Straightforward Hacks to Declutter Your Garage With Ease

Whoever came up with the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” must have had a garage. The garage frequently becomes a go-to place for unwanted stuff.

If you’ve decided to tame your out-of-control garage, congratulations. Decluttering a garage lets you make better use of it as a practical space. As a bonus, you might even be able to finally get your car inside!

Of course, you might still be wondering where to even start to clean out your garage. Below are a few garage cleaning tips to help.

Set up Convenient Garage Storage Options

Unless you have adequate storage in your garage, you won’t make much progress on keeping it clean for long. Instead, you’ll end up with another mess down the road.

Before you can turn your garage into a sublime storage spot, you’ll need to move everything out — yep, everything. It’s best to do this on a nice-weather day. Having all the boxes, tools, bikes, kids’ toys and furniture out of your garage will give you a clean slate.

Once your garage is all clear, scrub it up, take a broom to the floor and remove the cobwebs. At that point, you can start adding storage pieces, such as:

• Shelves: Your local home improvement store will have tons of DIY shelving units. Find ones that will fit in your garage. Then, install them so you have shelving to rely on. Some homeowners even label their shelves to create organization “zones.”
• Cabinets: Cabinets can provide valuable storage spots. You might choose overhead cabinets for storing tools or seasonal equipment, like gardening gloves and planters. 
• Hooks: Never underestimate how reliable ceiling and wall hooks can be as garage cleaning hacks. Many homeowners forget to use their ceiling space. As long as you’re not obstructing your garage door mechanism, you can hang hooks as needed.

Move Your Things Back Into the Garage

Once you have your garage organization system in place, start moving your stuff back in. During this process, you’ll want to evaluate each item and label it as “keep,” “toss,” “donate” or “sell.”

If an item falls into the “keep” column, find a place for it in your newly decked-out garage. Try to keep similar objects together so they’re easier to hunt down later.

If an item is listed as “toss,” give it the heave-ho without a second thought. As a side note, you might want to rent a trash container for the occasion.

If you intend to donate an item, put it in a special place to take to the nearest donation center. Don’t put it back on the shelves — store it elsewhere, such as in your car trunk. That way, you won’t end up keeping it.

If you’re selling an item, figure out where and how. Again, resist returning the object to a storage spot in your garage, otherwise you might never let it go.

Maintain Your Organized Garage

Now that your garage is the envy of the neighborhood, you want to keep it that way. A final garage cleaning hack is to think twice before loading up your garage again. Before anything becomes a permanent fixture, have a place and reason for it. That way, your garage will remain a bastion of organizational bliss.

Need a safe and attractive replacement garage door to go along with your freshly tidied-up home? Contact Hunter Door for a professional estimate.