Make time to reclaim garage

[This article originally appeared in the Journal Gazette]

Image courtesy of Pixabay and Unsplash

Make Time to Reclaim Garage

The garage is usually where we toss everything that doesn’t have a place in our home. If you find yourself using your garage as a receptacle, it’s likely you haven’t resolved all your organizing challenges within the home – or that your garage needs a serious overhaul. Take back your garage with the help of our organized to-do list from professional organizer Vicki Norris.

1. Set aside enough time to work on the project. Try to plan for a dry weekend, because you’ll have to pull many items out of the shelter of the garage.

2. Don’t tackle it by yourself. Hire an expert, or get a team of people to work on the project, or it might turn into an overwhelming task that will be abandoned halfway through.

3. Categorize the items in your garage. Some typical categories include recycling, sports and recreational equipment, camping gear, automotive, seasonal decor, garden gear and tools. Evaluate things such as luggage and paint, and see if you can store them elsewhere.

4. Group the garage’s contents. After you know what categories of items will be in your garage, begin grouping them into these categories in the driveway or center of your garage.

5. Donate or throw out items that don’t fit the categories.

6. Determine the best garage layout.

7. Install built-in cabinets or modular storage if needed. Make the most of vertical space with wall-mounted pegboards and wire grids that hold everything from sports equipment to garden tools.

8. Put items in their new places.

9. Set an organizing schedule. Schedule quarterly or biannual garage maintenance on your calendar. If it doesn’t make it onto your calendar, it’s less likely to happen. Meanwhile, remember to promptly put things away after using them.

-By HGTV