Plus, 11 easy things to Purge RIGHT NOW

The right side of the garage, full of tripping hazards.

The left side of the cluttered garage.

It’s that time of year again, when people get the urge to organize their garage. The weather cooperates and it’s easy to get to the dump or the recycling centers. I’ve been working in garages for years. There’s one I am particularly proud of.

The man I worked for, Steve, did not care if his house was organized; he spent most of his retirement time in his garage. Junk and projects had piled up and he was in a pickle, so he called me in.

Soon, we had everything sorted—literally! Metal went to the trailer to get hauled away, all his small tools had a home, and he could now get to his large tools without tripping or having to move a bunch of other large tools which were in the way.

This organized Garage brought to you by Efficient Spaces organizing!

See how easy it is to get to the large tools now.

How did we do this?

Step by step.

First step: Start in one corner of the garage and work your way around.

If the entire garage is full and there is not enough room to move, it is time to call me, by the way.

Second step: As you work, sort like items into piles.

For example, small power tools like drills and sanders can go into a box, or onto the top of a workbench until you find a “home” for them.

Third Step: Purge. 11 things to purge NOW:

• Unopened moving boxes (check inside first for valuables)
• duplicate tools
• old paint and painting supplies
• empty cardboard boxes
• expired food
• seldom-used sports equipment
• baskets
• donations
• stuff you’ve been meaning to sell
• damaged camping equipment
• Broken tools

Last summer, I moved an elderly man who, I bet, never made a trip to the hazardous waste drop-offs in his life. This made it MUCH harder for us to clean out his garage. Luckily, I had organized an office in a local paint shop, Drake’s Paints, and the owner let me drop off all of the old latex paints and stains. They disposed of them properly.

Tip: You can dispose of latex paint yourself. If there is a little paint left in the can, put some kitty litter in to absorb the moisture, then dump that into the trash. Use the sun to dry out the inside of the can, and throw it away.

Fourth Step: Find a home for your stuff.

Chances are you still have a lot of stuff left. Now it’s time to figure out where it all goes. That is one of my specialties! If you are DIYer, though, just make sure it is clear to everyone in the house where the new spot for everything is. Some “homes” are going to be the same because wherever you stored the gardening supplies really worked well.

Fifth step: Labels are a beautiful thing!

I don’t know if under-labeling is possible when dealing with teenagers. . . or forgetful adults . . . .

And speaking of teenagers: Involve every able-bodied member of the household in the cleanup. It will help them feel invested and less likely to “junk” it up again.

Most of us use our garage to store the things we don’t want to keep in our house, right? Just don’t let it become the dumping ground!

Remember: Maintenance is the KEY to keeping it clean!

A little bit of maintenance every season change is a great idea, and will save you from doing a HUGE clean-out later.

Happy Organizing!

 😉