For many men, the garage is not a happy or fun place to be. It’s crowded, dirty, too cold or hot, and lacks even the most basic cable channels. For the majority of garage owners, it is a space used for storage, parking a car or two, and base camp for yard work. But it doesn’t have to be this way.  With the slightest bit of effort and some decent forethought, you can turn your ground floor attic into a man cave.

Let’s deal with the junk first. You’ve got too much of it. I know you can think of something right now that you can throw away in there, but every time you actually reach for it you decide to keep it for some sentimental or future reason that doesn’t exist yet. Stop doing that. Throw things away, organize them so that if you’re keeping them, you at least know what and where they are. If you still have a crowded space after your purge, then it’s time to get as much of your items off the floor or counters as possible. Hang things up, install inexpensive cabinets from Craigslist to hold items, or put up some pegboard (so cheap!) and hang tools like a certified Bob Vila.

Now that you’ve de-cluttered and can actually see the cement floor, you’re probably noticing how dirty and stained it is. And let’s not even talk about your countertops or workbench. Soap and water isn’t going to cut it my friend. You need a cleaner that can break up the most common garage messes – grease and oil. The FactoryTwoFour garage has always used Spray Nine because A) it works, B) it comes in big bottle we don’t have to replace often, and C) it does the job of what we used to use three different cleaners for. Spray liberally, give it a minute to do it’s work (think of it like foreplay for cleaning), and then use some of those durable blue shop towels to wipe away what was previously an unsightly mess. Congrats, your garage is getting cleaner by the second.

Now that you’re organized and clean, you can sit back and decide what you want your garage to be. Do you want a workspace to tinker in, or a man cave, or just to finally fit in your family’s second car? There are no wrong answers (unless you turn it into a giant ball pit. That’s how you get on watch lists…), so take some time to really think through what your ultimate garage space looks like.

Finally, keep the mother clean and tidy alright? You just sunk a Saturday afternoon cleaning the place, take the three minutes a night it takes to put things back where they belong. If it’s tidy, you’ll be more apt to keep it clean and wipe up any grease spots. If it’s clean, you’ll be more apt to keep it tidy and organized. It’s called the Circle of Garage Cleaning, and we got it from a movie about animals falling in love.

We’ve got a bonus for FactoryTwoFour readers – Just Take the Spray Nine Challenge and get a coupon for $3 off a bottle of Spray Nine to try it yourself. That’s free cleaning product foo!

See what Spray Nine Heavy Duty can do for you.

Take the Spray Nine Challenge.

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M.R.K.T. bags use socially conscious vegan-friendly materials that feel expensive to the touch without the shocking price point. All of their bags are priced well below $200 and have thoughtful and functional designs to cater to your everyday needs. Both the Carter and Frank have two pockets that accommodate both 15-inch laptops and tablet. The textures feel great and durable while providing enough protective padding for your precious electronics. The simple and clean design leaves you with just enough pockets for your functional needs without overdoing it.

I’ve been personally using the Frank Briefcase for about two months now and it still looks new. What I like most about this bag aside from how fashionable it looks is the durability and comfort of using it on a day-to-day basis. The handle on the Frank is strong and soft enough that I never really needed to clip on the shoulder strap. Most importantly, I’ve spilled water on the bag and my laptop did not get wet. With just from one week of daily use, I can tell that there is a purpose to every bit of design. Nothing irks me most than a bag that looks great but is far from comfortable or practical. This is one bag I wish I had started using a long time ago. The coolest part about the Frank briefcase has got to be the removable laptop sleeve.

Be sure to check out their website for a wide variety of bags and colors to choose from. http://www.mrktstore.com/

The post M.R.K.T. Bags – Modern Bags For The Modern Gentlemen appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

FactoryTwoFour:  Thank you for taking time out of your day to speak with us. Who is Jack Earl and why should we trust our beards with him?

Jack Lynch: Jack Earl is named after both of my grandfathers. It is a tribute to the men they were and still are to this day. I’m also named after them and I wanted to carry on the same traditions they did. Both were in the navy and were entrepreneurs, so I am following in their footsteps.

Why should you trust us with your beard? Our main focus is to use quality ingredients in all our products made in small batches. I believe this benefits the customers with a better product experience.

Quality ingredients are not something that is just all natural or organic. They are ingredients that still have their natural scent and color. This is important because when oils and other ingredients are deodorize and decolorize they lose nutrients that will benefit your skin and hair condition. In using all natural and organic ingredients my products are specifically formulated to lead to healthier beard growth.

Working in small batches was inspired by small batch whiskey and bourbon. You may have noticed that I number each product according to how many are in a batch. Most of my products that are directly purchased from me are less than a month old for most batches are made to order. Every batch is sold within 2 months, which is not the case for most companies.

What made you decide to develop your own line of beard grooming products?

Actually, we didn’t start with beard products at all, it started with hair pomade. I was gifted with hair pomade (Garnier Fructis) and I noticed that when I used it my hands would start itching. I did some research and found that 80 percent of products have two or more indigents in what the media calls “The Dirty Dozen.” So I figured I must be allergic to something in pomade. I then decide to start making my own pomade. Aftershave and pre-shave oil shortly followed because I use to wet shave (straight razor) when I was in the navy. Then about two years ago I started making my own beard oil and mustache wax. I was working in the Film Industry until last August (2013) and decided that I was getting tired of working ridiculous hours for someone else, so Jack
Earl Company was born.

Are your products significant other approved?
Definitely YES! Beard oil will condition your beard and make it nice and soft for that woman or man in your life. Mustache wax will help keep your mustache out of your mouth while you’re eating and kissing….Also my girlfriend loves the I’m Your Huckleberry scent.

How would you describe your facial hair?
Three words: Soft, Full, and Thick.

What tips could you give for those who are facial-hair challenged? How would you trim neck beards and mustaches for maximum epicness?
Most of the time guys that are facial-hair challenged are guys in their late teens and early twenties. Sometime it’s all about timing. Sometimes getting healthier (diet and exercise) makes all the difference in facial hair. Sometimes it’s genetic. Either way you’re not shaving.

My basic rule for beard grooming is to go to a barber who knows what he is doing when you start growing a beard and mustache for the first time. They can set your facial hair up for you the first time because they know what works for your face better then you do. Don’t go until you’re three months in. While you’re waiting for that 3 months to come up, you should maintain your neck line. I suggest finding the top of your Adam’s apple and draw an invisible horizontal line across your neck. Anything below that line should be shaved. Anything above, leave it, you do not want chin strap beard that will lead to a weird chin curtain.

If you want an epic mustache just leave it alone until you need to use mustache wax. Use a soft mustache wax to train it, and trim the split ends off with scissors.

Should every man grow a beard?
Definitely! Every man should grow a beard for a year without trimming it!

Who’s beard would win in a fight, Earnest Hemingway’s or Abraham Lincoln’s?
Earnest Hemingway without doubt. Also Earnest Hemingway is one of my favorite writers!

Which celebrity is rocking the best beard these days?
I can’t pick one…. Nick Offerman, John Hamm, Ryan Gosling, George Clooney…. Idris Elba

How do you feel about ‘beard’ being used as a term to describe a girl being used to hide the fact that a man is gay?
Indifferent since society doesn’t really need “beard” anymore.

To check out the full line of Jack Earl Company products, head over to http://www.jackearlcompany.com.

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