Garage Decluttering Ideas

A garage is an outdoor space for our home that can have many different purposes. Built to store cars, they can be used for storage, housing all of your outdoor required items from bikes, to vehicle oils, paints, strollers, gardening equipment and so much more. I have also seen them converted into man dens where people can hang out and even watch sports. Some are insulated, others remain a weather protected space for exterior items. They can be impeccably organized, or a Tetris mound of clutter. It all depends on your intentions for the space.

Personally, in our household, that is my husbands domain. I only know a small fraction of what is being held in our garage, and unless it is in plain sight, I likely couldn’t tell you where items are stored. Given that this space is typically out of sight, out of mind, it is very easy to get out of hand and become extremely cluttered.

Here are some decluttering ideas to use when tackling the garage.

• Set up four zones: keep, donate, toss and recycle.
• Declutter any camping and outdoor gear.
• Declutter all sporting equipment.
• Declutter gardening tools.
• Dispose of old paint and any other home renovation items you don’t need.
• Sort through tools.
• Sort through seasonal decorations and donate what you no longer use.
• Organize remaining decorations into seasonal themes.
• Sort out car-related items. Only keep what is necessary.
• Declutter any furniture and household overflow.
• Go through anything sentimental stored in the garage.
• Take inventory of any and all items kept.
• Remove cobwebs from corners and any other places within the garage.
• Wipe down shelves, work-benches and windows.
• Install any additional wall shelving or hooks that can be useful for storage.
• Label all boxes and bins left in the garage.
• Clear everything from the floor. Give it a good sweep.

Once you have regained control over your stuff and space, create a garage maintenance schedule to keep it clean and clutter free. This doesn’t have to happen on the exact same date every year, but setting a reminder for the beginning of the month at a certain time of year will give you a push to figure out when this can be handled. The garage is still a portion of your home, and it should be treated as such. If you dread walking into any space of your home, something needs to be done about it. Our homes are our safe spaces, a place of comfort and joy, not for cluttered anxiety of unknown items.

Melanie xoxox