How to Tackle That Garage Reorganization Project You’ve Been Dreading
Most people have the best intentions when it comes to keeping the garage neat and organized but life gets busy and intentions fall by the wayside. The good news is that clearing out and reorganizing a garage doesn’t need to take weeks or months. In fact, many people can accomplish this task in a single weekend.
Start by Deciding What Goes and What Stays
Before any organizing can take place inside the garage, homeowners and renters need to decide what to keep, recycle, sell, throw away, or donate to charity. The easiest way to do this is to tackle one section of the garage at a time, hauling items to the driveway to sort through if necessary. It’s important to establish rules that each item must meet before placing it in the keep file to cut down on future clutter.
People often discover items when cleaning and reorganizing the garage that are there because they didn’t know where else to put them. Unless its something truly useful, it’s probably better to get rid of it than hang onto it indefinitely. Some ideas for criteria for the keep pile include:
- Items used at least one time in the past year
- Tools that would be difficult to buy or rent elsewhere
- Anything in good working condition that serves a legitimate purpose
Tips for Organizing Items Remaining in the Garage
After reducing the number of items to keep, it’s time to organize them to prevent the garage from becoming too cluttered again. Overhead storage bins are just one popular idea to consider. These large storage bins can help people organize holiday decorations, camping gear, sporting equipment, and other items that take up space but may only see use a few weeks to months each year.
Installing a track system on the roof of the garage and then attaching the labeled overhead storage bins to it is one way to go about this. Another is to organize the bins on a large table, taking care to have the label face the front to avoid frantic digging when attempting to find something.
Take Advantage of the Garage Wall
Installing a pegboard with multiple sizes of hooks helps to keep items like tools and gardening equipment off the garage floor and frees up space for one or more vehicles. Hanging up the equipment when done with it is the best way to prevent clutter build-up in the future and avoid the frustration of not being able to find a needed item.
Don’t Forget to Clean the Garage
Most garages have layers of dust and debris like dirt and leaves that cause a messy appearance and can trigger allergies in some people. After organizing the garage, the next step is to dust, sweep, and use a vacuum with a detachable hose for those hard-to-reach spaces. Homeowners and renters can also consider power washing the concrete floor, especially if it contains set-in stains like oil or blood.
Hire a Garage Cleaning Service
Those who just don’t have the time or the physical stamina for this project can always hire a company to do it for them. This typically includes hauling away unwanted items in addition to help with organization and cleaning.
