Foto di The garage is one of the most used spaces in any household, be it for parking or storage. It is a catch-all space for anything that doesn’t make it to the house, from cars, sporting equipment, gardening supplies to tools, shoes, gas cans, gear, and even trash. Along with other things, a garage over time also becomes home to several unpleasant smells.
It is essential to take care of stinky smells as they can make spending more than a few minutes in a garage unbearable. Keeping a space stinky is also unhygienic, especially if you wish to pursue any hobby in that space. Stale odors usually mean the presence of mold or mildew, which flourish in dark, damp, or humid spots. Such musty odors can also permeate your vehicles as well as other storage items.
Causes of a Stinky Garage
Now that you realize that your garage needs freshening up, the first task about how to freshen up a stinky garage is to recognize the sources of the unpleasant smells. This step will also help you to be aware and avoid these causes in the future beforehand. They can vary from lying garbage cans, left-out bags to smelly socks. Moreover, they also include:
- Garbage cans and recycling bins
- Chronic mold and mildew
- Sink and floor drains
- Lawn chemicals
- Paper and cardboard products
- Fumes from cleaning products, motor oil, and paint cans
- Oil spills
- Pet litter boxes, bedding, and kennels
Now that you know the sources of stinky garage odors, keep reading to learn a few practical yet simple tips to freshen up your smelly garage.
Discard Old and Unnecessary Products
Begin by emptying all shelves and garage cabinets of containers, cans, spray bottles, and other products. Calculate the age and condition of each item and throw out any that are past their prime. Also, make sure to clear out old motor oil, paint, chemicals, and other products at a designated hazardous waste disposal facility. Dispose of unused items to clear out more space that can help with better air circulation.
Foto di Clean your Garbage Bins
The trash or garbage bin often are primary sources of unpleasant smells. Start by moving the garbage bins outside if you are housing them in the garage. Then, hose out the inside of the bins where trash residue resides. Once the bins are dried out, clean them up nicely with a disinfectant. To make one yourself, mix up a gallon of hot water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.
Dip a sponge or scrub into the soapy solution and brush the cans inside and out. Rinse the bins thoroughly with water and let them dry completely. To keep your garbage bins stay fresh longer, carefully line the bottom of the containers with several newspapers and sprinkle a dash of baking soda to absorb the unpleasant odors. Replace the newspaper and baking soda every week on trash day.
Replace your Storage Containers
Storing anything in cardboard boxes and placing them on the garage floor may not be a good idea. These boxes, over time, are likely to get wet and have moldy spots that contribute to your stinky garage. In case you find them in yours too, it’s time to clear them out. In the future, to prevent soaking up moisture and encouraging mold growth, replace cardboard boxes with durable plastic containers. Make sure to label them carefully and stack them on shelves or overhead storage to free up space in your garage.
Foto di Vladan Rajkovic da Pixabay
Clean the Entire Garage
Begin this step by moving stored items away from the walls and out of the corners of the garage. In case of any old motor oil spills, try covering them with kitty litter as it can quickly soak up liquids and eliminate odors. Also, look out for signs of mold or mildew on the garage surfaces and the stored items and clean them in the following way:
- Mix 1 cup of chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of cool water in a bucket.
- Soak a scrub brush in the mixture and scrub off any mold or mildew present on the hard surfaces.
- Let the solution lie on the surface for around 10 minutes, and then rinse with cool water.
In the above process, ensure there is proper ventilation. Open the garage doors and windows, and run the fans for at least 3 to 4 hours. Also, sprinkle a liberal amount of chlorinated lime directly on the garage floor and let it sit overnight to remove the musty odors from the concrete.
Foto di Once you are done cleaning and freshening up the garage, follow a few pointers to maintain this hygiene.
- Soak up future odors by setting out containers of undiluted white vinegar, baking soda, or clean kitty litter. It helps manage smells in the garage. However, make sure to replace them once a month.
- Secure garbage can lids properly to ensure the odor doesn’t get out of them.
- Pour 1-2 cups of undiluted white vinegar with a spray bottle. Mist the garage regularly with vinegar to remove unpleasant odors in the air.
- Keep the garage always adequately ventilated.
Conclusion
Keeping a garage odor-free and sparkling clean is an engaging and tiring process. Make sure to take ample time to make it completely fresh. Follow these straightforward but practical ways to clean and revive a stinky garage properly.
Grace is a passionate writer who loves to write on various topics from lifestyle to marketing to security. She has been a professional writer for 5 years. She thoroughly researches for each and every article she writes and for this topic she may also suggest services from ETS Garage Door. When she is not writing, she can be usually found travelling or wrangling her pets.