What better place to toss, hide, pile and hang? The garage is one of our favorite
"dumping grounds" because "nobody really goes in there" and our mess is private!  
However, sometimes you actually need to park a car in there! So let's take a look at how
we can better organize the garage (and possibly make room for having a yard sale this
summer!):

  • Choose an AREA of the garage. Perhaps one set of shelves or cabinets, or one
    wall, or one bay. Don't empty the entire garage unless you really think you can
    finish the project in one day. Remember, just like building a house, IT ALWAYS
    TAKES LONGER THAN YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE. Allow yourself plenty of
    room in time and energy to complete the task you begin.

  • Before you even start removing items from the area, do a quick inventory of the
    types of categories represented in your garage. Tools, home maintenance, auto
    maintenance, lawn and garden are the most typical groupings. Think about how
    often they are used and/or how heavy the items are. Cans of paint and lawn
    equipment can get bulky and very weighty--make sure you have low places in
    which to adequately store these, or shelves which are hefty enough to handle the
    weight.

  • Look over your walls. Are there areas where you could easily line up some
    inexpensive plastic utility shelves for the lighter weight items like gardening tools
    and car cleaning supplies? Strategize a location for storing these items and clear
    a space for setting up the shelves. Use your vertical storage space. This is the
    most common mistake of storing in garages. Hang tools, hang bikes, hang
    garden hoses, ladders...  anything you can.

  • Now as you remove items and put them in your driveway, use boxes or laundry
    baskets (always have a trash bag or two ready) to receive items which need to go
    to the dump, donation center, and boxes or piles designated to the categories of
    car, lawn, tools, etc.

  • Once an area of the garage has been emptied, sweep, dust or hose down the
    area to get it cleaned out while empty.

  • Now that you've created groupings of categories, you can see what sizes of
    containers or bins you may need to purchase for holding the groups. Clear
    containers are best to view their contents! Painting supplies, gardening tools, etc.
    can usually fit together in one container. Containers may be neatly stacked or
    placed on the shelves you installed.

These steps will give you a good start on clearing out your garage.  Several other steps
can be taken to make your garage storage more functional, efficient and easy to clean.  
Call Sheri for an in-depth, customized garage make-over. And now you're ready for a yard
sale! (Next month's edition!)
MAY
Your mission, should you choose to accept it:  Garage.
Sheri's Organized Life
Phone: 615-394-4525
Email: sheri@sheorganizedlife.com
This page will guide you through organizing a different area in your house each month.
To tackle your home for the first time, or keep it maintained after you've organized it, requires constant attention.
A project as big as a house needs to be broken down into chunks of manageable size, so you can have success!  
To review
other monthly tips,
click the desired
month(s)
listed below:

January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
If you'd like to learn more
about becoming a
professional organizer,
click here!