It’s that time of year again – spring, a time for renewal, rebirth … and deep cleaning. Fortunately, having a self storage unit gives you an advantage. By moving seasonal items and other things you don’t have immediate need for into storage, you can more easily clean areas that don’t often see the light of day. With our handy guide to deep cleaning, you’ll have your cleanest, most organized year yet!

Pack Away the Holidays

If you’re storing boxes of holiday decorations and lights in your attic, now’s the time to shuttle them to your storage unit, along with anything else you have up there. With your stuff gone, it’s a great time for a little cleaning and maintenance. Start by donning some gloves and a dust mask and grabbing an electrostatically charged duster. Hit all surfaces, and then come back with the vacuum. Once you’ve cleaned up, inspect your insulation – it should be at the same level as the floor joists. If not, you’ll need to add some. You should also check for rodent infestation and mold while you’re up there, and seal up any cracks potentially letting in air and moisture from the outside world.

Store Your Winter ATVs

If you have a snowmobile, other winter ATVs, or any other winter sporting goods taking up space in your garage, move them to your storage unit. But before you replace them with their warm-weather counterparts, now’s a good time to perform some maintenance on your garage floor. Start by moving everything else in the garage to your driveway. Next, spread kitty litter or sawdust over any oil spots. Let it sit for around 24 hours and then sweep it up as you sweep the entire garage floor. Pour dishwasher detergent or a specialized garage floor cleaner onto the spots and allow it to sit, or follow instructions on the label. Using a short-bristled deck brush, scrub vigorously, and then spray the whole thing down using a pressure washer. Squeegee as much of the water out of your garage as possible, and then allow it to air dry before returning items to your garage.

Upgrade Your Shed

For many people, the garden tool shed becomes a hold-all for anything that won’t fit elsewhere. This may mean bicycles, golf clubs, and baseball bats, but it might also include boxes of random belongings, winter skis or snowboards, and mountain gear. If you’re not going to need that non-garden-related gear in the near future, move it into your self storage unit. Now, take everything else out, and start dusting every nook and cranny. Next, go to work on any spills, using the same techniques you honed in your garage. Once the floor is done, wash the windows. Lastly, organize the items you’re keeping. You may need to purchase some hardware for hanging handled tools and hooks for your bicycles. By creating a special place for each of your items, you will always know where to find it when it’s needed.

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