How to Organize a Garage

I walked into a friend’s home one day and was completely taken aback by the utter chaos that reigned within. No matter how hard I tried not to comment on it, I could not help myself and finally blurted out that I had never seen such a mess. My friend sheepishly admitted that she did not how to organize a garage and frankly, now that it was such a cluttered, crowded space crammed full of stuff, she did not even know where to begin.

After a brief discussion, we  decided to do some research and brainstorming to figure out how to organize a garage and declutter garage debris that had built up for years.

Step One:  Sort, Sort, and Sort Some More

The first thing we quickly realized is that there were many, MANY items in the garage that were no longer used or needed.  We quickly realized that you can’t figure out how to organize a garage if you don’t even know what items you have to get organized.  So we started our organize garage plans by taking everything out of the garage and placing it in the yard.  Each piece we took out we but in one of three locations at first:

  • Trash Can
  • Box for Keep
  • Box for Yard Sale/Donate

Let Trash Be Trash

If you decide to follow our ‘how to organize a garage’ guide, be sure that you place as much as possible directly into the trashcan.  If it is moldy, soiled, stained or broken, let it go.  If you have not looked at it let alone used it in over a year, take a serious look at whether it should go in the trash or the donate box.  Try to not place any of these items in boxes meant for items you are going to keep.  If you find an item you absolutely cannot let go that you have not used in more than a year, place it in a separate area.  Take a third and fourth look at the items you put in this group and make sure that the space they will take up is really worth the perceived value you have placed on the items.  These are organizing tips garage owners should truly heed if they truly want their space to be neat and organized and not just moved from one location to another.

If You Don’t Need It, Give It Away

Once we had thrown away the trash and separated the things she wanted to keep and the things she was willing to sell or donate, we set off to organize a garage sale.  Once the garage sale was over, we immediately took the donate items to their final destinations.  Some items went to a local charity that gives items to families in need (she even got a tax break for those items) and some items went to friends and family.  Even though it took us a little while to drop off all the donations, it made it so much easier to move on with the garage organization.

While there is no one way on how to organize a garage, these organizing tips will truly help you reclaim your garage as a useful space and not just a hazard and an eye sore.