Even as lockdown restrictions ease, many of us still find ourselves with a lot more spare time than we’re used to. So, if you’re stuck twiddling your thumbs and in search of a new project idea, why not start with one of the most cluttered spaces in the home: the garage.
1. Take everything Out
If you’re looking at your garage and thinking ‘I don’t know where to start’ you’re probably not alone. Starting can be one of the hardest parts of tackling an organisation project, especially when it comes to the garage. This is because the garage is one of the easiest places to store our random objects that otherwise wouldn’t have a home. For most of us, the garage seems to become a catch-all space for items that we aren’t quite sure what to do with. Taking everything out of the garage will allow you to see it as a blank canvas, rather than a mound of clutter that seems impossible to tackle. Then, slowly you can begin to put items back with a sense of order. Move everything to your lawn, your driveway or wherever it will fit, just make sure there’s nothing left in the garage, then you can begin to properly organise it.
2. Sort items into Categories
You can do this as you are taking items out of your garage or once they are all removed. Start by grouping items which are larger in size such as electrical and garden appliances, then move onto your smaller items such as kids toys, tools and car washing equipment. Once you have sorted your items into groups based on their size, start to categorize items by their use/function. If you have a bunch of items that don’t belong to any specific category, group these with each other.
3. Separate sentimental items from junk
As the saying goes ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, so while that old teddy bear with one eye missing might seem like junk to someone else, to you it’s a memory of when your kids were too young to talk back! There’s no need to throw away items with hold sentimental value just because you no longer have use for them, these things can be grouped together and stored away just as any other item. However, there is a large difference between a tatty old teddy that holds years of memories and a tatty piece of junk that you’re holding onto ‘just in case’ you find a use for it. If you come across something you haven’t used in years, it’s probably best to donate or recycle it.
4. Clean and decorate
We spend a lot of time, effort and money on making our homes look stylish but our garages rarely receive the same treatment. For most of us, our garages are dark, dingy spaces with florescent lighting and concrete floors, and simply serve as nothing more than a storage space. However many home décor and organisation experts believe that decorating a space can help us to keep it neat and tidy, and this includes your garage. So give the floor a good sweep and remove any stains, dust the shelves use those half empty paint cans you found in there to give the walls a new lease of life. You could even go one step further by hanging up a few family photographs or decorative pictures and upgrading your cardboard boxes for storage baskets.
5. Create a plan that makes the most use of your space
Now your garage is empty and your items have been grouped together, you can now begin to plan how you will store everything. If you want to be precise in your planning, you can use a piece of grid paper and a pen to mark out where you will store items, using accurate measurements. When planning where items will be stored, think about how you use your garage normally and what items require the most easy access. If you’re short on storage space, try utilising vertical and overhead space with wall hangers for larger tools and overhead storage racks for lesser used items or seasonal items.
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