Despite garages being one of the most used spaces in homes, they are also commonly the most cluttered. A detailed spring cleaning can help to declutter what has become a dumping ground for junk that limits your ability to both park, store, and work inside your garage. We’ve put together a Garage Spring Cleaning Checklist to help you cultivate a tidier, more functional garage.

Have A Plan

Have a game plan of what you want to accomplish with this garage spring cleaning project. A checklist can help with this. Assign tasks to family members, take your time, maintain a sense of purpose, and eye towards finishing your goal. You can listen to your favorite music, podcast, or sports game to add a little more excitement to the experience.

Declutter your garage

Remove everything from the garage that’s not permanently placed there. You can sort everything into three piles: keep, donate, discard. A good question to ask yourself as you go through items is whether you have used it in the past year. If it no longer sparks joy and is simply gathering dust – toss or donate it! For discarded items, be sure to check product labels for pesticides, motor oil, solvents and other chemicals to determine best disposal methods.

Wipe down and sweep out the garage

Wipe down any shelving or flat surfaces (aside from the floor). Garage slatwall panels are very easy to clean with just a rag, but perhaps the material on your garage wall is drywall or brick. If so, just giving the walls a downward sweep with a broom will remove some of the dirt and dust that’s accumulated. Use the broom to remove any cobwebs you see as well.

Hose out your garage

Now it’s time to wash your garage floor with your garden hose and a gentle cleaner! After you’ve given everything a good scrub, you can use a clean broom to sweep the excess water out of the garage interior. Wait for all the surfaces to completely dry before putting your newly sorted items back inside.  

Clean and inspect your garage doors and opener

Next, it’s time to clean your garage door. Rinse it off with a hose and then wipe it down using a sponge, dish detergent, and water. For any window panels or inserts on the garage door, see the next garage spring cleaning tip. Be sure to attend to both sides of your garage door. If you happen to notice any damage or extreme rust to the mechanisms of your garage door opener, it’s a good idea to have the entire system inspected by a professional. Don’t hesitate to call us at 1-888-602-6550.

Garage doors are simple! You come home, you press a button from your phone or a remote, and voila! Inside you go. But, things weren’t always so easy. In fact, when garage doors first became popular in the 1920s, oftentimes the passenger had to exit the car to open the garage manually. Even in the rain and snow. Luckily, both the convenience and the safety of garage door openers have made leaps and bounds over the last 100 years. Behold – the evolution of garage door openers.

The First Electric Garage Door Opener

The first electric garage door opener was introduced in 1926 by C.G. Johnson. However, the button to activate the system was located inside the garage. A convenient way for homeowners to bypass this system involved running a wire outside of the door. However, this made it easy for just anyone to come by and open your garage door.

Post World War II Electronics Boom

World War II stimulated a huge electronics boom. Once the 1950s hit, companies began releasing garage door openers that were far superior to the bulky and expensive openers from the 20s. In 1954, the Alliance Manufacturing Company marketed a garage door opener named Genie. Genie became the first mass-produced, radio-controlled residential garage door opener. The addition of the remote control made automatic operation of the garage door a true convenience. Alliance even went on to invent the direct-drive screw opener, which was probably the most popular unit installed in the 1970s.

Garage Door Openers Today

Early garage door openers only offered the most basic of functions – lifting and closing the door. Over the years, many variations have been developed. Including chain drive, belt drive, screw drive and jackshaft units. On top of remote radio operation, garage door openers can now be operated wirelessly with Wi-Fi connectivity. Allowing you to monitor and operate your garage door from wherever.

Safety Improvements

The earliest units did not have any safety features; they simply ran until reaching a travel limit switch and shutting off. Today’s residential opener systems all include a speed sensor that reverses the door to full open if it touches an obstruction, a photocell non-contact device that reverses the door to full open if a beam of light projected across the bottom of the door opening is broken and a maximum run timer that will shut down the opener system if it does not reach the close travel limit within a specified time.

Garage door openers can last for years without needing to be replaced or fixed. This is especially true with the proper care. However, like every object that undergoes wear and tear on a daily basis, garage door openers will eventually need replacing. Luckily replacing your garage door opener can provide improved safety, efficiency, and noise levels. Wondering if it might be time to replace yours? Read on for 5 signs your garage door opener needs to be replaced!

1. The Door Won’t Open or Shut on Command

This tends to be the most obvious sign that your garage door opener is malfunctioning. First, ensure the problem isn’t being caused by an object blocking the sensor or the door. Once you establish it isn’t an object, the problem either lies with the remote batteries or the track. Try replacing the batteries first. If the problem persists, then it’s time to call in the professionals!

2. The Garage Door Reverses

If your garage door begins to reverse while it’s opening, or suddenly reverses after closing, it may be time to replace or repair your garage door opener. First check that there isn’t an issue with the sensor. If the sensors are aligned and nothing is blocking their path, then the garage door opener will need replacing.

3. Inconsistent Functioning

If your garage door opener experiences intermittent and random functionality, it likely has an issue with the wiring. This random opening and closing creates a safety hazard, so be sure to get a professional’s opinion as soon as possible.

4. Noisy Garage Door Opener

While a little bit of noise is to be expected, grinding, scraping, screeching, and rattling are signs of an issue. Get your opener inspected to avoid any problems or long term damage to the garage door.

5. Garage Door Gets Stuck When Opening or Closing

Is your garage door stalling or, even worse, getting stuck? This could indicate a malfunctioning door opener. Get the door looked at as soon as you can by a qualified, trusted professional. 

Overall, if your garage door is not opening smoothly and soundly in a timely manner, then there may be an underlying problem. Luckily, this malfunction gives you the opportunity to invest in a smarter and safer garage door opener. We hope these tips help! When in doubt, contact a professional at Info@adamsdoorsystems.com.

Among the most important parts of homes today are the residential garage doors. Garage doors are not only used as a decorative piece for the exterior of the home but they also serve as one of the security defences of the property against burglars and intruders.

In order to maximize the use of the garage door, there are modern accessories that can be bought to help homeowners. It is important to know that these garage door accessories are not mandatory during the purchase of the fixture but these can be suggested by the salesman.

• Garage Motion Detector. If you have an automatic garage door opener, a garage motion detector will be very useful. Automatic openers will close and open the door immediately once the button is pressed. If there is a person right on the track where the door will close, he could get hurt. Modern garage motion detectors will check if the door lines are clear so that the garage door can lower safely. This gadget will be most useful for families with kids too.

• Door Opener Lightning Suppressor. For those people who live in areas that are prone to thunderstorms, making sure that lighting surges would not affect the gadgets of the house is necessary. With the use of a door opener lightning suppressor kit, the chances of having lightning destroy or short circuit your door opener will be greatly reduced.

Garage Door Light Bulbs. When it comes to garage lighting especially the bulbs that are situated near the door or the door opener, it will be necessary to purchase those that are heavy duty. This is because the vibrations of the opening and the closing operations of the door will cause normal light bulbs to crack or explode. Heavy duty bulbs will ensure longer lasting life and reduced burnouts.