Spring is in the air! 10 tips for garage cleaning

You’ve cleaned out and remodeled the inside of the house, but now it’s time to clean out that cluttered, nasty garage and its leaning towers of cardboard boxes. Spring is your last best chance to work on this project, of course, before sizzling summer temperatures arrive.

Here are several good suggestions for organizing the garage mess.

1. Take as much stuff as you can out of the garage and put it out on the driveway. Then sort that stuff into piles to donate to charity, things to throw away and things to keep.

2. If you have any older, working appliances you’re looking to update – like the garage refrigerator – don’t throw them away — donate them to our friends at St. Vincent De Paul.

3. Separate the items that you use most often from the long-term items and store them in different places. For example, put Christmas decorations on higher-up shelves.

4. Neatly place paint cans, car wax and buckets on shelves so they’re easy to see and hard for small children to reach.

5. If you must store fuel or toxic chemicals, keep them in proper containers free from corrosion and sealed tightly. Put these containers out of reach of children and far away from water heaters.

6. Hang up bikes, skis, tennis rackets and golf bags on the wall. A great way to do this is by using slat walls like the kind that you often see in retail stores.

7. In fact, use as much wall space and ceiling space as you can to store items out of the way.

8. If you don’t already have storage cabinets, have a few large ones built so that you can store bulky items like suitcases inside.

9. As you store things, group like items and label practically everything.

10. You’ll be surprised at how many old documents and papers you’re storing in your garage. If something is 10 to 20 years old, you can get rid of it. Buy a shredder so that you can dispose of personal stuff by throwing away this paper mess.

For more advice, tips and information for all the projects around your house, home, castle or cabin, visit Arizona’s largest collection of homeowner DIY advice and information at www.Rosieonthehouse.com.

And if you are in need of a quality contractor you know you can trust, visit our list of Arizona’s very best contractors or service providers for your home improvement projects at RosieontheHouse.com – Arizona’s most trusted Referral Network.

Tune in to KTAR every Saturday morning from 7-11 a.m. for the Rosie on the House broadcast!