Spring cleaning starts in the garage

Have you found that your garage is storing everything but your cars? Are you taking your life in your hands whenever you open the garage door? Are there Christmas decorations and lawn care equipment having a party without you? Make the most out of your garage this summer by saying out with the old, and in with the things you truly need and love (sorry – that broken rake won’t make the cut.)

This is a job best done in one fell swoop. If you try to parcel it up into different days or weekends, it will be the declutter that never ends. Commit to one weekend to get rid of what you need to and organize the rest.

Begin by designating 4 categories: KEEP, DONATE, SELL, and TRASH. Trust us, the last one is the most fun.

KEEP any item that you have used within the last year, or that you need seasonally. Only keep the items you actually use today, not the ones that you might use in the future. You may notice multiples of certain items. Keep the one that is the best quality and donate or sell the rest.

DONATE or SELL any items that are still useful to someone, just not useful to you. Think critically if this is something you would get a good price for, or if it’s best left to the donation pile. In either case, don’t linger too long on any item, we can always convince ourselves that it’s worth keeping if you look at it long enough. DONATE items to your local charity or donation center this weekend – don’t store things that you’re planning on giving away. It’s now or never. SELL items either in a yard sale or online and set yourself a time limit – if it’s not sold in a week or two, donation donation donation.

TRASH broken or unusable items. It’s amazing how much garbage we end up storing over the years, and it’s even better when you get to throw it all away. Make sure you have access to a truck or pickup service to get the task complete as soon as possible.

Take a second look at your KEEP pile. Organize items by usage: daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally.

Seasonal items are best stored in an offsite storage facility when not needed. This also goes for items like spare tires, sports equipment and anything else that doesn’t get used all the time. Organize the rest so that the things you need easy access to (like lawn care items in the summer and shovels in the winter) are up front. Tools and other items that are used only when necessary can be hung on the wall or stored on a shelf for easy access.

It’s amazing how much space can be saved with one weekend of decluttering and organizing. And the best news? If you repeat the process yearly, it will only get easier.

Happy spring cleaning!