How often do you normally clean your house? Is it once a week, every two weeks? Perhaps you have one day a month that you dedicate to a thorough home detail? Now let us ask you this, how often do you include the garage in your home cleaning routine?
Most people we ask tell us that they spend hardly anytime at all cleaning their garages. We hear lots of – too hot in there! and freezing in my garage, way too cold to clean!
Climate control in garages can be difficult so we completely understand that sometimes it is too hot or too cold to spend a long period of time cleaning in your garage.
The good news is, we have some tips that will allow you to give your garage a good cleaning despite its frigid or humid temperature.
Not to state the obvious here but opening the garage doors is the first step to take when cooling out your garage. If you prefer to keep it closed for privacy or weather reasons, there are other ways to keep the air circulation flowing so that you can clean without suffering in a stuffy, hot room.
A couple of electric fans would do the trick. So could a portable air conditioning unit. We do not recommend installing a full air conditioning system into your garage unless you have checked with your local building permit rules. Many local governments require a permit for converting a garage into an air-conditioned occupied space.
Our strongest recommendation to help you keep your sanity while scrubbing the floors in a hot, sweaty garage is to invest in a ventilation system. These systems work as mounted fans on the walls or ceiling of your garage and they constantly circulate fresh air.
A chilly garage can also add to garage cleaning procrastination. Even thoroughly insulated garages often become too cold for comfort. The best solution that we recommend for warming up the room is to purchase either an electric or propane heater.
We strongly recommend that you install a smoke detector in the garage before running the heater in there. In addition, it is always a good idea to check the garage for cracks to ensure that the warm air from the heater does not seep out. You do not want to pay the heating bill for the entire neighborhood.
If your garage is attached to your house and you are confident that no air is being released through cracks in your garage, you could also keep the door to your house open in order to let the warm air from inside release and warm up your garage.
If you prefer to save your money and decide not to purchase a heater, then do it the old fashion way and just bundle up. Throw on a pair of leg warmers and a nice warm, winter jacket and get to work. This is your house remember. Nobody needs to know that you dusted your garage while wearing a knit stocking cap and a scarf.
With cars, bikes, strollers and sports gear constantly coming in and out – garages get filthy. So do yourself a tremendous favor and add the garage to your normal house cleaning agenda. Regularly sweep the floors, organize the junk that continues to pile up and use a damp rag to wipe down all of the dust and dirt that collects on the shelves.
Garage cleaning should not be done simply for appearance sake. There are health reasons to keep the space clean as well. Grease builds up, gas leaks from both your car and lawn mower plus your car omits other unhealthy toxins, these are all substances that you want to keep out of your garage. The best way to do this is through regular cleaning.