Tag Archive | garage

Inspiration to Fall into Organizing

 

Fall has officially descended upon us here in the northeast part of the United States.  It has brought the gloriously warm, sunny days and envelopes us with its crisp mornings and cool nights.  This season always provides such great joy and inspiration!   As the days begin to shorten and the thermometer falls, we are reminded that the cold weather is not far away.  What better way to get ready for it than to organize some of your outside areas?  Let the fall season provide the inspiration and motivation to conquer those outside areas!  HERE ARE SOME PROJECT IDEAS TO CONSIDER TACKLING.

ORGANIZE YOUR GARAGE:  Has your garage become a dumping ground and you don’t even remember what its intended purpose is?  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.  We’ve posted 8 Simple Steps to Organize a Garage on our Blog to find out how. Click Here to read it.

HAVE A YARD SALE:  Cleaned out the garage or basement recently and have a lot of stuff to get rid of?  Want to make a little extra cash while having someone else take away your junk?  Remember…”One man’s trash is another’s man’s treasure”, so why not have a yard sale!  Do you think there’s no time for one or does the thought of all the work freak you out?  Visit our Blog for the Recipe for a Successful Yard Sale and you’ll get great tips on cooking up an awesome event. Click Here to read it.

CLEAN OUT THE SHED: Has your garden or storage shed become overloaded or too hard to maneuver around in during the past summer?  Have you put off organizing it all because you’d rather play in the warm weather or has it been too hot to drag all that equipment outside and clean it off?  The weather is now cooler and there’s no time like the fall to close up shop before winter sets in.  We’ll be posting a great slide presentation with easy tips to close up your shed on our blog.  Check back on the weekend of Oct. 19th to read it;  getting it ready for winter will be a piece of cake once you view our presentation!

Don’t let the winter catch you off guard.  Clean out the garage and organize it so you can maximize that real estate, maybe even bring in the car this winter.  Have a yard sale so someone else can take away your junk while you make a little extra cash and get ready for the winter by cleaning all your equipment and organizing your shed.  There’s still plenty of time to conquer all of these organizing projects AND  enjoy the fall.  Visit the links listed in this post so you can get out there and tackle it!  If you need a helping hand, contact us, we’ll be happy to help get you on your way to a war. 

 

8 Simple Steps to Organize A Garage

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 DISPOSEDispose 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!