The garage is kind of a funny space when you think about it — it serves not only as a place to park vehicles, but it’s also storage for anything and everything you don’t want to keep in the house. And when things aren’t organized or certain items are kept longer than they should be, it can lead to some serious clutter issues. The garage is a good signal for the health of the whole house. It’s the dumping ground for unused and unwanted items, and things that have been carried with you throughout your life that you simply can’t manage to get rid of. And one day you find yourself waiting for the garage door to open and to pull and park your car, and there isn’t any space left for the vehicle!
At A Plus Property Services, while we can’t help you go through your belongings and determine what should be thrown out and what should be kept, we can help you with junk removal services. When you have gone through all of the piles of stuff, we are more than happy to take the piles away, leaving you with a usable space. But getting to that point may be easier said than done. Depending on how long you’ve lived in the house, there may be a lot of stuff.
Here Are Some Tips on How to Organize Your Garage
Start From Scratch
We don’t mean throw out everything from the garage and just start over completely, but simply get everything out of the garage. When the garage is clear, this not only gives you an opportunity to clean the space, but also allows you to see exactly what you had stored there. You may even realize, or remember, just how big the garage really is, giving you hope for being able to store more than you thought possible. By starting from scratch, clearing the clutter and putting everything away in an organized way will be much easier.
Sort Through the Clutter
With everything out on the driveway or in the lawn, begin to go through all of the boxes, bins, and bags and make a separate pile for all of the things you want to get rid of. This can be an emotional process, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time. To help you decide what to keep, assign each item a number from one to 10, 10 being the most valuable. Any items that have a number of less than two or three (or even four if you want to get rid of more) can be sold, donated, or thrown out. Be as practical as you can during this process to ensure you don’t simply put back everything you started with — do you really need the old stroller now that your kids have grown and moved out? When you have a pile of things to get rid of, contact A Plus Property Services and our junk removal team will come take it away.
Create Zones
Before you begin to put things back in the garage, there is a crucial step that must be completed first. And that’s actually turning the garage into a space that can be organized. As much as you want, it won’t be truly organized if you simply toss all of your belongings against the wall. By creating zones within the garage, you’ll have a predetermined space for each item. Consider separating chunks of space into distinct sections:
- Lawn and garden
- Home Improvement
- Sports and recreation
- Rarely used storage
- Basic storage
It might be tempting to start bringing items back into the garage, but there are a couple more tips to make sure the space is as efficient as possible.
Utilize the Whole Space
Most garages are fairly big, or at least have decently tall ceilings. Utilizing wall space is a given, but not many people consider using the ceiling. If you have items that can be hung, like bicycles, install equipment that will secure them to the ceiling. The same goes for many sports items. If you have the space, you may also want to install beams where storage bins can be placed. Just be sure that they are sturdy and that anything you store there won’t be needed very often.
Utilize Storage Tools
Bins, cubbies, cabinets, shelves, racks, drawers — there are dozens of garage storage items that can be used to help you keep all of your belongings organized. Another important step here is to make sure everything is labeled. If you have bins for toys, label it with durable and fade-resistant tape. The last thing you want is to spend all of this time getting organized and then not be able to find something when you need it.
Organizing a garage is not a small task, but it will make your life much easier and less stressful when it’s complete. As you’re sorting through the clutter in your garage, keep A Plus Property Services in mind. Located in Syracuse, we offer junk removal and dumpster rental services throughout the area. If you have junk to get rid of, we can help! Learn more about A Plus Property Services, and contact us today with any questions.