Do you find that your garage has become a dumping ground and you can’t even remember its intended purpose? Have you thought about organizing it, but quickly gave up the idea because it was too overwhelming? You’re not alone. There is a way to tackle the project easily – break it down into manageable steps and work on them one by one. Read on for some tips on how to accomplish those steps.
PREPARE FOR THE RIDE: Check out the weather so you can pick a date that works well with your schedule; commit to the project by marking it on the calendar. Assemble supplies you will need: plastic garbage bags, cleaning solutions, gloves and a dust mask top the list. Make sure you have easy-to-grab food on hand and lots to drink so you can keep yourself nourished.
DIVE INTO THE SORT: The easiest way to sort is to bring it all out; utilize your driveway or backyard for the sorting. Create sorting zones with a pile for Keep, Donate, Move Elsewhere and Toss. Remove the largest items first, work your way through the rest and tackle small items last.
CLEAN IT OUT: Pull on the gloves, put on the mask, then clean it all out … get in there with some elbow grease to dust, sweep, wipe down walls and prepare your space for its transformation. Don’t skip this step…think of it like a blank canvas that is being prepared for a beautiful painting.
TIME TO DISPOSE: Dispose of the trash, move out the items going to another area, send the give away items to their homes and you are left with only the items to be returned to the garage. Group like with like and categorize the items left (sports, decorations, gardening, tools, etc).
PLAN IT OUT: Sit in the cleaned space and evaluate what is to be returned. Determine how you wish to store it and decide if you will use shelving units, stock storage systems or call in a company to customize the space. Sketch out a floor plan for your reference and note measurements for any storage systems/containers to be purchased. (Remember – measure twice to purchase only once!)
FINDING A NEW HOME: Utilize all of your space efficiently. Shelves are a great way to store large items & local home improvement stores have many storage systems available. Plastic bins are good for small items, hanging racks are great for sports equipment and bikes can be hung well from the ceiling.
DIVIDE & CONQUER: Create zones in the garage for the categories of items you have and clearly define these zones with labels. Make sure to factor in visibility and access: frequently used items should go in easy to reach places up front; permanent storage items in less accessible places in back of the garage. Return the sorted items to their zones.
KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM: Once you’ve created your ordered space, adopt new habits to keep it orderly: take a few extra minutes each day to put items in their designated spots and schedule weekly cleanups. These will be a breeze now that everything has been organized!
Conquering the clutter in your garage and creating an organized space can be a simple and easy process if you break it into manageable steps. Check out our Photo Gallery and see how one of our clients tackled her project in 8 hours! Once you’ve finished the garage, what’s the next space going to be? Drop us a line and let us know – we’ll be able to give you some tips on organizing that area too!