Tackling a messy garage daunting but doable
Garages have a way of going from deep storage to cluttered chaos. Clearing out the flotsam and organizing what remains can be downright overwhelming.
But with a careful game plan, most garages can be organized in a day, experts say.
“I don’t think you can just wake up one morning and say, ‘I’m going to organize the garage,’ and be successful,” says Regina Lark of the Los Angeles company A Clear Path. “You need planning. You need muscle power.”
Plan and enlist
The first step, Lark says, is to set aside a full day for the job. Choose a starting and ending time, and make sure someone will be there to support you.
“It’s got to be the only thing on the calendar that day, for everyone involved. It’s usually a very uncomfortable task, so get help. Bring in friends. Offer pizza at lunch, wine at the end of the day, and reciprocate,” she says.
Lark suggests that you and your support team set aside three or four hours to take things out, sort them into piles and make quick decisions about what to keep. Then set aside another three or four hours to put everything back in an organized way, and make a quick trip to the donation center.
Before you start, she says, ask: “Do you have enough trash bags or do you need a small dumpster? Do you have spare boxes where you can put things to be donated? What time does the donation center close? Is your driveway clear so that you can take everything out of your garage and sort it there? Will you need shelving or storage bins or peg boards? It’s better to have too many supplies and return a few things later than to have progress halted because you don’t have what you need.”
Decisions, decisions
Understand and embrace the decision-making process.
“It’s helpful to stand in your garage before you start and really connect with the reality of what is there,” Lark says. “The speed and success of the task really boils down to how quickly you can make decisions about things. Look around and ask yourself what you really need in your life in order to thrive.”
She says many unnecessary items are stored because they evoke memories or because they might be useful someday.
“Ask yourself how many artifacts you need to remember a single event? And if you can’t name a specific date and scenario when you’ll make use of something, you really should consider discarding it,” she says. “Try to have these decisions made beforehand.”
Storage tips
Have the right shelves, bins and peg boards ready, Betsy Goldberg, home director at Real Simple magazine, says. She recommends sturdy metal shelving with wheels, and clear bins — each to contain just one type of item — with labels. She also recommends a peg board for easy access to frequently used items, such as bike helmets or garden clippers.
When the job is done, everything should be off the floor and have a designated spot.