An Organized Garage

Spring is here and if you are gearing up to clear the clutter and sweep the winter cobwebs from your home you’ll need a plan of attack.
I equate organizing to one of the little plastic puzzles that are made up of squares with one square missing - as you move the pieces around a picture forms. However, without the missing piece it is impossible to move the other squares to form the picture. Your garage or basement is the piece that needs to be missing when it comes to organizing your home. When you free up space there, the entire contents of your home can be shifted to create a place for everything.
Garages can be overwhelming - follow the five simple tips ease the fear of starting and create a garage that functions for you. Be sure to set aside an entire day for this project. If your garage is really packed, set aside an entire weekend. There is nothing more frustrating than running out of time and ending up with a half-finished project that will easily revert back to unorganized chaos.
One. The first step to organizing anything is to separate what is essential to you and your family from what is just taking up space. The only way to do that is to have a trash can, a donation bin and remove everything from your garage. If you have a lot of clutter that you know will end up in the trash I recommend getting a Bagster www.thebagster.com. It is a three cubic yard dumpster in a bag. This bag can be filled to the brim and picked up by Waste Management for a fee. It is also important to identify a recipient for your donations in advance and arrange pick up the day after your garage project.
Two. Group the things you are keeping into zones: camping, home maintenance, sports, holiday, travel, gardening and so on. Eliminate the excess.
Three. When you know what you are keeping it’s time to decide where and how it is to be stored. You may have great storage that just needed to be cleaned out or you may need to add a little structure to your garage to make it fully functional. First choose the cabinets or shelving within your budget and then choose bins of a consistent shape and size that fit into the space. Resist using cardboard boxes to store your items. They seem inexpensive but home eating insects love to start their feast in your cardboard. I have worked with clients who have had thousands in termite damage due to cardboard in the garage.
Four. Get as much off of the garage floor as possible. I absolutely love the Elfa system found at The Container Store for hanging everything from bikes to paintbrushes and more, www.thecontainerstore.com . If you are really tight on space consider storing your seldom used items on a ceiling rack. Check out www.onrax.com .
Five. Make room for what I call a Halfway House. This is a shelf or bin that keeps things that are not currently used in your home. They are the things you are not quite ready to part with but are taking up valuable space in your home. Your halfway house should be easily accessible. If your halfway house is overflowing , consider donating some of the items. It is also helpful to create a warehouse section in your garage for bulk purchases which take up too much space when stored in the home. I like chrome shelving units for this purpose. Check them out at www.Costco.com or at The Container Store.
An garage is an important part of a busy families life and once organized can be easily maintained by returning things to their homes and donating obsolete items on a regular basis. Oh, I almost forgot, you can park your car there too.