How to Clean and Organize Your Garage
by Blair Massey
The garage is a great place to put
things that just don't belong in the house. It's the place to store bicycles, gardening supplies, tools, sports equipment,
the kiddie pool, the lawn mower and of course the car.
Sometimes, though, the garage becomes a dumping ground for things
we don't know what to do with. We tend to stash things there thinking that we will eventually find a home for them later.
Unfortunately, unless the garage is properly organized, once something ends up there it tends to stay there, never to be seen
again.
In some cases there is so much stuff in the garage that we have to park our car on the street. If this is how
your garage looks, it's time to grab a broom and follow these 5 steps to cleaning and organizing your garage.
Here
are the supplies that you will need: 2 or 3 large kitchen trash bags, 4 or 5 large produce boxes and a broom.
STEPS
1.
Remove everything that is on the floor (including the car).
2. Sweep out the garage. Don't forget to clean any cob
webs from the windows.
3. Next, sort through everything. As you go through each item, decide if you need to throw it
away, put it in another location, give it away or store it.
If it is broken, worn out, used up or useless, toss it in
a garbage bag. Discard any old paint, pesticides, and fertilizers. Call your refuse company or county for locations that take
paint and other toxic materials.
If it is a "give away" item put it in one of the produce boxes. One way to
decide whether you need to keep something is to ask yourself if you used it at least once last year. If you didn't, give
it to someone who can use it. Don't be sentimental. Only keep what you are really going to use. Of course you should keep
items that are rarely used if they are for an emergency, such as jumper cables or if they are used once a year as with tree
pruners.
If you have items that will go back into the house or borrowed items that need to be returned, put them into
one of the produce boxes. You can drop them off when you are done with this project.
Put all the items you want to keep
in a separate area of the garage. If you are storing items to be reused at a later date such as baby clothes, then you might
want to consider relocating them to an indoor location that is dry and pest free, such as the attic.
When you are finished
with this step, put the "give away" items in your car and take them to the nearest donation center. Put the "return"
items in your car and return them. Put the garbage bags in the trash can.
5. Getting organized. This is the step where
you put back everything you are keeping. The only difference is that this time you will be organizing your garage into the
following functional stations. These stations are groupings of related items.
Gardening and Paint
Make
sure that children do not have access to weed killers, pesticides and other toxic chemicals locking them up or storing them
up high.
Store small gardening tools on peg boards.
Store potting soil in a five-gallon plastic bucket with a
lid.
Store pots, grouped by size on shelves.
Fill a large plastic garbage can 1/3 full with sand mixed with one
quart of clean car oil. Place the metal end of your shovel, hoe and pitch fork in this container. The oil will keep them from
rusting. Keep a wire brush nearby for cleaning off stubborn dirt.
Secure the lids to paint cans then store them upside
down to prevent the paint from drying out. Clearly label them with the color name and a dab of the paint color.
Tools
Hang up as many tools as possible on a peg board. The more you get off the floor the more room you will have.
If you
have a work bench but not enough space to hold tools, consider mounting your tools on a peg board just above you work bench.
You can also install a shelf above your work bench to hold drills, and other small equipment. To store very small items try
nailing the lids to jars under the shelf and screwing the jars into the lids. These make great places to store nails, screws,
nut, bolts, washers, tacks, and staples.
Wall mounted paper towel holders are a great way to store rolls of tape. Just
place your tape on a dowel and put the dowel into the holder.
Place car care items and miscellaneous items on shelves
in clearly labeled boxes or bins.
Equipment
This area is where you store your lawn mower, weed
trimmer, hand tiller and other pieces of equipment. Use peg boards with heavy duty hooks and bike racks to hang smaller equipment
and ladders.
Sports
Store skis, golf clubs, and other tall pieces of equipment in a tall plastic
trash container or hang horizontally on the wall.
Put balls in a mesh bag and hang on the wall.
Cleaning and organizing
the garage takes time and effort but the rewards are great. Once you are done, you will have a space that is functional and
easy to maintain. Best of all you will be able to open your garage door with pride. No more feeling embarrassed when the neighbors
walk by!
© 2002 - 2009 Blair Massey
Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey publishes the popular Christian
Homemaking Newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers. If you're ready to get organized, manage your time better, and provide
a peaceful, beautiful home for your family, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com
