Michigan Homeowners, is “Fall Cleaning” a Thing? Let’s Start With Your Garage

We've all heard of "Spring Cleaning" but another type of cleaning I think is even MORE important is "Fall Cleaning."

Now, I may have a different "take" on this based on the fact my boyfriend and I have been settling in to our new home for a full month now so our clean-out definitely was timed just right.

We spent the summer renovating and had quite a few projects that had to get put on the backburner. This weekend, though, we tackled one of our biggest...THE GARAGE.

Get our free mobile app

Michigan Fall Cleaning

We started with the inside of the house. Unpacking a few extra boxes, deep cleaning, getting rid of clutter that our busy summer schedules just forced us to allow to pile up, putting "summer" clothes into storage and swapping them out for all our cozy sweatshirts and sweaters, things like that.

You find a place to store your swimsuits, keeping maybe one out in case you end up somewhere with a hot tub or indoor pool until next summer, you put away all the summer "toys" (for us it was our giant beer pong) and you continuously come up with storage solutions for the crap you accumulated over the summer.

However, the garage is a whole other animal.

What's in Your Michigan Garage?

We've talked before about how many Michiganders keep a fridge or freezer either in their basement or their garage. We called it a "Michigan fridge" as my cohost had no idea it was a thing until I brought it up one time.

My boyfriend and I had a "garage fridge" that actually was supposed to be our kitchen fridge when we moved in but we realized it didn't work so then the fridge that was supposed to be our "garage fridge" ended up being our inside one and the original one just sits and takes up space...did that make sense?

ANYWAYS, while we were cleaning out the rest of the clutter from moving, renovating and just life in general, I realized there were some things in our garage that may be unique to our situation...or not.

Michigan Garage Bingo

Let's play a round of "what's in your garage" Bingo. Or, if you're an avid TikTok scroller, "put a finger down" for each thing you have. Whoever thinks they have the most, message us on Facebook and we'll get you...bragging rights or something.

Here's what was in our garage that I found to be "unique":

• A dead, dried up frog (any critter could work for this one)
• Building materials - plywood, wood trim, sheet metal, shims, etc.
• Copper Pipes - now that they are being taken to be scrapped I feel safe telling you we had SO MUCH COPPER...both "dirty" and "clean" (if you know you know).
• Furniture from the previous owner
• A 1930's lathe for woodworking
• A wine corker
• An entire two-sink bathroom vanity countertop
• A fridge beyond repair
• A corner piled up with boxes that became a "catch-all" for items/clothes to be donated
• All of our Christmas décor
• Desks - YES "Desks" there are three
• A treadmill that hasn't found a place in the house yet (this one I know is not unique to us because our friend have TWO in their garage)

I'm going to stop right there because I think you get the idea. We had so much crap and I feel like in the summer, your garage just becomes a catch-all for all the things you don't want to put away until Michigan's busiest season is over.

Consider This Your Sign

MICHIGANDERS, CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE!

You may think it's not as important because as long as the inside of your home is free of clutter, you're good, right?

WRONG.

Just do it, you will feel like such a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and heck, you may even be able to fit another car (or two) in there once you get it done.

Let's be real here, you are NOT going to want to do it once it gets even colder. Now is the time so when summer comes back around, everything is exactly where you had it, you know where it is and you can take less time stressing and searching for it later.

We all know you know about spring cleaning, here are some things you clean in the spring that could use a pre-emptive look at during the fall too: