If you were to ask any person what chore they hate the most, we are certain that their answer would be cleaning the garage. Sometimes it seems that there is no point in cleaning it because it will soon be cluttered with junk as if you didn’t do anything. Still, it is a chore that has to be completed regularly because there is no point in keeping all the old stuff you don’t need anymore. They only take the space that can turn out to be quite valuable if you live in a small house.
In this article, we are going to give you some tips on how to get rid of all the junk. Even though it might seem like an easy task, still you need a plan on where to start and how to sort everything. Hopefully, these tips are going to facilitate the entire process of decluttering your garage and help you maintain it clean.
Divide the space into zones
Generally speaking, people store all kinds of stuff in their garage, usually the things that they do not use very often and that they cannot keep in their homes. Our first tip is to think about the layout of the space. You should divide it into a few zones and decide where you want to keep specific things. Some of these include tools, sports equipment, gardening and different kind of household supplies, and even some seasonal clothing items.
By approximate calculation of the things you want to keep, you should try to picture the appearance of the garage once you finish everything. Don’t forget to consider the things that you use most frequently because they should be stored somewhere where you can access them easily.
Declutter the space
Without a doubt, this is the part that everyone hates. The time has come to go over all the items you have in your garage and decide what you should keep and what you need to get rid of. One piece of advice – don’t fall in the same trap that most people do. Be realistic and think about whether you will use certain items in the foreseeable future. If the answer is not, then it needs to go to the junk pile. Most people like to keep some things thinking that they might need them in the future, but that is never the case.
Depending on the size of the space and also the number of items, you should leave an entire day or maybe even a weekend to complete this task. It might also be a good idea to include your whole family because you will be able to do this quickly and also have some fun on the way. Get a quote for a dumpster rental in advance, it’s a great solution to include especially when dealing with piles of clutter in your garage, so you won’t have to worry about disposal after cleanup.
While going through all of this stuff, you should divide them into four categories – keep, toss, donate, and sell. Yes, there might be a lot of stuff that you do not use anymore but are still in perfect condition which means that you can organize a yard sale. When it comes to the donate pile, this can include old clothes or even your kids’ toys that they haven’t touched for years. If you feel like you are throwing away memories, you should choose one item that you get to keep and donate the rest. Finally, the toss pile is probably going to be the largest one. Due to this fact, you will probably need a dumpster where you can store these, so you should visit hawaii-equipment.com to learn what your options are when it comes to renting one.
Organize the remaining items
Now that you are left only with things that you want to keep, it is time to deal with them i.e. organize them. We have already mentioned that you should divide the garage into zones, so you should do the same thing with the remaining stuff. Once again, you can sort these things into numerous categories. Firstly, begin with the items you frequently used. As already mentioned, they should be somewhere where you can reach them easily, without disturbing anything else.
Secondly, think about the bulkier items. These are going to take a lot of space and in order to store them correctly, you have to find a perfect place for them. Think about the space that your vehicles take and place these items somewhere where they won’t be in the way.
Furthermore, sort out the things that are used together. These usually include toolboxes, sports gear, and so on. Finally, when it comes to items that you rarely use like holiday decorations, you should store them on the highest shelf you have. This way they won’t take any functional space that should be reserved for other, frequently utilized things.
In addition, we have another piece of advice for you. When it comes to sorting all these things, you will probably have to use a lot of boxes. Instead of using cardboard ones, you should invest in some plastic containers. Why? Well, simply because these are sturdier meaning that they will not decompose easily, therefore, they will protect all the items.
Keep everything in its place
Once you finish organizing and storing everything comes the tough part – you should keep everything like that. More often than not this can turn out to be quite a difficult task especially if you spend a lot of time there working on some DIY projects or making some repairs.
Still, you have to do your best to ensure to put every item back in its place. Don’t leave it for later, but instead put everything back as soon as you finish with it. Most people tend to procrastinate this, so they soon find themselves right back at step one, having to clean everything again. There is no doubt that this is the most frustrating this, so in order to avoid it, try to keep the garage tidy for as long as possible.
Conclusion
All in all, these are some basic tips that you should use when cleaning your garage. As boring as it may seem, you will be surprised by the extra storage space that you will have upon concluding this chore. Make sure to take as much time as you need in order to organize and store everything perfectly.
Nina Smith 
Kim Marks