Spring cleaning usually focuses on closets and living spaces, but the garage often gets overlooked. Over time, garages can turn into catch-all storage areas filled with tools, boxes, and bulky items that crowd out your vehicle and create safety hazards.

A cluttered garage looks messy, and it increases the risk of damaging your car and putting yourself or your family at risk. By taking a strategic approach to organization and storage, you can reclaim valuable space, protect your vehicle, and make your garage safer and more functional year-round.

How to Clean & Maximize Your Garage

Take your spring cleaning to the next level by knowing everything you need to do to help clean and maximize your garage storage space.

Use Your Walls

Garages have plenty of wall space, and you should definitely use it to your benefit! Many homeowners consider installing shelving units for hand tools and auto care products, while hanging larger items like garden tools, antiques, and even bicycles on hooks. This reduces clutter and frees up valuable floor space that miscellaneous items once occupied.

In fact, installing wire shelving is one of the simplest, least expensive garage storage solutions. So long as you install sturdy brackets to hold your shelves in place, garage shelves can hold a lot of items, even large and heavy items. Garage shelving is a good way to store and organize items you want to have readily accessible.

Garage shelves also come in all sizes, so you can put small units in unused corners of your garage to make the most of your space. Installing a pegboard is another excellent use of wall space. These boards are ideal for organizing tools and cords because your items are easily accessible and visible.

By neatly storing items on your wall, you can maximize your organization and the square footage of your garage floor. Sometimes, maximizing garage storage is a matter of organization, and a garage wall storage system is a great way to make the most of your garage wall space and keep it organized.

Open Mystery Boxes

And no, we’re not referring to the kinds of “mystery boxes” that award you with prizes or points in video games. Instead, we just mean that you should know what’s in each of your storage boxes, like whether it’s something useful that belongs in the house or a priceless antique.

By seeing what they really contain, you might be able to consolidate items, or better yet, some boxes could even be thrown out or donated to charity. Staying prepared for the next time you de-clutter by labeling each of your boxes clearly and visibly before returning them to storage can save you a ton of work.

Along with being prepared for future de-cluttering of your garage, you should also be prepared to protect your vehicle from unexpected breakdowns and repairs, and Endurance can help. With a wide range of auto protection plans available, you can be certain that your car, truck, or SUV will be covered from unexpected breakdowns and expensive repair bills that you’d be left paying for yourself.

With the Advantage auto protection plan, you can even save up to $3,500 for your vehicle’s maintenance needs, including getting help with services like tire rotations, alignment checks, engine diagnostic exams, and more.

Look Up

Sometimes you simply don’t have enough wall and floor space in your garage to accommodate all the things you want to store, especially if most of your garage storage space is used up by a large SUV or van. If this is the case, consider investing in garage organization systems, such as overhead storage racks. Garage ceiling storage systems make the most of the overhead space most garages have, giving you much more storage than you would otherwise have.

Using sturdy overhead racks and rafters can potentially double your storage without using unnecessary floor space. Some homes may even include a small amount of attic space you can use to store items you use less frequently, like seasonal items or camping gear. Overall, ceiling storage is great for boxes, luggage, and less frequently used items you need to keep but don’t need to pull out often.

Consider Cabinetry

If you want to maximize your garage storage space and make the most of your wall space, installing garage cabinets is one of the best ways to do so. Garage storage cabinets come in various designs, from tall standing units to smaller wall-mount units. Storage cabinets are an ideal way to increase your garage’s storage space, protect items, and keep it looking clean and organized.

Cabinetry is also a great way to store items that could be toxic to children or pets. Not only will they help you keep your loved ones safe from getting into something potentially hazardous, but they can also keep some messy-looking items hidden from view, like bundles of cords or jars of nails/screws. If installing cabinetry isn’t an option, consider buying plastic or other stackable storage bins for quick DIY garage storage.

It should be no surprise that many vehicle owners end up damaging their cars due to the clutter that turns their garages into a bad episode of Hoarders. Organizing and maximizing the space in the garage is one of the easiest ways to take care of your car and home, and not just because of spring cleaning; it will definitely come in handy all year long.

Keep Your Vehicle Protected with Endurance

While giving your car space in your garage can help keep it safe from inclement weather, it can’t help with unexpected breakdowns and repairs. And without the help of an active factory warranty, any repair bills your car faces would be left to you to pay. Instead, give yourself peace of mind and get help saving towards your vehicle’s important maintenance services with the Advantage auto protection plan from Endurance.

Unlike factory warranties or those you can find at other third-party providers like CarShield, CARCHEX, Olive, and more, you can save up to $3,500 in yearly maintenance services when you have Advantage. That means you can get comprehensive breakdown protection while saving on services such as tire rotations, alignment checks, engine diagnostic exams, and more, including getting help on your vehicle’s state safety inspections. Each Advantage plan also includes special, one-time services, including cooling system maintenance, battery replacement, brake pad/shoe replacements, and more.

To learn more about any Endurance protection plan, call our team at (800) 253-8203 or request a FREE, no-obligation quote. You can also shop online to see your price and plan recommendations instantly.

Visit the Endurance blog to find other helpful and informative articles on other automotive-related topics, including DIY maintenance how-tos, road trip planning guides, seasonal driving tips, and more.