How many of us actually use our garages for our cars? Usually the garage is more of a home storage space for toys, tools and yard equipment. Here are some steps you can take to reclaim your garage.
When organizing a space and removing clutter, you really have to start from scratch. Pick a nice sunny weekend, lay some tarps out on the driveway or lawn, and remove everything from your garage. You can go ahead and sort it into piles if you like, as you remove it.
Sweep and clean the floor and any shelves if you have them.
Next, pull the car or cars into the garage. Mark off their spaces with masking tape. Then pull them back out again. You now have your established parking space. When you put items back in your garage, you know that you can’t store them in the marked space. Chances are that this means that some items will have to be removed permanently.
If you have or can afford a storage shed, it will give you an easy fix for all of your large yard equipment and tools, such as a snow blower, a lawn mower, etc. Clearing these types of items out of your garage if you can will give you a lot of space.
Take a look at your stuff out on the driveway and the lawn. Decide what stays and what goes. Set aside areas for items that you can sell and items that you can donate. Throw trash immediately in the trash, or place it to one side for bulk pick up. My advice is to put items for donation immediately in the car. If you have help, tag team it, and have one person drop off a load of donations while the other(s) keep working.
Now it is time to store the items that you have decided to keep. Look at the storage that you have left, after the cars, around the perimeter of the garage. Shelving systems help. Store items that are not used frequently higher up and utilize overhead storage. Everything should have a place and be returned to that place, so the area for your car or cars always remains clear.
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