Organize The Clutter

Does your garage look like a storage shed?  Is it packed to the brim with unlabeled boxes and bins overflowing with old garage sale items, Christmas decorations, beach toys, and Halloween memorabilia?  Is it almost impossible to find a rake or shovel or edger when you need it? Are your tools scattered around?  Do you have to shove aside stacks of winter sports gear in order to get to your lawn mower, bike or stroller?  Has your garage become so cluttered, you can’t even park your car in it?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s high time you organized your garage.

Getting your garage organized and cleaned, means you would be able to park your car inside of it.  Imagine having a place where your car is protected from the elements. Being able to enter and exit your car and stay dry and warm or cool, depending upon the weather.  Aren’t these the reasons why the garage was invented in the first place?  Primarily to house…or garage… a car, and not as a storage place!  Here are some ways to help you repossess your garage and make the most of it.

First, decide the primary purpose or purposes you want your garage to serve. Determine what types of things you would like to store there. For example, do you want the garage to exclusively store your vehicle or vehicles and nothing else?  Will it serve as a wood workshop or workout area? Do you want to store you lawn and gardening tools, bikes, strollers, fishing equipment, scooters, ride-on toys, sports equipment or maybe off-season yard/house decorations in the garage?

It is essential to make a list of all the things you want to use your garage for and all the things you would like to store in it.  Using that information, determine which area of the garage will be used for which function and what types of things you would like to store in various areas within the garage.  Determine if any additional tools or materials are needed to accomplish this.  For example, do you need to buy any shelving, storage bins, bike racks, tool organizers, peg boards, hooks, labels etc.  What tools, if any, will you need to install these items?

Set a specific date and time to start sorting and organizing items. Setting a specific date and time will help you actually start doing things rather than procrastinating. Use boxes, bins, bags, or designated areas on your driveway to help you sort and organize.  The key is to empty your garage completely and sort items with like items.  Tools go in one bin, decorations in a pile, sports equipment in another pile. Once the items have been sorted into categories, sort through those categories. Put wood working tools together, automotive tools together and store them in an appropriate container. Having everything out and visible at once gives you an opportunity to really see how much stuff you have and help you identify items that are broken or no longer wanted and get rid of those things.  Be sure to properly dispose of any old paint cans, batteries or other hazardous solvents properly.  Give your empty garage a good sweeping or cleaning at this time.  Consider touching up the paint. You want a nice clean surface to work with.

An important part of organizing your garage is assessing the amount of available space. Storage is a common issue, remember to make use of vertical space. Utilizing the walls and ceiling are a great way to increase available storage.  There are many types of shelving available ranging from free standing to floating, organization grids, cabinet systems, stackable bins, hanging bin systems and hanging bike racks available to help maximize storage capacity.

Once you’ve sorted items into their respective categories, make sure to keep the items together as you place each category back into the garage.  For example, children’s toys should be stored within their reach and in a manner that makes it easy for them to access and put away those toys. Gardening and lawn tools should be readily accessible and easy to get in and out of the garage. Multi drawer organizing bins are useful for storing and organizing small items. If you have more time, you can also create toolkits with proper labels from buckets or jars for your tapes, knives, switches, screws, nails, or anything that you use on a regular basis.

Following the suggestions given here, will not only give you a place to store your vehicle again, you will also be able to know exactly what you have and enjoy the ability to find what you want, when you want.  As you work towards organizing and decluttering your garage, imagine your sense of accomplishment and pride you’ll have every time you walk into your clean and organized garage and know that you did it all on your own.
Click Here to: Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately In The Easiest Possible Way