The month of April and the dawning of spring brings a renewed passion for becoming organized and clutter-free. We have all heard of the term “spring cleaning” and most homeowners begin the process in late March or early April. The purpose of spring cleaning is to become more organized for the year and to rid yourself of unnecessary clutter.
Now that the weather is nicer and outdoor activities are beginning to peak, it makes sense as to why April has been designated as National Garage Organization month. A recent poll shows nearly 33 percent of all two-car garages only have enough room to hold one car and the reduced space is partially because people insist on keeping things like rusty tools, hand-powered lawnmowers and non-working electronics that should be removed. Let’s face it…the garage becomes the household “store it and dump it” zone throughout the year.
So, why wait any longer…
The idea of purging, cleaning and organizing after a long winter of just stowing stuff anywhere it fits can be overwhelming. Here are 5 easy steps to help keep you on track and make the overall task less daunting.
1. Define your space – Before you begin, ask yourself, “What is my goal for this garage?”
- Do you want to use it just for parking the cars?
- Do you want to use it for storage?
- Do you want to create a man cave? A mudroom? A workshop?
Once the space is empty (to the best of your ability, of course), use masking tape to mark on the floor the areas you want for the activity areas you’ve defined. This will help you get a better idea of whether or not your plan is doable.
2. Sort – Next, give your garage-cleaning efforts a fair chance by committing to sorting and purging every item in the garage. You must take on this task with truly honest assessments. Ask yourself –
- Do I need this?
- Is this something I can inexpensively replace?
- Will I have the space to store this?As you go through the stuff in your garage, make a plan to put every item in one of three piles: keep, donate or trash. Make firm plans to rid your garage of the donate and trash piles, and then sort all the keepers according to the activity areas you defined above.
- Donate – If an item hasn’t been used in more than a year, consider throwing it out or donating it. Make firm plans to rid your garage of the donate and trash piles, and then sort all the keepers according to the activity areas you defined above.
- Organize – Research storage options. Select products that are specific to household needs. Choose from cabinets, workbenches, wall systems, ball caddies, bike hooks and more. For example, consider hooks and baskets to contain the clutter of kids’ sports equipment, making ball practice a little less stressful.
- Celebrate! Once organized, review the garage space and address additional needs that already exist within the home – is there a need for additional storage, or an outdoor freezer? Now that you have an organized and clutter-free space, consider transforming it into a summer mudroom or a new workshop, adding epoxy flooring, or giving it a fresh coat of paint.
Just remember that DREAM GARAGE SPECIALISTS is here to help you with all your garage storage and organization projects, epoxy flooring and more. Just contact us to schedule a consultation and we will create a customized design and storage solution plan that best suits you and your lifestyle. If you can dream it, we can build it!