A garage is one of the most desirable amenities for those searching for a new home, and it adds value to the house for those hoping to sell. However, many garages are used more for storage than to house a vehicle, and the clutter can keep you from being able to use the garage for the car even if you wanted to.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to learn ways for reducing clutter in the garage just so you can park the car there on occasion.
5 Effective Ways to Do Away with Clutter in the Garage
Prioritize the Stuff.
Start by separating what you really need to keep from things that can be thrown away, given away, donated, or otherwise disposed of.
You might be surprised how much you really need and how much you have simply never taken the time to deal with. You can then see what you want to do with each individual area, from items that can be thrown away to those that you hope to sell.
Take the items for donation right away or as soon as possible, so that you are not tempted to recycle them back into your keep section.
Donating to Goodwill or another charitable donation organization will make you feel good and gains you a tax deduction.
Strategies for Disposing of Possessions.
Deal with the items that you do not want to give away but do not want to keep. You could have a yard sale, sell items on an auction website.
Think of eBay, a classified section of a newspaper, a classified website like Craig’s List, or ask friends and family members if they know of people looking for certain items that you hope to sell.
Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish.
Dispose of the trash somewhere other than your trash bin outside. This might mean taking it to a local trash dump.
It might mean a designated trash dumpster in your neighborhood; just put it somewhere where it can not wind up back in your own garage. Why?
Because sometimes, other members of the family (who may be hoarders) feel the urge to rummage through the “garbage” items to ensure that nothing they want to keep has fallen by the wayside.
This leads to items that should be disposed of returning to the garage, and the cycle begins anew.
Organize Efficiently
Organize what you want to keep as you put it away. Do not simply throw everything back on the shelves or stick it in a box in the corner.
Use organizational tools such as storage bins or labeled boxes to organize the clutter into a manageable storage area, leaving room for your vehicle and other large items, like lawn mowers, that need to be stored.
Shelves are excellent for storing smaller items, as are pegboards and similar ideas. Shelf brackets are inexpensive. Install them with a cordless drill and coarse-thread drywall screws.
Use a stud finder (if you have drywall on the walls) and install a bracket every 16”. In almost all cases the building code calls for studs to be on 16” centers.
Develop a New Mindset.
Make rules about future storage in the garage. In order to avoid having to repeat this process again in a few short months, make and keep rules regarding what can be stored in the garage.
For instance, if someone wants to store something in the garage, let him or her know that they should give up something already stored there. That way, they can learn the value of prioritizing what they want to keep and what can be stored elsewhere.
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