We all love to spend time in our garage. It’s a place where we can tinker around with small projects, catch up on lawn work, and store our car during the winter. But what happens when you have too many items to store? You might think that it becomes impossible to find what you need or you might just put up with the cluttered mess for years because it seems like there’s no other solution. But there is!
Organizing your garage doesn’t have to be an ordeal that will take up your entire weekend. If you follow these four steps, you can transform your garage into a clean and organized workshop in just one day!
In fact, my work as an interior designer has taken me to many key real estate locations where people were losing thousands of dollars of value from their house listing price simply because they couldn’t be bothered to clean their garage!
For example, the last time my friend and I were looking at Vancouver homes for sale the difference in value was night and day!
There are many benefits of getting rid of all the junk in your garage.
- First, you will have more room to store your items.
- Second, you will have a better view of what is back there.
- Third, it will be easier to find things when you need them.
This is a project that can take a few hours or many days depending on how much stuff is in the garage and how much time you want to spend sorting it out.
1. Clear out everything
A messy garage can make it difficult to find anything. But you don’t have to spend hours cleaning up your garage as these tips will speed up cleaning and help you to keep it clean in future.
Therefore, step one is to take everything out. Yes, everything!
The first step is to take all of the items out of your garage. You may want to sort them into piles for things to keep then sort them into recycling, donating, or throwing out.
Be generous when you are getting rid of your junk, that clutter may have some sentimental value or you might think you need it, but do you really?
2. Make piles of like items
Organizing clutter. It’s a constant battle. But there is no need to despair because there are many ways to keep your space tidy. Piles are one of the easiest ways for you to find things that you need.
You can use different items like cups, cardboard boxes, or containers with labels on them to make piles of like items.
3. Clean up the space
It is very important to sweep or vacuum your garage to keep it clean and free of any hazardous chemicals and substances that could be harmful to human health.
People who live in a house with a garage find it difficult to keep the garage organized because they cannot use the space correctly while the car is parked there. These people must sweep or vacuum their garages on a regular basis. It is very important for people with messy garages to clean them regularly, otherwise, they can get prone to sicknesses like asthma and lung cancer.
Once it’s clean you will appreciate the better aesthetics it will be much easier to keep it clean in future too. Or at least in theory!
4. Store items properly
Garages are not just for cars, some people use them for storage. However, these spaces can get messy very quickly if not properly addressed. Here are some things to consider when storing items in your garage.
There are many items that can be stored in a garage space, but there are some items that need to be stored in the right ways or they will produce smells or ruin other items. Here is a short list of useful things to consider when storing items in your garage.
- If you keep food make sure that rodents and other pests cannot get to it
- Keep shelving or other organisational storage ideas to keep things neat
- Everything should have a designated space – don’t just throw things anywhere!
- Stack things vertically to save space. That being said, make sure that it is still safe – there is no point in being tidy if it’s a major hazard!