Keeping Your Garage Clean Through Summer

Your garage space is your studio, workshop, personal storage unit, and parking space. Chances are it's currently housing a lot of gear (and likely junk)! Your garage works hard in the summer. Keeping this space clean and organized is essential to ensure the area is clutter-free, easy to work in, and you can find exactly what you need without wasting time.

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Especially during the warmer months, your garage sees an increase in foot traffic and is prone to getting dusty, sandy, wet, and generally covered in dirt. Staying on top of your garage cleaning this summer and getting your organizational systems dialed in will help keep your home in top shape consistently.

Keeping Your Space Clean

Garages tend to get dirty. Dirt and dust blow in whenever you open the garage door, and people track it in when it's muddy outside. Also, the garage floors don't get swept, vacuumed, or washed as frequently as the floors in the house. The types of activities in the garage aren't always the neatest or cleanest, either. While you might not mind some dirt and grime in your garage, it gets on your gear and tracks into the house. Our must-haves for keeping your garage clean all summer long include:

A Good Garage Door Seal

This piece of material, usually rubber or vinyl, attaches to the bottom of the garage door and seals up the small space between the door and the floor. When your garage door is closed, dust and dirt can blow underneath, but a garage door seal will prevent that. While at it, apply weatherstripping around the sides of the garage door to prevent dust from getting in that way, too. This will help keep moisture and even some insects out of your garage.

Floor Mats

When you enter your home, you probably wipe your feet on an outdoor mat to help remove whatever dirt has stuck to your shoes. Even once you get into your house, you might have another mat to help catch more dirt. This is because it's easier to keep the dirt out of your home than to deal with it once it's been kicked and carried into the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Your garage should also have a mat down, as it's an entry point to your home. Roll out a wide mat along the edge of your garage. If you can take three or four steps on it, it's the correct width. If you shake or vacuum this rug out every week or two, it should dramatically affect the amount of dirt that accumulates. Non-marring or fiber mats are the best option for a Webfoot concrete coating.

A Maintenance Plan

Once you have reduced the amount of dirt getting into your garage in the first place, sweeping it out occasionally should be a manageable chore. Add this to your routine tasks and get out there with a push-broom to banish any dirt that did make its way inside. At least twice yearly, do a more extensive cleaning where you move everything away from the walls and clean behind it to remove the dust that will still accumulate.

How to: Cleaning Garage Floor Coating

Are you looking for a solution to fight stains, dirt, and grime in your garage? Our concrete-coated floors are extremely easy to clean; yay! One of the primary reasons for having a floor coating is the ease of maintenance. Because our coatings are non-porous, oils and other fluids will not seep in and stain permanently. No special products are needed here; all it takes is soap and water to clean a Webfoot coating.

One of the most important things you can do when caring for your concrete floor coating is to use the right tools. Because these coatings are typically easy to clean, you will not need heavy-duty cleaning equipment or products. Instead, it is best to use soft brushes and mops to clean the surface of your floor. We recommend the following tools:

• A quality 24" to 36" dust mop can bring your concrete-coated garage floors to life. You will likely find that a dust mop quickly removes dust and loose dirt and accounts for a large percentage of your floor cleaning duties.
• An easy way to clean your concrete floor coating further is with a microfiber cloth or mop. It is soft enough to not damage your floor, but it will effectively pick up any debris or dust on your floor. With a bit of soap and water, your garage floors will be sparkling clean.
• For a concrete-coated garage floor, a gas-powered pressure washer rated 3,000 PSI and a water flow rate of 3 GPM or more is recommended. Spray directly onto the garage floor and toward the door, allowing the water and debris to wash outward and away from your home.

Organizational Strategies for Efficient Storage and Clutter Control

Sometimes, the idea of cleaning out your garage isn't very appealing on a warm summer day. However, getting your home, garage, and life in order is a great way to set the tone for the new season and keep from feeling overwhelmed. Here are three simple steps to take to get your clutter under control.

Designate A Garage Garbage Bin

If you want to clean your garage correctly, be prepared to throw out the old junk. Check your hoarding mentality by having a container available for tossing what you don't need. Chances are your standard garbage bin won't do the trick; get something heavy-duty and large enough for bulky items you need to remove along the way.

Install Shelving

Be prepared to be amazed (or something to that effect). Installing shelving systems in your garage can dramatically improve available space. Keeping tools and materials in designated areas will help you find what you need quickly. We prefer slat wall shelving for its durability and effortless customization. Between the assortment of finishes, sizes, shapes, and types of attachments, you can create an organizational system unique to your family and its needs.

Invest in Overhead Storage

This is a must-have for boxes and totes that can't be put on the wall. Everything on the ground can be easily tucked away out of sight with a quality overhead storage system. Think about it: you have just as much space above ground as you do on the floor, but you aren't parking your vehicles up high. It just makes sense to install these!

Final Tips for a Clean Space

It is always best to keep on top of your cleaning in the summer, especially in an area like a garage that can get cluttered quickly with paddle boards, sports equipment, beach gear, and bikes. Making a concerted effort to consistently clean and declutter your garage will go a long way!

Some quick tips on cleaning your garage include:

• Put away items in the correct place right away instead of leaving them out.
• Do a weekly sweep of the garage floor.
• Utilize hooks and other methods to hang gear like bikes and tools.
• Teach your kids to put away anything they use in the garage when they are done with it.
• Keep your trash cans and recycling bins clean and organized.
• Donate or throw away anything that you no longer use.
• Always strive to walk through your garage comfortably; if you need to maneuver around items, you may have too much in there.

How Webfoot's Concrete Coatings Can Help this Summer

Keeping your garage nice and clean should not be a task you dread. Taking a few simple steps to reduce the amount of grime that gets into your garage in the first place will go a long way toward keeping this area of your home neat, tidy, and easy to access.

Dirt out of control? It might be time for you to upgrade your floors. Flooring professionals make webfoot coatings for flooring professionals; we think you'll notice—we use only the best products in our industry. Webfoot is the USA's #1 Rated Concrete coating company for our premium product and superior installation services. We pride ourselves on our 18+ years of experience in the industry and top-rated customer service and communication, but most of all, we want to hear from you! Schedule a free quote and have a Coating Specialist evaluate your surfaces, explore color and texture samples, and give you a precise written estimate. Contact us to schedule today.