Dreading clearing out your garage? You are not alone, as for many of us the spaces designed for our cars end up collecting all sorts of clutter. The good news is you can get a simple 4-step guide to decluttering your garage below. Read on to find out more.
Step 1: Move Your Vehicles
First of all, if you are going to clean out your garage you need to move your vehicles. Indeed, you won’t want to have to work around them, as this will slow you down. Instead parking them on your drive, or the curb while you do this task is best. Then you will be able to see precisely what you are dealing with in terms of the clutter, as well as any areas that need a good cleaning. Oil stains and cobwebs tend to accumulate in outside spaces like garages after all.
Step 2: Invest in Storage
The next step, once you have more space, is to invest in some storage for your garage. There are many benefits to doing this including reducing the amount of clutter you have and staying organised, which makes big tasks like when it comes to moving home that much easier!
One of the most popular types of garage storage is pallet racking, which offers open robust shelves that can either be used as they are or with boxes or storage containers. It’s best to opt for open racking because this will allow you to instantly see all your items, as well as ensure you have easy access to them whenever you need them while keeping things tidy at the same time.
Step 3: Create Three Piles
Once you have bought your shelving, it is time to pull out every item in your garage. Yes, every single one. This is because you will need to clear the way for your new store, and you will need to see every item you have to decide whether it’s cluttered or not.
As you handle each item, you need to add it to one of three piles. The first is items that you use, and want to keep. The second is items that you no longer use but have some value, and the third pile is for items that no longer work, or are trash.
You can take pile three straight to the garbage dump, or recycling centre and those working there may be able to rescue some items to be repaired. The second pile can either be sold, or donated to charity. Sometimes a yard sale can work well as it will allow you to get rid of multiple items at the same time.
Step 4: Put Things Back In The Proper Labeled Space
Finally, once you have disposed properly of piles 2 and 3, you can put the items in pile one back in the garage. However, before you do this it’s important to make sure that you put up your storage shelving. It’s also a very good idea to label each space you have with what will be stored there. Then you will always have a spot for every item, which can help you to prevent clutter from forming in the future.