Decluttering a garage is hard because it’s practically a dumping ground for the items that you’ve decluttered from your home. Everything that doesn’t belong or fit into your home ends up being taken to the garage where it sits forever, until of course you know where else to dump these items.
My garage houses all my gardening tools, car supplies, pool accessories, outdoor sports equipment, a stepladder and a lot of other infrequently used items. In short, it’s used more for storing clutter than what it was actually constructed for – my car.
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If you’re someone like me, you would often find yourself frustrated trying to look for stuff amid the junk that your garage stores. Add to it the struggle of having to walk around the random boxes of clutter after getting out of your car, and you’ll realize the importance of decluttering your garage.
Here are some practical, failproof garage decluttering tips that will help you achieve a garage that you’ll want to show off to your guests:
1. Have a Goal in Mind
If you start decluttering your garage without knowing your end goal, you might just end up making a bigger mess. Make sure you know what it is that you wish to accomplish from your decluttering efforts.
Do you wish to have a little more space to park your vehicles?
Do you wish to vacate some space to store your outdoor sports equipment?
Do you want to keep your gym equipment in the garage and start working out from there?
Are you looking for more space to store the yard and gardening equipment?
Having a particular goal in mind can help you decide the extent to which you should declutter. If you are hoping to vacate a lot of space in the garage, you might have to go for a ruthless declutter. But if your goal is just to reorganize it in a way that you have enough space to move around, it might just need a mild declutter along with a good organization strategy.
2. Start with Throwing Away the Trash
The best way to begin is by getting rid of any items that aren’t serving a purpose. Look for boxes of stuff that you know will never be needed and take them out to the Garbage bin. Sort through the yard and gardening tools and get rid of anything that is broken or damaged beyond repair.
If there is stuff that isn’t useful for you but can add value to someone else’s life, you can either donate them or plan a garage sale to earn some money.
Besides, stuff like old batteries, paint cans, oils & lubricants shouldn’t be trashed away directly because it can be harmful for the environment. Call a waste management company to help you dispose of this stuff in a safe manner.
3. Focus on One Area at a Time
It’s easy to find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the magnitude of clutter your garage holds which is why you should always start small.
Pick a corner to start decluttering with. It can be the shelf housing your car supplies, or the one storing your gardening tools, or the bag of your pool accessories. Once you’re done decluttering this corner, move on to the next. Don’t try to declutter it all at once.
When you focus on one area at a time and declutter it successfully, you are able to get the momentum going besides gaining the motivation to continue decluttering.
While decluttering any area of the garage, make sure that you only keep the things you might actually need or use. And once you’ve tossed the items in the Donation Box or the trash bin, dispose of them before you find yourself second-guessing your decisions.
4. Store Similar Items Together
The whole idea of decluttering and organizing your garage is to make it easier for you to access your stuff. Grouping items based on how similar they are will help you find things when they are required thereby saving a lot of time.
Use lots of big metallic shelves to store the tools and sturdy bags to store plastic accessories. You may also need some plastic crates and boxes as a part of your garage organization system. Consider having hooks on the ceiling and walls to utilize the vertical spaces in a way that you don’t have to waste your time accessing items when you need them.
5. Consider Moving some Items into the House
Sometimes, the biggest reason for your garage being overly cluttered is your tendency to shift every misfit item from your house to the garage.
How many times have you dumped something in the garage because you didn’t want to keep it in your home? Or because you thought it was a misfit in your home?
If your old furniture is lying unused in the garage, consider using it as a patio furniture instead of dumping it in the garage. You can also move some small tools from your garage into the storage area of your house.
It can be exhausting to declutter the garage with all the heavy stuff that it stores. If possible, seek help from a friend or a family member. It’s also important to examine the space available in your garage and use it to plan the entire decluttering process. Having an idea of the available space will help you decide what to keep and what to get rid of.
Although hard, garage decluttering can be fun if you can manage to turn it into a family activity. But remember that it’s important to organize your garage after you have decluttered it. You don’t want to go through the struggle of finding items in a mountain of junk.
If there are any other garage decluttering tips that you would like to share, please drop it in the comments below or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com. I love hearing from you and it absolutely makes my day.