When you click the button on your garage door opener, what's revealed when the door slowly rises? If you're like the many of homeowners, chances are your garage reveals a crowded, disorganized mess, filled with clutter that prevents it from being used for its intended purpose: to park and protect your car. In fact, one in four Americans claim their garage is too cluttered to even fit their car. But how can you keep your garage from becoming a hoarder's paradise? Below are five challenges disorganized people commonly encounter when trying to create a neat and organized garage, as well as tips to overcome these obstacles.
1. You Consider It All Clutter
Let's face it: clutter is a result of our own inability to make decisions. Some "clutter" really should be thrown out, while other things are masked as clutter simply because they are not used regularly or stored properly. Unfortunately, our garages tend to be the landing pad for a substantial amount of stuff we can't commit to. You can deal with this problem in just a few easy steps. First, gather garbage bags, boxes, bins, or even a dumpster - these will help you separate and organize your clutter into three categories: trash, sell, or donate. Then you need to go through each item piece by piece and ask yourself if you really need to keep it. If not, decide if you'll throw it away or donate it.
2. You Don't Have Enough Space To Declutter
Many times, we use lack of space as an excuse not to declutter the garage. However, after you've sorted through your items and gotten rid of the things you don't want or need, you'll have a specific amount of "keep" items that can either remain in the garage or be put into storage elsewhere in the home. Consider completely removing all of your "keep" items from the garage so you can start at square one with organizing. Think of it as your "blank canvas." You'll be better able to group similar items together, like power tools, sports equipment, camping gear, etc.
3. You Don't Know How You Want To Use Your Garage
One of the leading reasons we let our garage get so messy is because we cannot determine exactly what we want to use the space for, making it the target of many different activities and purposes. To overcome this obstacle, make a list of the various ways you could potentially use your garage. This list might include: Parking Recycling Workshop Woodworking station Crafting area Tool storage Sports equipment storage Gardening storage Holiday decoration storage After you've made this list, observe the different groups you've made with your “keep” items and examine the space you have in your garage. Prioritize this list to help you determine what and where you'll store your items.
4. You Can't See Organization
Often times it's hard to see past the clutter to what your garage could really be like in an organized state. However, after sifting through your clutter and prioritizing your belongings, it's easier to see how your garage can be organized. This can be aided with the help of "zoning". Separate your garage into zones and designate your items to its own zone based on use or purpose.
5. You Don't Use Storage Appropriately Lastly, properly using space for adequate storage can be difficult. Thankfully there are a few different ways to zone things into place more efficiently. For example, you can maximize wall space with the help of freestanding garage shelving, pegboards, or garage cabinets that store belongings vertically. It's also recommended that you label meticulously to prevent your entire garage from becoming cluttered again. Similarly, store frequently used items in an easy-to-reach location.
Organizing Solutions For more ideas on how to transform your garage, take a look at Flow Wall's organizing solutions.
