With mild winter weather, now could be a great time to unclutter your garage. Here are 5 tips to make that daunting task easier.
1. Take Everything Out
The first step to decluttering your garage is to find out what’s in it. Pick a section of your garage to start with and pull everything out onto the driveway to sort through. Besides making it easier to work, this garage cleaning tip will also allow you to see what space you have to work with and what types of storage might work best when it’s time to organize the items you’re keeping.
2. Decide on Your ‘Keep’ Criteria
Once you’ve pulled everything out, it’s time to set some ground rules for deciding what to keep. This garage cleaning tip will speed up the process by preventing you from agonizing over each individual item. When deciding what to keep, ask yourself: “Is this item in the garage for a reason, or because I didn’t know what to do with it?”
Things to Keep During a Garage Cleanout- 1) Items you’ve used more than once in the past year. 2) Things in working condition. Ditch all those gizmos you’ve been “meaning to fix.” 3) Tools you can’t easily rent or borrow.
3. Decide What to Do With the Garage Clutter
Whatever doesn’t make your “keep” list is, by default, clutter. Don’t let it hang around your garage any longer.
With your “keep” items set aside, start going through the rest of the stuff you pulled out of the garage. Identify items you’d like to sell or donate first. Have plastic bins, cardboard boxes or bags on hand so that you can pack up donation items as you work and stash them somewhere out of the way.
As you’re cleaning out your garage, it’s a good idea to keep a shortlist of places to take your “donate” pile. Your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity are a good place to start.
4. Deep Clean the Space
While you’ve got your garage entirely cleaned out, it might be a good idea to scrub it down before putting things back. Start by dusting off and wiping down the tops of your cabinets, shelves and refrigerator if you have one. Then, wipe down your garage walls and the doors of your fridge and cabinets Next, sweep the floor to get rid of the dust you’ve shaken loose. Finish up by mopping and hosing off the floor.
5. Get Organized
Now that you’ve whittled your inventory down and finished your garage cleanup, seize the opportunity to keep clutter from building back up. So, what’s the best way to organize a garage? It depends on what exactly you need to store. Some great ideas to organize what’s left are:
- Use shelving units to keep frequently used items within easy each.
- Use cabinets or closets for items you use less frequently.
- Use a pegboard to organize hand tools such as hammers and hacksaws.
- Use wall hooks to hold larger tools such as rakes and shovels, or stand these items up in a large, sturdy bin.
- Group items by category so that you always know where to find what you need—and can easily put it back where it belongs when you’re done.
Taking these steps will help you clean up your garage and make it a usable space.
