You walk into your garage and groan. It is so cluttered. And your neighbor’s garage – it’s so clean! How in the world does she manage to keep her garage so… spacey? You try to imagine space in your garage, but you can’t conjure up the picture. I mean, where would you put all that stuff, anyway?
Lots of homeowners (or even renters) face the problem of garage clutter. Usually, it’s a gradual process. Clutter slowly begins to move in the general direction of your garage, materializing quietly in the corners and sneaking into nooks and crannies. After a few years, you’ll barely be able to fit your car inside. Never fear, there IS a solution! There are several things that you can do to solve the problem of garage space. There’s a general process that you can follow to help give your car – and you – some breathing space in your garage.
#1. The Garage Sale
Have a garage sale! Open your garage doors, have your kids (or husband, or wife) shove everything out into the yard, and voila! Other people take all your clutter, and you’re paid for it! For assured success, you can also make some cardboard signs and place those at strategic areas along your street. Garage sales are a tried and true method, and it’s hard to go wrong with one. Host one on a weekend – preferably Saturday – for the best results.
#2. The Boxes
One simple answer to garage clutter? Put everything in a box. Now, this doesn’t apply in all situations. For example, in the case of my garage, the problem was boxes. I had tons of empty and half-full boxes, and I ended up burning a lot of them (By the way, if this is your problem, I would recommend NOT burning your boxes unless you live out in the country. Otherwise, the police and fire department may take offense). However, if you can, store everything in boxes or bins. You have more space and you can organize things a lot easier. And, speaking of organization, label the boxes. You don’t want to end up with thirty odd boxes with no idea of what is in any of them. The next time you realize you needed something that you’ve already boxed, you’ll have to go through all of them. Trust me. This is not a fun – although it may be quite educational – experience.
#3. The Shelves
Finally, use shelves. I know this sounds a lot simpler than it actually is, but trust me, shelves help so much. It doesn’t matter if they’re built in or not, shelves will use precious wall space that is normally wasted. I would recommend shelves to anybody who can afford and use them. We have tons of shelves in our garage, and they have helped with organization a lot. I suggest having a lot of space between separate shelves, just because the stuff that you store on those shelves could be in pretty large bins. I know this has been the case with my garage.
Hopefully this article will help you clear some space. Good luck, and happy organizing!
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Article and the picture is courtesy by http://www.versaliftattic.com/
