Turning your household of clutter into a homestead of comfort can be quite the challenge. More often than not, garages become a temporary home for everything, giving a spot to everything no longer used and covered in the corner under sectional covers or custom tarps. Creating order through garage organization, however, is nothing short of simple with these five steps.
Conclave of Clutter
Organizing can be uniquely challenging, as no two spaces are the same and you and only you know the specific storage capabilities your garage holds. What can be established, however, is a method to demystify the madness.
How do you seamlessly fit your family’s cars with the likes of tools, yard supplies, sporting equipment, beach chairs, and cleaning solutions together in one space? Tackle this task by taking the process step-by-step.
To begin, it’s important to sift through the inventory of clutter to get an idea of what it is you’re working with. If possible, remove everything from your garage and sort the items into categories. This helps you divvy the project into sections so that the work isn’t as daunting as it could be. Doing it yourself should be both easy and accessible.
- Keep items that are essential to your household. These might include tools, exercise equipment, or even keepsakes and memorabilia.
- Recycle items that might find second life in a new household. These might include clothes, old holiday decorations, or under-used exercise equipment. These are plum for donation at a local consignment store.
- Throw away or recycle items that have little or no value to you and your family, such as items that are damaged or too hazardous 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 a breeze – maybe even fun!
Clean & Conquer
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 and other surfaces. 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.
Divided We Stand
Remember that pile of possessions to keep? It’s about to get a whole lot smaller and a whole lot bigger in one fell swoop.
Group the items you’re keeping by likeness, even being sure to make a section for items that would otherwise defy categorization. This will help you to sort them in the garage.
Plastic bins, wicker baskets, and simple cardboard boxes go a long way in helping you to properly store and organize the clutter. Clearly labeling each box with an identifying category and the item itself helps to eliminate potential confusion as you put items in their 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 your garage.
Fall Back into Basics
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 “zones” that you might find at your local hardware or big box department store. These zones 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 zones that will house major items. These zones can range from anything between “automotive” to “custom covers”. For these, you can subdivide sections even further as you see fit. If four main sections isn’t enough, you can always add additional categories.
Organize the zones 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.
Hold the Line
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.
Maintaining your newly organized garage is key in keeping it tidy. You can always try switching things up if you find that the system you’ve built isn’t working properly. Find the right balance that works for you. In doing this, you way the way for easy resolution in keeping things in ship shape, leaving you nothing but time to enjoy the comfort of roller shades in your most pristine living area.
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