Have a garage like this?
Stand-To that mess with the tips below:
Having a garage may seem like a trivial home amenity, but for many it is a blessing. If you are among the fortunate few who had a garage in your first home, you may not feel the full extent of its blessings, but you should still be able to appreciate just how important it is to your lifestyle. And herein lies the soul of this post, your garage is the heart of your home. It’s the place where things go to be used later, when they are most needed. If you find that it seems to be just the opposite and your garage is a place where things go to disappear, perhaps it's about time we clear it out.
I know, cleaning out your garage seems daunting. Things may be hanging precariously off the sides of the shelves; you may not even have shelves for things to hang off of and simply have massive heaps of miscellaneous stuff you and your spouse thought you'd need during that DYI bird house project last month.
Don't worry, it seems worse than it is. Trust me, I do this for a living.
Here are some simple steps to ensure your garage is cleaned out quickly and once its clean it stays clean for a long time.
Step 1: Empty
The first step is to empty the shelves and shovel out the heaps of junk. This is the most important step because it allows you to determine what goes and what stays. Working junk removal I've helped plenty of people fix up their garages and I've honed in on a few good techniques to do this.
Here are a few suggestions:
"Play garage sale": Open plastic tables on the driveway and lay things out by like items.
"Play Zone": Section out your drive way for like item zones.
Now, take everything off the shelves, out of the corners, or off the floor and as you separate things by like items decide whether you are going to keep or get rid of the item in your hand. Also, while you are emptying out the shelves and clearing out the space in your garage, follow with a broom and trash bag to pick up all that trash laying around in those hard to reach places.
Here's what to do with the items as you separate them.
Step 2: The Go Away Pile
Someone's TRASH is another's treasure… not yours.
Be on the look-out for things like:
Paint Cans- open cans of paint leave paint exposed to the air which changes its chemical composition. Chances are any touch ups with this paint won't come out as originally intended. Unless the cans are sealed and unopened, these pesky garage additions only lead to hard to remove stains and clutter. Snap a pic of the color name and prepare to toss it.
Tool attachments with no tool- Set these attachments aside while you're cleaning out the garage, you just may find that missing tool inside a tote somewhere.
DYI project leftovers- All those little scraps of wood you thought might come in handy later, really aren't serving a purpose beside cluttering up your garage. Part ways with these.
Professional job leftovers- We've all done it. Hired a shady handy man on some home improvement website who brought a bunch of materials and left it all behind for you to figure out what to do with. Let me help you out, if you haven't found a use for it yet, you likely won't. Toss it.
Worn out/ broken/ outdated decorations- This one may be hard to part ways with, but for your sanity's sake, toss it. I'm talking those 80's decorations that were given to you by your grandma's grandma. Ok, if it's a small thing, keep it. But it it’s a 100 foot long garland that you never use, lets get rid of it.
Burnt out lightbulbs- No description necessary. Test it, if it doesn't light up, toss it.
Old receipts and collections of paper/ magazines/books: Old receipts should be shredded for your financial safety, but otherwise old magazines and books can be donated easily.
It helps if you start putting these items straight into a pickup truck or your local junk hauler's truck as you are going through so the clutter in your garage starts "disappearing". Try not to think twice about something, if you didn't think you needed it a second ago you likely won't be needing it a second later. Otherwise you risk spending an unnecessary amount of time accomplishing nothing at all. This can be costly for you if you have a local Junk Hauler assisting you throughout the process.
Step 3: The Keep pile
Things don't go missing if they have a place to be.
If you did as I suggested and threw things away first, then you should have some space to work with now. I know I called this section the keep "pile" but really this should be the time when you can start identifying things you definitely want to, or need to, keep. As you do so, go ahead and start collecting like items in heavy duty totes. It may cost some money to buy these totes if you don't already have some to work with, but they will help your garage look orderly and will keep you from misplacing things.
Before you know it, your garage is starting to look great and there really is such a great sense of accomplishment to see an orderly garage. Now that your garage is clear and orderly keep it looking tidy by labeling your totes and returning items to their designated places after use. I know. This is easier said than done, but try nevertheless.
Remember, keeping your garage and your property clean and orderly is not a one and done kind of thing. You need to keep at it day in and day out. If you buy something new, get rid of the old thing right away. Most communities have bulk pickup days and will pick up just about anything and if they don't, there are plenty of guys like me with companies like Stand-To! Who are ready to assist you anytime of the week, at any time of the day to help get your property as clean as it should be.
Stand-To! Junk Removal and House Wash can stand to just about any job in the greater Orlando area, servicing Seminole and Orange County.
Call us to help clear out your garage today 407-439-1486