Organize your garage with these simple steps

If your garage looks like it has recently been hit by a cyclone, spring is the perfect time to get it back into usable shape.

Start by taking everything out of the garage and separate items into categories on the driveway - tools in one area, sports equipment in another, automotive materials in a third, and so on. As you’re categorizing, think about what you use and what you don’t. If you haven’t touched an item in 12 months, you probably don’t need it. Create three dumping piles; one for goodwill, one for garbage collection and one for safe waste disposal. Be realistic and efficient during this process because there’s little reason to clean clutter just to put it all back again. I’m pretty sure no one needs four pairs of pruning shears or a collection of broken, uncomfortable snow shovels. If you don’t use it, let it go.

Once you’ve removed everything from the garage, take care to clean the floors thoroughly. It’s always a good idea to safely discard any sand, salt or melting activator that’s still scattered around from our recent snowstorms. Also, make sure you clean any fluid that may have spilled or leaked from the car. These materials can often be fire hazards and are very harmful to pets and small children. Did you know just one tablespoon of antifreeze is enough to kill a cat? Don’t take the risk.

Once you’ve cleaned, it’s time to assess the area and decide on appropriate shelving and storage solutions. You can find everything you need at your local home improvement store, but make sure you think out of the box and use as much wall and ceiling space as possible. Personally, I love ceiling mounted racks to hold items that are used infrequently, such as holiday decorations. I also hang my mountain bikes from hooks mounted to the ceiling as they take up too much floor room otherwise. 

Once you’ve analyzed what you can hide up and away, it’s time to tackle the walls. I am a big fan of slat wall panels and pegboards because they are so versatile and customizable. You can hang anything from hooks to containers, which means ladders and large tools can have space off the floor and smaller hand tools and other items can be organized into category-specific bins. The key here is to be able to hang as much as possible so you free up your floor space for items that can’t be suspended, such as the lawnmower.

I always suggest keeping your floor as clear as possible so you can access what you need easily, and you can clean frequently too. If you must use floor space, consider investing in rolling cabinets or tool chests, which will be much easier to move as the seasons change and you need access to different areas of the garage.  

A clean, organized space will make your life a whole lot easier because it will allow you to find what you’re looking for and will help you keep an eye on items or materials that can leak or attract unwanted insect or rodent company. It’s not the most fun project, but it can be a huge time and patience saver for years to come.

Chimney Inspections – it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it

With the last snowfall for the season behind us (fingers crossed), you probably won’t be lighting any warming fires for the next eight months. But before you start celebrating, consider performing a routine maintenance check on your fireplace, chimney and flue to ensure it’s in tip-top shape for next winter. It’s a dirty job, but fireplaces and chimneys are involved in 42 percent of all home-heating fires, so a preventative annual inspection should definitely be on your spring-cleaning list.

First, if you have a regular wood-burning fireplace, remove all the old ashes with a shovel and bucket and get rid of any residual materials with an industrial vacuum or heavy-duty hand broom and dustpan. It’s important to note that during winter you never want ashes to accumulate to more than two inches in depth.  Also, remember that ashes are just disintegrated wood, so feel free to discard them into your compost pile.  Once the ashes are cleared, you can remove any soot and fire stains with a spray bottle of soapy water and a tough, wire scrub brush. If stains are really stuck on there, a muriatic acid solution will do the job, which is available at most hardware stores.

Once your fireplace is squeaky clean, it’s time to inspect the flue. Look up the fireplace, inspecting for any cracks or damage. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for creosote build-up, which can be highly flammable and result in chimney fires if not removed properly. If you see any blockage, cracks or deposits during a visual inspection, you’ll want to get the flue looked at by a professional.

Now comes the hardest part – the chimney. Firstly, make sure that you are comfortable on a roof and using a ladder. If you aren’t, leave this part of the job to an expert. Look around your chimney and remove any leaves or debris that may have piled up over the winter. If your chimney is open and you don’t use it often, it can be a great nesting place for birds and small animals.  Don’t let this happen; invest in a wire screen cover to ensure nothing from the outside can get in. Also, take a look at the mortar between the bricks to make sure it is in good condition and nothing is cracking or crumbling. If mortar needs to be replaced, remove the damaged segments and re-pack them with weather resistant ready-mixed mortar from the hardware store.

You’ll also want to inspect your flashing, which is where the chimney meets the roof. This should create a watertight seal, so make sure nothing looks loose or like it’s coming undone, otherwise you could be at risk for a leak. If the seal is at all damaged or wearing away, you’ll want to get it repaired immediately.

I can’t reinforce enough that chimney maintenance is a must, and something that shouldn’t be brushed off. If you don’t know what to look for or aren’t comfortable taking on the job, get a certified chimney sweep to give you a thorough inspection. The peace of mind in knowing that your home is safe from preventable fire hazard is worth the price of a simple assessment.

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What’s Mold Got To Do With It?

Mold is a problem that most homeowners have to deal with at one time or another. It’s the damaging by-product of water and moisture that can wreak havoc on your home, and more importantly, your health. So with spring on the way, now is a good time to inspect your house for mold and get rid of it before it does any kind of serious damage. But first, it’s a good idea to learn a little more about this pesky organism and why it demands to be treated so seriously.

You might be familiar with mold (otherwise known as mildew) from your shower or bathtub. Since the shower is often wet and the tiles are waterproof, water can sometimes seep into the grout, which, if it’s old and can’t handle its repelling duties properly, can become a breeding ground for mildew. So you’re left with microscopic organisms that feed off the moisture, allowing it to grow until you nail it with some Tilex and wait for the next clean. But what happens when mold starts to grow in the places you can’t reach to scrub – places like your ceiling, inside walls or attic? You’re probably saying, “Not in my house”. Well, guess again.

At least half the homes I visit for improvement and remodeling projects have a major mold problem and the owners don’t even know it. How? Besides that well-known smell at the source, mold generally grows in places that you can’t see – like inside the walls and attic. What most people don’t realize is that mold reproduces, or grows, by releasing spores that you’re breathing in day after day.

How common is this? If you’ve ever had a leak, you’ve most likely had a mold problem. So what can you do about it? You can prevent mold by ensuring your home stays dry. Here are my top tips:

1. Keep your gutters and downspouts clean and clear so water can drain away from your house.
2. Don’t let a leaky roof go unfixed.  Get it patched up immediately and ask your contractor to inspect for any mold growth.
3. Make sure the ground around your house doesn’t slope inward towards the foundation where water can idle.
4. Inside the house, beware of any discoloration in the ceiling.
5. Ensure high moisture areas like bathrooms are well ventilated with good ceiling fans.
6. If a leak has poured into the carpet, don’t just leave it to dry. A damp area can attract mold in less than 48 hours.
7. Ensure large appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines aren’t leaking and have a catchment tray in the event of a malfunction. 
8. If you use a humidifier, make sure it’s cleaned and the water is changed regularly.
9. If you feel that your house or basement has a high level of moisture, consider purchasing a dehumidifier to regulate the humidity and remove any excess moisture from the air.

If you’ve had a mold problem that you’ve tried to control by scraping, cleaning and repainting the area, don’t make the same mistake twice. If the mold keeps coming back, that means the issue runs deeper than the eye can see. It’s time to call in the pros.