Manly Guidelines for Garage Rehab

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For men, spring evokes visions of baseball, golf, barbecues and maybe a few outdoor projects we didn’t finish last year. Putting the words “spring” and “cleaning” together in the same sentence might never occur to us. But it can be easy to spruce up the space we’re proud to call our own: the garage.

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Every guy knows that the garage is more than a place to park cars, build birdhouses and sort our crescent wrenches. It’s also a warehouse for bikes, golf clubs, tools, garden implements, car care items, paint, toys, pet food, cardboard boxes and an endless assortment of miscellaneous junk.

Assuming that’s the case at your house, here are a few strategic MANeuvers that’ll help make the biggest, fastest dent in a “garage rehab” mission.

Quick Cleanup

First, apply one of the Men Commandments of housecleaning: “Pick up the place first,” simply because cleaning and organizing any space is easier when you can see what you’re working on.

If your garage is a real disaster area, move everything you can out of it and into the driveway. This tactic seems drastic, but it’s not all that time-consuming … and the benefits are invaluable.

Once the garage is fairly clear, start in one corner and make a clockwise sweep (literally), facing the walls.

Use a car brush or regular broom to sweep dust and dirt off of shelves, counters and ultimately the floor; then sweep it outside. (To do the entire job in about 60 seconds, use a leaf blower.)

Stay focused on what’s in front of you and keep moving. Don’t stop until you’re done.

Smart Storage

As you’re putting items from the driveway back inside the garage, you’ll make some delightful discoveries:

A lot of it can be thrown away or recycled.
What’s left will fit back inside a lot better, and it will look marvelous!
You’ll almost automatically organize things as you put them back in.

Smart storage is key at this point. Consolidate things into groups — sporting goods, tools, garden implements, car care, etc. And since your car is already out, use it: a quick trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s will yield an impressive array of bins, racks, hooks, holders, shelving systems, cabinets, containers, stackable boxes and organizers for garages. They’re built to go on the floor, the walls or the ceiling, and most are reasonably priced.

With your garage space in mind, select the storage solutions that will work best for you. Just take ‘em home, put ‘em in and make a quantum leap in your garage-organizing odyssey.

More Garage MANagement Tips

Sweep your garage floor often. Your car brings in a lot of grit and grime (especially in the winter), and if your garage is attached to your home, you’ll track a lot of it inside. Again, use a leaf blower to finish this chore much faster.
Have an old dresser? The drawers create swell storage space and it can also double as workbench.
If your walls have exposed vertical 2x4s, nail horizontal lengths of 2x4 between them to create “recessed” shelving. It’s only 3-1/2” deep, but that’s enough to store spray bottles, small tools, containers and more — and keep everything very visible.
Pegboard is a great wall storage solution. With a variety-pack of hooks from the hardware store, it’s ideal for hanging hand and garden tools, bungee cords, levels … ad infinitum.
Use ceiling rafters to store tools, wood, patio furniture and other items that are out of season or are not being used.
If you have kids or pets, think about adding a lockable cabinet for lawn and garden chemicals. It doesn’t have to be fancy … just secure.
Big car, small garage? Once you have your vehicle positioned the way you want it, attach a tennis ball or other soft object to a string. Hang it so the ball just touches your windshield. You’ll never ram into the front wall or close the garage door onto your rear bumper again.