About one in four American garages are so stuffed with tools, outdoor equipment, and other odds and ends that their poor owners can’t even get their cars through the door! Our garages have become so cluttered, in fact, that there’s even a national Clean Out Your Garage Day that occurs annually the Saturday after Labor Day. So, if yours could use a little help, you’re not alone, to say the least.
Still, saying you’ll clear out the garage and actually doing it are two different things. These untended spaces are typically our home junk collectors: whatever you don’t want in the backyard or can’t find a place for inside winds up there. And that can make a garage decluttering project feel a little intimidating. How do you get started when you don’t even know where to begin? That’s simple: with these junk-busting tips that will take you from cluttered to cleared-out in no time!
Give Yourself Enough Time
Rome wasn’t built in a day—and most garages aren’t cleared in that short timeframe either. A full eight hours cleaning is a lot to ask of yourself and your family, so try portioning the job out over a weekend or even several weekends if you need it. Whatever you do, don’t try to be a superhero and get it all done at once: we have a tendency to overestimate what we can do in a few hours when we’re not arms-deep in junk.
Tackle One Corner at a Time
This goes right along with the first tip. Your garage cleanup project will seem a lot less overwhelming if you break it into manageable tasks. Divide the garage into zones, and take them on one at a time. Try cleaning out one corner of the garage first, then moving on to the next. Turn on some of your favorite upbeat tunes and your project will be humming along in no time!
Don’t Use It? Get Rid of It!
The best garage cleaning jobs are decluttering projects in disguise. That means getting rid of stuff you no longer want or use: toys and sports equipment the kids have grown out of, beat up camping supplies, or things you don’t really need all that much (when was the last time you played golf, really?). Be ruthless as you evaluate: if you don’t want it, don’t need it, and don’t use it, now’s the time to get rid of it!
Get Your Sort On
Sort your items into three piles on the driveway: to keep, to toss, and to donate. A couple of other tips along these lines? Make sure you look through every box and container thoroughly—you don’t want to throw out something absolutely priceless. And try to take your donations to Goodwill or Salvation Army as soon as possible so they don’t pile up. If you need help hauling, call us here at Humpback Junk and we’ll be happy to help!
Think About Going Vertical
Hand tools like shovels, brooms, and weed wackers do a lot better hanging than they do leaning against a wall. A lot of your garage storage woes happen because your stuff is taking up too much floor space—especially when you consider that with the right tools, you could easily be storing that stuff on the walls or ceiling. For smaller tools and hardware, try installing a pegboard wall. There are plenty of pegboard accessories like hooks, drawers, and tool holders that will help you store everything to a tee—and you can easily rearrange items without too much fuss. For longer tools, a specialized mop rack or shovel holder will do the job. You can even hang bikes from hooks on the ceiling, or invest in a ceiling-mount garage storage shelves to hold less frequently-used items. Go vertical and you’ll make room for your vehicles in no time!
Set Up a Garage Mudroom to Handle Shoe Clutter
If you have a shoeless policy in your home—or just kids and pets that love the mud—you’ll flip over this idea. The area around the garage door frequently becomes cluttered with shoes, coats, pet stuff, and any other items you don’t want tracked through the house. Install a few hanging baskets, a coat rack, and a welcome mat by the door—and voilà! A makeshift mudroom to capture incoming outerwear before it can make a mess!
Finally, your car will have a home again! Take that, garage messes!
Need junk removal services in Austin, TX? Give us at Humpback Junk a call today!