Do You Clean Your Garage?

**forHISglory** · 07-10-2009, 07:32 PM

First a disclaimer: Hubby and I usually get along fantastically. After all these years, we just know how to make it work. But.....

We need you all to weigh in on this question: Do you clean your garage?

I maintain that a garage should be clean: floor swept, cobwebs down, things dusted, things put away, smelling halfway decent.

Hubby maintains that a garage is a place for working with machinery and that it is to be expected that things are dirty, oily, etc.

We are trying to sell our house, and I go out and clean the garage and get grumpy about doing it, and Hubby gets grumpy because I am moving all his "stuff". I say that people want to see a clean garage. He says most people really don't care.

So vote, and be honest. Do you think it makes a difference if one is male or female?

**frugalfranny** · 07-10-2009, 07:48 PM

If I was looking for a house and saw a garage that 'was a pigsty' I would question how the inside of the house was taken care of.....prior to listing it for sale.

BUT.....should it be spotless? No. I did clean out three cabinets LAST YEAR but only because they had gardening stuff in them and had gotten so dirty with dirt, grass clippings, and etc. This isn't something I do on a regular basis.

I use my leaf blower and about every other week will 'blow out' my garage...from top to bottom. It is strong enough to blow down the cobwebs overhead, and also to blow out the dirt that 2 dogs and myself have tracked in. Also is great for an 'after the winter' blow when the car brings in all the road sand/salt/dirt........that is about all I do to it. This is where I 're-purpose' my house rugs. (the ones that just can't take another washing as the rubber/etc is coming off them) Yes, I keep rugs at the bottom of my steps and this is their last stop before going into the trash. I start with fresh (well, fresh from the house) ones in the spring....about March and if they get too cruddy before end of summer I toss them and put more down. This goes through the supply quickly so I watch for ANY COLOR, but good shape, rugs at the thrift for this purpose too.

So...maybe put your hubby to work in the garage with a blower.......give him a chance to 'play with a toy' and you get a clean-er garage. You quickly learn to be careful around stuff that will blow out......my rugs take off once in awhile!!

**monkeywrangler71** · 07-10-2009, 07:53 PM

I think when your house is for sale the garage needs to be clean. It doesn't matter if people care about clean garages or not, you want it clean because it creates the illusion that it is bigger.

When you aren't selling, let the person who uses it keep it however they want. My mother is obsessively clean, their garage is covered in grease and filled with stuff. That is my father's work space, she just stays out of it.

**AmyBoz** · 07-10-2009, 07:56 PM

Our garage is a menace. In fact, my project for next week is to clean it out. It's only a half garage, so a car cannot fit, so it tends to get full of junk.

We, too, are thinking of selling, and so I want that little garage to be as clean and organized as possible, because I want people to be able to envision it as a useful space.

**Trishagirl** · 07-10-2009, 08:16 PM

I don't clean it but dh does he does a good job of it too. He hauls everything out and then sweeps it out then organizes everything and throws away stuff he doesn't want or need anymore then puts the rest back.

**Nana2two** · 07-10-2009, 08:27 PM

I have a Barn. Its so full of stuff.

**madhen** · 07-10-2009, 08:59 PM

I don't have a garage, but I have a tack room. It gets cleaned about 2x a year.

**frugalwarrior** · 07-10-2009, 09:19 PM

We clean our garage once a year. My DS uses it as a junk room,hang out,music playing room, movie watching room,work shop. I tolerate this because I don't want all that in the house. Our annual clean up is coming up soon. There will be fighting,yelling and everyone gets exhausted.

As far as selling your house. Everything should be clean because it makes it looks bigger. If your stuff is all over people can't envision theirs in it. Also a grease or stale smell is nauseating. Sorry,I vote clean it.

**Michelle68** · 07-10-2009, 10:12 PM

We have a pop up camper in our garage...and not much room for anything else. So yes, our garage can be quite cluttered. When the floors start getting dirty, there's too much stuff to walk around and/or certain large, winged, horrifying waterbugs (i.e.giant cockroaches) are coming inside from outside then we do a thorough cleaning. (Just did tht last weekend) With the camper in there, it's still crowded, but at least it's a "clean" crowded.

P.S.If we were selling our home, the garage would be spotless and the popup camper would have to find a new, temporary home.

**mauimagic** · 07-10-2009, 10:25 PM

Want to sell your house? - garage must be clean, sparkling, and decluttered!!

**Contrary Housewife** · 07-10-2009, 11:39 PM

We can barely walk through our garage, there is so much stuff stored in it... long story, we didn't plan it that way.

We've done 2-3 major clean outs of the garage since we've lived here which has helped a lot, but it's still very full.

I expect a garage to have stuff in it, including greasy smelly machinery and dusty boxes.

I don't expect it to smell like week old garbage or be knee deep in refuse. There's a difference between using it to store boxes and cans of paint, and using it as a trash dump. I know some people who just pile new junk on top of old in a huge heap who haven't seen the garage floor in 30 years. At least in mine if I need to find something I have an idea where it is and can get to it, even if I have to move furniture and a dozen boxes to reach it.

**militlady** · 07-11-2009, 02:05 AM

I actually just cleaned my garage out yesterday. We had a narrow path from the garage door to the kitchen door. Now I can actually park my car in there. I posted pics on the "get a project done" post yesterday. I got rid of a bunch of stuff and organized what I kept and built counter/shelves. I need to extend one counter and paint the floor. (the cat box is out there and it will be easier to keep the floor clean and odor free if it is painted) I got the rest of the lumber I needed today for free to finish up the counter space. and I am getting the paint on Monday. The garage is really the most used entrance for us so having it clean and organized really helps.

If I was selling my house the garage must be CLEAN!! IMO

I am a woman by the way.

**mamamia** · 07-11-2009, 04:40 AM

It's not on my usual routine list, but I will help my hubby to get it done. He always tells me the garage is HIS. I would love to be able to do it up with cabinets and such for him. Maybe someday, becauset does seem to get messy quick, and the open shelving never really looks orderly.

We really need to have a sale or donate. Just haven't found the ambition to put a sale together between this heat and rain

Theresa

**onencgirl** · 07-11-2009, 08:19 AM

No garage here but I do have an 8x10 shed that i do keep clean and organized. There's not much in it... lawn mower, grill, a couple storage containers... I live a fairly minimalist lifestyle. It keeps my life simple that way.

**gapeach** · 07-11-2009, 08:37 AM

We clean our garage alot. We're constantly tracking dirt, grass, etc into it. I'm a fairly organized & clean person and when any room or part of our home isn't clean and neat, I just can't stand it. If I were house hunting, and saw a dirty messy garage, the house would not be on the "short" list no matter how much I liked it.