Cleaning out your garage or attic can take a large amount of time. Yet, regularly taking time to ensure that your space is well maintained can help you avoid the task of spending hours, even days, dedicated to cleaning up after yourself.
Garages and attics are perhaps the most neglected spaces in our homes, unless they are used a regularly lounging areas or bedrooms. Generally speaking, garages and attics store all of our old furniture, clothes, letters, and other keepsakes. It is possible to leave items in the garage or attic for months or years without ever even thinking about it.
The first step to cleaning out your garage or attic is throwing unused items away. Unless they are family keepsakes, if you have not used an item in your storage space in the past 18 months, then give it away to charity. Many people hold onto kittens thinking that their children can someday use them or imagining the second they throw them out, they will need it. As long as you feel comfortable purchasing smaller items, like wrapping paper, then you should be fine to throw these and other clutter inducing items away.
Next, develop a system of organization. It is amazing what a difference a few good shelves, plastic bins, trunks, and baskets can make to the overall clean feeling of your home. Use trunks and bins to store items that are hard to fit onto shelves, like clothes, sporting equipment and kitchen items. Put frequently used items and stackable items on shelves.
Many people also choose to keep refrigerators and shelves for large food-storage items in the garage. If you purchase large amounts of food wholesale, then set aside a place in your garage dedicated to holding them. Your refrigerator can store bottles or cans of beverages, microwaveable foods and large platters of food for entertainment events.
Next, pay attention of the flooring. Using carpeting your by painting the floor, you can create small, divided work areas. If you have an outdoor shed for projects, move the shed indoors to your garage or attic. You can also increase space in the rest of your home by using your garage for laundry. By making the space more frequently trafficked, you will most likely spend more dedicated time towards ensuring that it stays clean and clutter free. It is generally when you do not see the space regularly that the clutter begins to build.
Also, if you have both a garage and an attic that you are using for storage, consider renovating one of the spaces to use as an additional family room, office or bedroom. By adding proper walling, good flooring and nice lighting, you can dress just about any room up to make it usable and to increase the size and value of your home. Increasing the home space is a great way to add on to a home without moving, especially if your family is growing in size. Many families even make the garage a game room for older children by purchasing video game machines and investing in a nice entertainment center. With a clutter-free space, the possibilities are truly endless.