Organize your garage with these easy steps, part 1
Only 25 percent of Americans can actually park a car in the garage.
By Aimee Heckel
Although there is still a little time left on the summer clock, now that the new school year has started, it’s time to get ready for fall.
If spring cleaning is a popular time to organize the interior of your home, then “fall cleaning” is a great time to organize the outside of your home — including your garage.
“September and October are an ideal time to work on the garage,” says Debra Lambert, of LivingSpaces Organizing, a professional organization company based in Boulder, Colorado. “The heat is not so daunting, and you’ll have it done before the snow flies.”
Our garages are crowded, Lambert says.
She notes a study in the book, “Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century,” which found that only 25 percent of garages could be used to store cars, because they were so packed with stuff.
Tired of the clutter? Want to finally organize your garage? Lambert recommends:
1. Start with a vision and goals. Before you lift a finger, understand why this is important to you. Write it down, even. This will help keep your inspired, Lambert says.
2. Set aside enough time. Organizing is rarely a quick project. Block out time on your schedule for several days or weekends.
3. Start with sorting, so you know what you have and need. Then you can make choices about shelving units and storage bins, Lambert says.
4. Then decide what you can get rid of. Organize everything into categories, such as: trash, recycling, safe disposal, donation, repair and resale. Get rid of things that are broken, duplicates and no longer useful.
5. Recycle what you can. Paper, cardboard and glass can go curbside for recycling pick-up. Bring paint, gasoline, fertilizers and other hazardous materials to a hazmat management facility.
Stay tuned for “Organize Your Garage” part two next week!
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