window cleaner with some newspaper for the best shine. Next, open any windows that you can open as well as your garage door to let in some fresh air. You’ll be amazed at how much this can transform the space.

7. ENJOY

Now that you've put in so much hard work, it’s time to sit back and relax. Maybe you cleaned out enough space to set up a place to watch movies or sports. Maybe you created an at-home gym. Or maybe you have room to be creative for your next home DIY. No matter how you set up your space, you can enjoy it so much more because it’s clean.

And while you’re enjoying your refreshed space, it might be the perfect time to take it one step further. A new garage door can completely transform the look and feel of your home — inside and out. With our DoorDreamer™ tool, you can instantly visualize any garage door on your own home. It’s a fun, easy way to explore styles, colors, and designs that match your new space.

Because after all that cleaning, you deserve a garage that looks as good as it feels.

TRY DOORDREAMER™ TODAY AND SEE WHAT’S POSSIBLE

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The LifeStyle List’s Tips & Tools on Designing Your Dream Garage Door with Overhead Door™ Brand

Spring Into Curb Appeal: Refresh Your Home’s Exterior with Overhead Door™ Brand