Clearing Out Your Garage: Store Winter Items and Prepare for Spring
The garage has a way of becoming a catch-all over winter. By March, snow blowers, sleds, bags of rock salt, and holiday decor are often piled up, leaving barely enough room to park a car, let alone find a rake. Spring cleaning starts here, and the most effective way to reset your garage for the season is a straightforward swap: move winter items out, bring garden and yard essentials back in.
A self storage unit makes that swap permanent rather than just a reshuffling of clutter from one corner to another.
Move These Winter Items to Storage
Once the last frost has passed, several garage staples have no reason to take up floor space until fall. Clear them out to create more room.
Snow Removal Equipment
Snow blowers, shovels, and ice scrapers are the obvious candidates. Before storing a snow blower, drain the fuel or run the engine dry to prevent carburetor damage over the offseason. Wipe down metal blades and edges to guard against rust.
Winter Sports Gear
Skis, snowboards, sleds, and ice skates tend to take up an unnecessary amount of room for how often they get used. Pack everything together in labeled bins so pulling it back out next fall takes minutes, not an afternoon.
Holiday and Seasonal Decor
Holiday and seasonal decor should move out of the garage entirely. Use sealed plastic bins rather than cardboard boxes, which absorb moisture and attract pests.
Cold-Weather Clothing
Heavy coats, ski bibs, and insulated boots that are overflowing from your main closet can go into storage, too. Wash everything before packing to protect fabrics during the longer storage period.
For items sensitive to temperature swings, a climate-controlled storage unit protects against heat and cold over the spring and summer months. Not sure how much space you need? The Superior Storage size guide can help you choose the right unit before you rent.
Set Up Your Garage for Spring
With winter gear out of the way, your garage has room to function as a real workspace and staging area for the warmer months.
The Lawn Mower
Clear a dedicated spot along one wall so your mower is accessible without shuffling everything else around. If it spent winter in storage, be sure to check the oil, air filter, and spark plug before its first use of the season.
Garden Tools
Hang rakes, hoes, trowels, and hedge trimmers on wall-mounted hooks or store them upright in a tool rack. Keeping them off the floor protects the tools and cuts down on tripping hazards.
Inspect hoses for cracks before the season starts. Hoses left outside over winter often show damage that’s easy to miss until you’re standing in the yard with water spraying from the wrong end.
Bikes and Outdoor Recreation Gear
Ceiling hooks or wall-mounted bike racks open up floor space and keep your whole garage tidy. Helmets, knee pads, and other gear can go in a labeled bin on a nearby shelf, helping you keep all your outdoor gear out of the way but ready for use.
Spring Garage Organization Tips To Make It Last
Getting organized is one thing, but staying that way through the season is another. Some tips to help you maintain organization in every season include:
- Label everything
- Use vertical space
- Make it an annual habit
Make Room for What Matters This Spring
A cluttered garage doesn’t have to be the norm. Superior Storage has locations across Arkansas, Florida,Georgia,North Carolina, and Wisconsin, with month-to-month leases, online rental options, and climate-controlled units to keep your winter belongings secured until you need them again.
If you’re storing a snow blower, a season’s worth of holiday decor, or an overstuffed coat closet’s worth of gear, there’s a unit size that fits every need. Find your nearest location and take the first step toward a garage that actually works for you this spring with Superior Storage.