Can’t Find Those Decorations? Organize Your Garage!

It’s holiday time and the kids can’t wait to put up the tree or menorah, hang holiday lights, and help you decorate the house.  You’re sure you put the decorations away somewhere in the garage last year, but when you look, you just can’t find them.  In fact, over the last year your garage has gotten so cluttered that you can’t find just about anything.

Face it – it’s time to clean out the garage.

The garage, just like the attic and basement, tends to be a default storage area for anything and everything that’s not used everyday.  Unfortunately, these things pile up, and before you know it you can’t find (or reach) the items you really need.

With a little effort, your garage can become a clean, organized, functional extension of the living spaces in your home.  The following steps should get you there, as long as you set aside some time, and commit to the task:

• Reserve an afternoon that you can dedicate to the garage.  Holiday season is busy, but you’ll need at least a few hours to clean and organize this space.  You might even need a full day.
• Involve the entire family in the effort.  Try to make it fun by playing music, assigning ownership of various spaces to different family members, and maybe even having a contest to see who can organize their space the best.  You’re a team; working together, you can organize that garage!
• Set aside space for the things you no longer need.  One approach is to remove everything from the garage so that you can take stock of what you have and separate what’s needed from items that can be disposed of or donated.  Of course, you’ll need good weather for this effort, so if it rains or snows on garage cleaning day, you might have to reschedule.
• Consider renting an outside storage container to temporarily store the contents of your garage while you’re cleaning.  If a sudden storm hits mid-project, or if you have to leave the project half done overnight, you’ll be glad you made this investment.
• Dispose of, recycle, or sell items you don’t need.  If items are broken, outdated, or out of commission, dispose of them properly.  Remember to safely dispose of paint, solvents, motor oil and other harmful chemicals.  Contact your town or city hall to find out how and where hazardous wastes should be disposed of in your community.  Consider recycling any items made of materials that can be recycled, and donate usable items to a local thrift store or charitable organization.  Or, set aside items for after the cleaning job is done, when you can hold a classic garage sale.
• Separate the items you’ll be keeping into groups.  Once you’ve emptied everything out of the garage and disposed of the things you don’t need, separate what’s left into groups for re-storage.  For example, group power tools, toys, sports equipment, lawn care items, auto care items, camping gear, and seasonal items together.
• Label locations in the garage for each item category before returning your belongings to storage.  Then label corresponding boxes and containers, so they end up stored in the proper place.  It’s easier to find items in your garage if they are stored with like items.
• Sweep the garage floor.  Before you return the contents to the garage, that this opportunity to clean the empty space.  One suggestion for sweeping is to use an environmentally safe sweeping compound (available at hardware and home improvement stores) to help control airborne dust particles.
• Wash the floor.  Add some degreasing cleaner to a bucket of hot water and use an old mop or scrub broom.  Rinse the floor thoroughly after washing.  If your garage floor has oil stains, apply a laundry pre-spotter (such as ‘Spray and Wash’).  Allow the solution to sit on the stain for at least 10 minutes, then sprinkle with laundry detergent and scrub with a stiff broom or brush.  Rinse the area thoroughly; the stain should be gone.  A thick paste of hot water and powdered dishwasher detergent should work for tougher stains.  Scrub into the spot, let the solution soak overnight, then rinse thoroughly and let dry.
• Get rid of cobwebs.  Use a broom to brush cobwebs off the ceiling and out of corners.
• Replace light bulbs.  This is a great time to remove old light bulbs and replace them with energy-efficient models that will last for years to come.
• Before you load everything back into the garage, add shelving, hooks, or portable storage containers that will help you keep the contents of your garage organized.  Hooks can be used to store a variety of items, from ladders and brooms to bicycles, which would otherwise take up space on the floor.  Plan space for more belongings than you currently have; you’ve already seen how quickly new items congregate!
• Put it all back!  Your garage is clean, old items have been disposed of, donated, or are waiting to be sold, the light bulbs are set and you’ve labeled the spaces where everything should go. This is it – load your usable items back into the garage, taking advantage of the added, organized storage space. 

Just remember to set one thing aside – those holiday decorations you were looking for!