That’s right, National Clean Out Your Garage Day is today, September 8, 2012. For us, cleaning out our garage always starts with one huge job – the recycling. I get packages delivered every week, in cardboard boxes of all sizes, and they get tossed into the garage. When the pile gets too big, Chris and I and whatever kids are around break the boxes down, stack them up in the back of our van, and drive them to the Granger recycling center.
While we’re at it, we also bag up plastic laundry detergent bottles, pizza boxes, kitty litter boxes, glass jars, newspapers, and magazines. All of which have been hanging out in our one-car garage that we never park a car in 
After we run all of that over to Granger, we do a second run to the grocery store with all of our pop bottles and cans – Michigan has a bottle deposit law, so we pay an extra 10 cents per bottle but get it back when we return them. So that, for us, is the first step in cleaning out our garage.
obviously not my garage – the floor of mine hasn’t been that clean since we moved in
For National Clean Out Your Garage Day, I’m working with Crawford, ACE, and Quickie to encourage all of you to REALLY clean out your garages! They sent me these great products:
- Crawford 16″ Adjustable Storage Organizer – great for hanging up brooms, rakes and other supplies with long handles
- Crawford Sliding Spring Grip Organizer – Grips slide into position anywhere along the bar and are guaranteed to never lose tension
- Quickie 2-in-1 Squeegee Pushbroom – Designed for indoor and outdoor use, the broom sweeps away dirt and debris, and the squeegee takes care of water (I think that means I have to actually HOSE DOWN my garage floor!)
- ACE Multi-surface Pushbroom – Sweeps away heavy debris including caked-on dirt, gravel and construction materials (ahem, like the sawdust Chris never cleans up after he builds something lol)
- Lysol Sponges: Super absorbent and safe on most surfaces
So now all I need is my helpers, for it not to rain, and a couple of hours, and I should have a clean garage floor!
How often do you clean your garage? Share any cleaning tips in the comments!
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I'm Elizabeth, a 40-something Michigan wife and mother of three. I created Table for Five in 2005 as a way to connect with other Moms, and I've been blogging ever since. Please click the About tab at the top of the page to read more about me and my family! email: table4five@gmail.com
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Hi Elizabeth,
Me and my wife just moved house, so fortunately we never needed to clean our garage yet as we didn’t have one in our old flat. But as we’re getting more and more stuff I think it’ll be about time to clean the garage in our new home. Because after all nobody’s using all of their stuff – but there’s just so many good memories connected to some of the old stuff we’re saving.
So it can be hard to throw away old things, but I guess it has to be done!
Kristoffer Føns recently posted..Catering i København
garages in your country ars 3-5 times bigger than my country… ha ha
sa compare your clening to my is no effective – of coure in plus for you !:) p.s.Ukraine
Awaiting more posts!
Twitter: MiciROX
Well I don’t have much stuff there to be honest. It’s more because if I feel it’s about time it went to the garage, then it’s about time to throw it out or give it away. It has been a pretty good system for me.
Blockbuster Diva recently posted..Valentine’s Day Movie Makes Heartbreak Special
hi…….it’s gud story……
“The best opportunities do not knock………..they whisper in your ear and are gone in a fleeting second.”
A place with luxurious, spacious…..one can feel immense pleasure, peace…….when enter into the abundance greenery and lawns.
This is Riverdale…..a place where buildings are built to stay with you all your life.
“Each brick breaks the monotony; each wall wears a smile,
Each corner carves a niche and each floor flaunts a style”.
Well I guess I’m late for National Clean Out Your Garage Day, but I did my annual reorganization last weekend! I think it’s great Elizabeth that you recycle. You seem to make and extra effort to do it. I live in California and we have a good recycle program in my area that is handled by the local waste management company. We have a large can that we put to the curb once a week with all or bottles, cans, papers, and plastic. It’s awesome.
One thing that definitely helps with keeping a garage clean is some sort of garage floor covering. It helps to keep the garage dustless from the concrete and makes cleaning up messes easy.
Shea recently posted..Four Specialty Mats To Improve Your Garage
A great way to KEEP your garage clean is to find a small self storage facility nearby and storage all your seasonal stuff and clutter their instead so your garage can be used for projects and vehicles like it should be.