As you start to plan your spring projects and decide what tasks to tackle, one job that you might find slipping down the to-do list again and again is spring cleaning the garage.
No one would judge you for procrastinating on that front—cleaning out the garage is a terrible job that no one wants to do ever, no matter how great the reward. You do have to do it, though. And we are here to help; with support, and just maybe, with inspiration.
Tackling a major job requires motivation, and for us, there’s no greater motivation than spring cleaning your garage in order to make it a more eco-friendly space. Yes, you’ll want to do general maintenance like roof inspection and garage door repair, but you can take this opportunity to green up your garage and create a more functional space that works for you.
Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle
Obviously, the garage accumulates junk. It’s the home’s repository for things that might get used in the future but are too gross to leave inside the home where the humans live. This is your time to give these things new life.
The biggest part of spring cleaning a garage is clearing out the old, so to speak. But before you decide to trash something, do an internet search for ways to reclaim it. The internet has incredible ideas for repurposing old items, and you can find creative inspiration to transform the most surprising things.
If you find lots of ideas but know yourself well enough to know that you realistically do not have time for any activity that resembles a craft, post the items for sale or for free so someone else can turn your trash into treasure.
When you find items that you know in your soul that no one wants, research recycling options before throwing them in the trash. There will be some items that you won’t be able to put out for curbside recycling, but if you’re lucky, you could find a nearby recycling facility that will take them so they don’t have to go to the landfill.
Give Old Products New Life
As much as we want to avoid chemicals in our household cleaning and in our day to day, there are projects and equipment that sometimes require us to purchase chemical substances we’d rather not. Making it worse is the fact that we often need only a small amount of them, so much of the product can end up going to waste.
Chemical products tend to sit on the shelves of our sheds and garages once we’re done with them, drying, hardening, coagulating or uncoagulating as the case may be until they’re no longer useful to anyone. As you’re cleaning up, go through the products you have and ask yourself if you actually have a use for that half-tub of plumber’s putty or that almost full can of paint.
If the answer is in the “maybe?” to “no” range, donate it. List it on freecycle, offer it to friends or neighbours or donate it to a community tool library. Better that these chemical products go to some purpose, and you might find you can really help someone out by offering these things for free. That said, if the product is past an expiration date, looks iffy or smells like something is terribly wrong with it, dispose of it properly at your local hazardous waste facility.
Chemical-Free Cleaning
Once you’ve decluttered, it’s time to clean. You’ve just lowered your chemical footprint, so stay on that chemical free train by using natural cleaners. Garage dirt and spills might seem like a tall order for eco-friendly cleaners, but there are some that are more than capable of heavy lifting.
Borax is a natural cleaning agent whose green reputation isn’t without its tarnishes. The Environmental Working Group cautions that it’s an irritant and may pose reproductive issues with chronic high exposure. That said, it’s effective, and offers a much more natural and eco-friendly option than most other cleaners on the market.
If you want to stay away from borax, try lemons instead. Lemon juice is an effective cleaner of hard water stains and goopy messes. It has natural bleaching properties and smells great. You can use it straight or mixed into a paste with baking soda if you need an abrasive cleaner.
Weatherize Your Garage
Making sure your garage is the most efficient it can be just makes sense, especially if it’s attached to the house. Air sealing the walls and providing adequate ventilation is a must to keep exhaust emissions from entering your home.
Once you’ve cleared everything out of the garage, close all the doors and windows and carry a candle or lit stick of incense around the perimeter. This simple air test can help you detect places where there are leaks. Caulk any gaps around windows or doors. Even if you have a detached garage, you’ll appreciate it being a little less drafty come winter.
Turn Your Neglected Corners into Usable Space
Like homes, garages just keep getting bigger and bigger. The average 2-car garage, if it’s a now-standard 24 x 24 feet, is 576 square feet big. That is the size of a tiny home. If much of that space is currently storing stuff that may or may not ever have a purpose again, consider whether there are better uses of that space.
Green homes are about minimizing our homes’ negative impacts on the environment, but they’re also about creating spaces where we can do some good for the environment. Can you turn part of your garage into a greenhouse? Can you share the space with a garage-less neighbour so they don’t have to build one? Is this a spot where your greywater system tank could go?
There are lots of creative ways to use your garage for good. And we hope the thought of a greener garage motivates you to tackle this job and get it off your list.
Feature image: Jonni Lundy; Image 1: Daniel von Appen
