Garages are made to keep our cars but along with our cars, we keep other things such as old clothes, empty paint cans, broken things that one day we might repair or maybe something that you never want to see again. The garage sometimes becomes the Bermuda Triangle where everything gets lost. Well, there comes a time when you will have to clean that garage. So to help you out, here are some tips to have an organized garage. It can be a day or two which you will have dedicated to organizing your garage, so bear with it!
- Set time aside – Cleaning a garage can be a day or more especially if you have a big garage. Think properly before actually starting. This task will take much longer even with help. Plan at least a full day! You can start by Friday evening and end on Sunday mid-day.
- Recruit friends and family – The more hands you have to help you the better it is! Involve your friends and family by delegating tasks appropriate for different ages. If you have friends, ask them what they want before embarking them on this. It is surprising to see how much people are willing to lend a hand and all you need to do is ask.
- Sort through everything – Get started by sorting every single item in the garage. You can categorize them in three different parts – throw, donate, and keep. Keep track of things that you haven’t used in five years. Check for expiration dates on paint and chemicals. Throw away things that are no longer repairable.
- Determine a place to store things – Go through your keep pile and determine which items should be stored, preferably elsewhere. If you live in regions where the temperature is high or low, then store paints and other chemicals inside so that it does not get ruined. Keep your garage free from rodents and bugs invasion. Store foods, be it for you or the pets, elsewhere such as a pantry or laundry room.
- Create a new floor plan – It is wise to create a floor plan where you will be able to design how much space you are saving. Categorize your items based on what they are used for that is gardening, sports, seasonal wears. Measure your garage dimensions and create zones for each category. Be careful when doing so because you would want to keep a place for your car also!
- Rely on shelves and cabinets – The most essential thing when organizing is having shelves and cabinets. Shelves are better when it comes to staying organized. Have at least one cabinet in order to store valuable items and dangerous chemicals. Keep the floor space in your garage clean and avoid setting items on the floor and choose cabinets with legs so that it will be easier to clean under them.
- Organize your things in a plastic bin – Place items that you will need on shelves and use plastic bins in order to keep things that you rarely use. Stock up on organizational containers to keep smaller items. Though it will not be easy to locate the items it will save more space and that’s what we need, isn’t it!
- Install organizing systems – Rely on having a peg board in order to hang gardening tools that have handles, golf bags, tennis rackets, and also bikes if you are not using them on a daily basis. You can hang your bike by tire on an S hook into the ceiling in order to save more space. You can also consider buying a hanging shelf in order to use all the space in the garage reasonably. Use track based system in order to keep items such as bikes, wheelbarrows or motorcycles inside. If need be, you can also have an exterior wall of your garage added as a lean-to shed.
- Throw away and donate – Once the items that you decided to keep are stored and organized, it’s time for things to go away! Well, you need to do a checkup before and see if you are sure to throw it away or keep it. If there are items you are planning to donate, think well as these items will go to other people. So have a thorough checkup before publishing on Craiglist or donating it to other associations. If you don’t know where to go then look for the nearest donation center.
- Use junk removal services – It is not hard to get hold of them, just inform the municipal council that you need their help to get items off your driveway or yard. Have your unwanted items hauled from your place in no time, where they will be recycled, reused or donated. It is logical to have an update on the items that you are planning to donate or throw.
So are you all pumped up for a summer garage cleanup soon?
