Forgetting to Declutter: Garage

A dreaded space to even look at, at times, isn’t it? For some, parking in their garage is not an option because they have boxes and boxes of STUFF, filling every nook and cranny. Trying to find a certain item, is a hopeless cause – it just isn’t going to happen. Walking into the garage, does not have to be this way. What if when you walk in, you know exactly where something is and there will be no waste of time, trying to find it?

It starts with getting rid of the excess. The garage can be a “dump” area. If you don’t know where to put something that doesn’t REALLY belong in the house, it gets thrown in the garage. Really, anything goes in the garage.

Another part of the problem is that we often have no real plan for how you want the garage to look, so it looks the way it does. What purpose do you want your garage to serve? To be able to park your car in there? To find your tools? To store sports equipment? Whatever the function may be, make it happen – and it starts by purging!

1. Take a look at your garage. Can you get rid of 25% of the “stuff” in there? Maybe even 50%? I know those sounds like high percentages, but you would be surprised.

2. Start by getting rid of duplicates. What do you have doubles or even multiples of? Shovels? Tools? Rakes? Balls? Bolts and screws? Do you really need them ALL?

3. What has been sitting in there for over a year, unused? Assess whether you will EVER use it. If you would need an item, could you borrow it from someone else?

4. When putting your garage back together, put like items together. I know this isn’t an “organizing” challenge, but by putting like items together, you will see even more so, what doubles you have. Get rid of even MORE!

5. Put everything in the correct space. If it doesn’t belong in the garage, ask why it ended up there in the first place? If you can’t find a good place for it, get rid of it – it probably doesn’t belong in your home anyways!

Garages can be dangerous spots (to walk in and to store things in). You never know what you can find in a garage, right? For every item in your garage, know WHY you have it, WHERE you have it, and WHAT purpose it serves. If you can’t answer those questions clearly, start decluttering! Don’t ever neglect the garage because you will regret it in the end!