Turning the tables on a messy garage might sound like a challenge. Garages tend to be a makeshift storage spot for anything and everything, giving a home to everything no longer used, covered in the corner under sectional covers or custom tarps. Creating order through garage organization, however, is simple work thanks to these five steps.
Dirty Dozen
Organizing can prove difficult as you contend with the fact that no two spaces are the same and only you know the specific storage capabilities your garage possesses.
Seamlessly stashing your family’s cars, tools, yard supplies, footie equipment, sectional covers, and cleaning products together is far easier when you tackle the process step-by-step.
Starting off, it’s crucial to sort your inventory of clutter to get an idea of what you’re working with. If you have the room to do so, remove everything from your garage and sort the items into categories. This helps you separate the project into sections so that the work isn’t as demanding of your time and energy.
- Keep items that are essential to your household. These include tools, exercise equipment, or family keepsakes that you don’t want to lose.
- Recycle items that are in good enough shape to find second life in a new household. These might include clothes, holiday decorations you longer use, or old exercise equipment. These are great to donate at a local thrift shop or community clothing center.
- Throw items that have little or no value to you and your family straight to the bin. These belongings might include items that are damaged or too paltry for donation.
This step is crucial in achieving complete garage organization. By sorting items into categories, you’ll find the rest of the process to be much easier, and maybe even fun.
Clean Dreams
As the dust from the decluttering settles, it’s time to give your garage a good deep cleaning. This may seem taxing, but it’s necessary in order to move forward with a tidy, organized space.
Clean permanent fixtures with wipes, removing excess dust and debris. Mop floors with a cleaning solution of water and soap, ensuring the floor is ready for organization. You might even consider lining the floor with non-slip garage mats as a means of precaution to better protect it in the future.
- Dust first with a proper plumet before going back over shelves, book cases, and other fixtures with a rag, ensuring pesky dust bunnies are thoroughly cleared.
- A capful of bleach goes a long way in cleaning floors, They don’t have to sparkle. You just want a sense of refreshing cleanliness.
- You can revisit this process in small bits once everything is organized to retain a clean garage.
Dogpile
Remember your pile of things to keep? It’s about to get a whole lot smaller and a whole lot bigger all at once.
Grouping the items you’re keeping together by likeness is an assured way to make room for everything in your garage. Collecting items that would otherwise defy categorization helps to sort everything into categories.
Plastic bins and storage boxes go a long way in helping you to conquer the clutter long after this process is complete. Clearly labeling each box or bin with an identifying category and the item(s) inside helps eliminate potential confusion as you put items in the new homes.
For larger items, like antique cars or frames for roller shades, it’s okay to skip the hassle of trying to place them into a receptacle. You can instead, leave them be and protect them with custom tarps and custom covers that are clearly labeled with an identifiable marker. There’s nothing worse than leaving something up to mystery, especially in a storage space.
Basically Basic
Moving back into the garage space with a clear plan of action makes this next step a breeze. Thinking out the methodical system for which you’re organizing is the hardest part.
An easy method for this is dividing the space into “fields” that you might find at your local hardware or big box department store. These fields will help to house items and categorize them so that they maintain order – distinguishing where things go and giving everything an exact place.
Start by dividing your garage into four basic fields that will house major items. These zones can range from anything between “automotive” to “seasonal decor”. For these, you can subdivide sections even further as you see fit, with categories like “custom tarps”. If four main sections isn’t enough, you can always add additional categories.
Organize the fields in a manner that makes them accessible not only to you, but to every member of your household as well. This allows you to find items when you’re looking for them, but also eliminates the potential for a lapse that will put the space back at square one.
Simply Put
With garage organization comes order and with order comes a sense of clarity and balance. Doing it yourself is something to embrace with a knowing and positive attitude.
Finding the right system of organization is the only surefire way your garage stays free of clutter. You’ve put a system in place, hoping it will work the way you need it to. So, what happens when you find yourself in the opposite predicament? Adapting the organization to better fit your needs.
Switching things up is an easy way to amend the system and improve how it’s working. In doing this, you pave the way for easy maintenance to keep things in ship shape.
Maintaining the features of your newly organized garage ensures its success in the long run, leaving you with nothing but time to eeb your frustrations outside and enjoy the tranquility and comfort of your outdoor living area, perhaps even spending time working in your garden instead.
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