We are on an annual declutter this month. Last month we got through the laundry room, April is the Garage! A lot of folks have asked about this one, so here it is!
Newsletter Topic of the Month
The garage is a full weekend for most, so grab all the family to help, they will all benefit, and add in some pizza dinner or ice cream sundae night after for a reward!
The garage can feel like a big task, but it has huge rewards. It’s not as much of a 15 minute a day task, but you can work on sections. My preferred method, pick a nice day, and empty that baby OUT onto the driveway. That’s right, all of it. Do a good cleaning and then you are ready to put things back. Have storage bins, hooks, racks etc at the ready to install and use to save time from stopping and running to the store! You can always return what you don’t use or need.
The driveway will be full, so as you unload the garage, try to put like items together, for example all the sports equipment, any yard tools or materials, maybe you store extra food in the garage or seldom used kitchen items. When you sort it, you see how much space you need, then moving it back in is easy.
Some general rules:
· Keep the floor clear around cars. High shelving on the sides, a few inches higher that the top of your car door is ideal. This prevents having to shimmy in and out of your car, dinging the door, and easier access. I shoot for 65” but measure your car door to be sure.
· Ceiling storage racks are very handy, and hold a lot of things out of the way in otherwise un-used space. Check the height of your vehicles too, to prevent a mishap!
· Floor to ceiling shelving on the back wall of the garage is best, try to make the most of your vertical storage to maximize the space.
· If you have a freezer or refrigerator, make use of the space above by adding shelves or storing sturdy totes on top.
Once it is empty and clean, create zones, add shelving or ceiling racks. Since you have put like items together in the driveway, you will have a visual of how much space each zone needs. Keep like things together and get rid of the stuff you are not keeping ASAP. If a garage sale is on your radar, box up those things and designate a zone for them.
If you use rolling shelves (I love those) be sure that they are secured to the wall with an anti tip bracket! Any opaque bins you use, be sure to label so everyone knows what is inside!
Keep in mind some of the other things we have in our garages. We have freezers and an extra refrigerator in ours, and they need decluttering too. Sometimes defrosting. I often get rid of freezer burned food on Buy Nothing, it’s a little harder to coordinate, but many folks have animals that will love to eat some freezer burned foods.
Make sure all family members participate if possible. At a minimum, make sure everyone knows what goes where, this is where labelling or even a small sign helps.
Have a topic idea? Area of struggle? A fun tip? Send it in and I may make it the topic of the month. Email me at hello@judygranleegates.com
Join in the conversation at Facebook group – Declutter and Resize – Bigger Living Smaller Space
Product(s) of the Month:
Grab the Garage Tip Sheet with some of my favorite garage organization tools!
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