3 Tips for Garage Maintenance

Garages are the great unsung hero of the homestead. They give your tools, cars, bicycles, and holiday gear a safe place to stay and in return, we all too often fail to properly maintain them. Quickly becoming a dumping ground for unwanted items and out of season sports gear, the garage becomes cluttered and unkempt in short order. Avoid costly repairs and full day cleaning marathons by keeping your garage maintained with these 3 tips.

Keep a Clean Floor

One of the ways to keep your garage looking shiny and new is to take good care of the floor. Autofloorguard.com explains that this is one way to maintain the property value of your garage, a big factor when selling or assigning a market value to a home. The garage floor can quickly become stained with oil, snow salt, solvents, paints, and household chemicals. Avoid unsightly stains and make cleaning a breeze with an affordable and effective floor covering. These containment mats prevent stains and damage with an impenetrable heavy duty fabric. When it’s time, cleaning the mat couldn’t be easier. You simply pull the mat over the garage threshold and hose or sweep it off.

Regularly Inspect the Garage

It’s important to inspect your garage at regular intervals. Ideally, you should perform a visual inspection twice per year. Check the walls inside and out for any signs of moisture or cracks. Of course, active dampness is a sign of a leak in the roof or walls and should be thoroughly evaluated by a professional. Hairline cracks are totally normal and not a cause for concern but if they are any bigger than that you should consider having the foundation inspected. Settling is common on sandy or clay soils and can lead to uneven walls, malfunctioning doors and windows, and even problems with plumbing systems if not addressed.

You will want to check for signs of pests in your garage as well. Rodents are common garage invaders and obviously, you don’t want them taking up residence and raising a family there. Other common pests include termites and ants and they can cause major damage if given the opportunity. If you see sawdust when you haven’t been sawing or tiny boreholes where you haven’t been drilling call your local pest control company to take a look.

Give the Door a Tune Up

Keeping your door and its associated hardware operating smoothly is simple and requires common materials and skills. Once a year tighten up all the nuts, bolts, and screws in the system. Use some household lubricant to oil chains and springs. This keeps the unit running quietly and extends the life of your opener. Wipe down sensors and check your weather seals. If the seals are cracked, replace them for better climate control.

Your garage is an important space of your home both in terms of use and property value. Keep it well maintained to save time and money well into the future.