What is Garage Junk Removal?
A clean garage is a must for any homeowner. It will provide you with more space to park your car and store items. It will also make it easier to work in the garage.
Start by sweeping the garage floor and vacuuming it. Next, organize your stuff into piles; things to keep, sell or donate and junk.
Removing Unwanted Items
If you’ve a cluttered garage, you probably have items that are no longer useful. You may have a pile of old tools that aren’t needed, or sports equipment that your kids outgrew. Items like this can be donated to a local charity or used as building materials in a yard sale. Getting rid of all of the clutter in your garage and cleaning the space can make it a safe, functional place to store the things that are important to you and your family.
A junk-free garage can also provide a safe space for you to work on home projects. You can use the new space to set up a woodworking area, mechanic bench or simply a man cave. Once the junk has been removed, you can finally build that car lift or install those shelves you’ve always wanted to put in.
Having a clean, organized garage can also save you time and money. Instead of spending hours searching for that one item you need, you can simply walk into the garage and find it in minutes. A clean space will also be easier to maintain and keep tidy.
When you’re decluttering your garage, it’s important to sort and categorize items into piles of stuff to keep, stuff to sell or donate and stuff to discard. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to hang onto everything just in case, but items that haven’t been used in a year are likely not worth keeping. Once you’ve sorted out what to keep, you can organize and consolidate them into labeled storage bins and put them back into the garage.
The same is true for things you no longer need or want. You can turn your old cans and bottles into cash at the bottle drop, or donate them to a youth sports team, school band or other club. Often, these groups are happy to accept these donations as part of their fundraising efforts. You can also recycle or dispose of any unused electronics, furniture and appliances that are no longer functioning.
Getting Rid of Pests
A garage is an excellent place to store tools, gear and equipment, but these items can quickly turn into a messy pile that attracts pests. Those bugs can be more than just unsightly; some, like rodents and flies, spread bacteria and diseases that are dangerous to humans. To avoid an infestation, a Pacific Palisades homeowner should consider hiring a professional to get rid of the junk in their garage and to clean it out.
Pests are often drawn to a garage for food, shelter or water. Some, like pill bugs (also called clover mites), are attracted to rotting wood and damp cardboard boxes that are often stored in the garage. These pests can also invade homes to feed on the occupants’ flesh and blood. Others, such as cockroaches, can cause allergic reactions in some people and transmit pathogens that are harmful to others.
Rodents are a common garage pest. They can chew through wires, eat garbage and destroy furniture, toys and other valuables. They also spread fleas and mites, which can infest your pets. These pests also gnaw through wood and may leave lasting damage in the walls and ceiling of a garage.
Insects, like spiders and ants, can also be a problem. These insects can kill each other by trapping each other in their webs or feeding on each other’s carcasses. Spiders also produce a sticky substance that can ruin items in your garage. Other insects that are commonly found in garages include sowbugs, silverfish, ground beetles and odorous house ants.
The most effective way to keep pests out of a garage is to clean it regularly and to store food, beverages and other substances in sealed containers. It is also important to sweep the floor and dry any areas that have moisture, such as corners, with a portable fan. Homeowners should also outfit their doors and windows with weather stripping to prevent pests from entering the garage. Finally, cracks and holes should be sealed with caulk. This should be done particularly before a warm season, when many pests are most active.
Getting Rid of Mold
Mold can thrive in damp environments like garages and basements, particularly if these areas don’t have adequate ventilation or sunlight. They’re also prone to high moisture levels, and if the conditions are right, mold can grow on organic materials like cardboard and wood. The higher humidity levels in garages combined with the fact that they often serve as home access points means that mold spores can easily spread to indoor spaces if there’s a problem.
Airborne mold spores are an allergen and can affect people with certain health problems like asthma, allergies, and emphysema. While the majority of household mold species aren’t harmful, there are some that are toxic and can release mycotoxins if disturbed. Some of these include the strain Stachybotrys chartarum, commonly known as “black mold”, which can cause respiratory distress in people who are exposed to large amounts of spores for extended periods of time.
When a homeowner notices signs of black or white mold in the garage, they should take steps to identify and locate the source. Moisture is usually the culprit and can be found in walls, under vehicles, inside storage boxes, and in the case of a home’s attached garage, underneath doors that open and close frequently.
Using a dehumidifier is an effective way to control the moisture in a garage, as is the installation of an exhaust fan. It’s also a good idea to store any items that are particularly vulnerable to molding, such as outdoor gear or gardening tools, in plastic bins.
Finally, it’s essential to thoroughly clean all surfaces, including the ceiling and floor. Using a cleaning solution that contains hydrogen peroxide can be an effective way to kill existing mold colonies. It should be noted that most commercially available cleaning products aren’t strong enough to kill the microscopic roots that mold colonies develop into porous material such as wood or drywall.
Once a thorough cleaning has been completed, all materials affected by mold should be either thrown away or transported out of the garage to a trash site immediately. A professional mold remediation service is always a safer, more effective option.
Getting Rid of Clutter
Clutter is the biggest challenge of all when it comes to decluttering a garage. Over time, items can pile up to the point where it is impossible to find something or get things out of the garage for cleaning and repairs. Whether the clutter is from sports equipment, tools, or storage totes that are full of stuff you no longer need, getting rid of the junk in your garage is important to creating a clean, functional space. It is a good idea to set aside items for trash, donation, or recycling before starting the decluttering process. This can help make the clean up much more manageable.
When going through the items in your garage, consider when you last used them and, to borrow from Marie Kondo, whether they “spark joy.” If not, it’s time to let them go. The same goes for kids’ toys, old clothing that is no longer in style or worn, and craft supplies you never use. Donate these items to your local charity or recycling center so they can benefit a worthy cause.
If you are unsure about an item, sort it into categories so that you can determine what to do with it later. For example, place items destined for trash in the dumpster and those that will be donated in a separate area. This will save you time when it comes to the clean up and will make the whole process a lot more organized and less stressful.
Lastly, get rid of anything in your garage that is broken or no longer working. Leaving broken lawn and garden supplies in the garage is inviting pests like earwigs and cockroaches to take up residence. Also, tangled strings of holiday lights and a popped inflatable snowman are probably not items you’ll ever use again.
After you’ve gone through all the items in your garage and made a plan for what to keep, donate, recycle, or throw away, hire a professional Garage Junk Removal company. The right junk removal company will be able to haul away all of your unwanted items and junk and will leave you with a clean, pristine garage!
A clean garage is a must for any homeowner. It will provide you with more space to park your car and store items. It will also make it easier to work in the garage. Start by sweeping the garage floor and vacuuming it. Next, organize your stuff into piles; things to keep, sell or donate…