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Health & Fitness

Garage Organizing Tips

Looking for the perfect spring project? This might be just what Mom wants most!

Most people like the idea of parking their car inside a garage: it protects the car from the elements and allows passengers to enter/exit without concern for the weather. However, many garages today are filled with sporting gear, yard care supplies, tools, and a plethora of other “stuff.” Spring is a great time to clean out the garage and start over. Here are a few suggestions for reclaiming your space:

PLAN BEFORE YOU BEGIN

  • Determine your budget in advance. There are options for every price point (fromwall-mounted systems to rolling racks to plastic shelving to pegboard)
  • Research options so you know what your approach will be before you start pulling items out.
  • Take measurements so you know how much space you actually have.
  • Hire help if you need it (professional organizer, installer, “muscles” to move items, etc…)
  • Think creatively. Maybe you can buy or build extra storage along the back of the house/garage?
  • Plan how you will dispose of unwanted items. (When is the next hazardous waste dispoal day near you? Who collects old sports gear?)

SET ASIDE SUFFICIENT TIME

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  • It’s going to take at least a weekend, probably more. Unless you have covered space outside, wait for nice weather.
  • Remember to give yourself time to empty, clean, sort, install solutions, and reload.

EMPTY THE WHOLE SPACE

  • Yep, everything. It is important to see and evaluate every item from the space so you can decide what to keep.
  • Sweep the space and clean it as much as possible. 
  • If you like, touch up the paint while the space is empty.

AGGRESSIVELY PURGE

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  • Don’t keep itmes that you “might” need someday. Think of your garage as real estate: every item has a square footage storage cost.
  • Rule of thumb: if you haven’t used an item in 3 years, get rid of it (unless you are saving it for a CERTAIN future need.)

AVOID COMMON MISTAKES

  • No cardboard – it absorbs moisture and disintegrates. Use clear plastic containers whenever possible.
  • No plastic bags… Move supplies to more structured containers.
  • No propane tanks – they need to be outside
  • Get stuff up off the floor as much as possible… Garage floors are dirty.
  • Keep chemicals in a safe place.
  • Move paperwork inside.
  • Quickly dispose of unwanted items. Don’t leave them in a corner for “later”…

A FEW TRICKS….

  • Plastic painter’s buckets are perfect for bulk supplies (dog food, salt, fertilizer…)
  • Add kitty litter to old latex paint cans to harden the paint for disposal.
  • Consider solutions designed especially for garage items, such as Stick Storage for sports sticks/lawn tools and Ball Claws for balls.
  • Use the walls along the sides to hang items, since most garages are longer than they are wide.
  • If you have exposed studs, install brackets or bungee cords to use the space between for storage.
  • Install some kind of shelving, whether wall-mounted or that which sits on the floor.
  • Establish zones for different types of supplies (sporting goods, seasonal, garden, etc.)
  • Always look up. Garage are often tall and large objects can be suspended from the ceiling.
  • If you have large but narrow items, pull the shelving out from the wall about 6 inches to slide them in.
  • Stage the area near the door to the house to make a mini mudroom.
  • Hang a tennis ball from a string to remind you where to stop when pulling your car in until you are used to the new layout.
  • Label every bin so family members can keep with the system.
  • Use a wall-mounted empty gutter for holding long, narrow objects (e.g. pipes, scrap molding).

Spring is the perfect time to get the garage cleaned out and ready for summer. What tricks have worked well in your garage?

Submitted by Professional Organizer Seana Turner, Founder and President of The Seana Method.

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