Clearing the Clutter From Your Garage

Let’s be honest, many people tend to hoard a lot of random stuff and not get rid of it. Where do you think all that stuff is going to go? So many people throw anything in their garage because it’s easier and saves them the hassle of finding a place for it, but eventually, your garage is going to be full of excess junk that forces you to park your car outside. If you feel like you’re ready to clean your garage, take a look below at some helpful tips to get you started.

Getting Prepared

Before you jump into your very own “Pandora’s Box”, you need to be sure of a few things first. You need to choose the right time, make sure you have a free day or even a free weekend to focus fully on clearing your garage out. You need to have some boxes or garbage bags because, depending on the size of your garage and the clutter in it, you will probably throw some stuff away for good. If you think clearing it all out is too much for you then don’t do it alone, it’s okay to ask family or friends for help so call them up and get cleaning!

Minimize extra equipment

The first thing you should do is sorting everything out if it’s possible to take everything outside and then categorizing stuff then go for it. Start with the heavy equipment that you use for your lawn and garden. If you’re still using the old-school gas types of lawn mower tools and others, it’s highly recommended to change to electric. According to expert reviews, these mowers at The Tool Report provide you convenience and ease of use, which are the primary factors you should consider when getting a new electric mower. So imagine if you have those, you won’t have extra gas cans and oil jugs that are needed for the gas powered tools; leading to fewer things for you to worry about in your garage and the electric-based tools are easy to store and take up little space.

Categorize the Piles

Once you got everything out, start to sort everything into different piles. Have one for donations; some things might be useful for others in need and it’s much better off that way rather than having them collecting dust in your garage. Have a pile for keeping, which means these items cannot be thrown away at all and you use them regularly or have nostalgic value to you. Another pile for selling; some of your things could be worth a lot of money and could be very lucrative for you to make an extra buck from your junk lying around. The next pile should be for the garbage, you really need to have a strong heart when it comes to this pile. Throwing useless things away can be done simply by asking yourself this question, have I used this in the past year? If it’s a no, then it’s time to throw it away. Make sure to check if you can recycle some of the things you will get rid of, do your part in helping the environment!

Organizing Time

Now that you’ve done all the heavy work and just arranged the pile of stuff that you’re going to keep, park your car inside your garage so you know how much space you have to work with. Keep items are very frequently used near you in a spot that’s easily accessible, things like a hook by the door are perfect for reusable bags or pet leashes and car covers. Keep things that are used together in one spot alongside each other; small tools and auto care tool boxes should be in the same spot. As for the heavy things like lawn mowers and gardening tools or snow throwers, it’s a good idea to keep these bulky items at the two back corners of your garage. Try to have a vertical wall storage method, things like shovels or bicycles could be hanged on your walls or the garage ceiling. Vertical overhead storage racks or hooks and shelves can lead to extra empty space on the floor, especially for items that are considered to be a tripping hazard. And if most the equipment you own is electric-based, then it’s much better. Not only does it give you extra space but also creates a safe environment in your garage.

Keep It all Nice and Neat

After it’s set and done and you have a clean and tidy garage, you have to do a lot of effort to keep it that way. Dust it frequently and keeping everything clean, spray for any possible pest problem and fight that urge to hoard stuff. Try to make it an annual or bi-annual thing to clean up your garage. Resist the laziness and piling up random stuff out of nowhere in your garage. It’s something to be proud of if you avoid doing the old hoarding habits.