The New Year is almost here. Do you know what that means? Time to make some New Year’s Resolutions. Here at All 4 Seasons, we are fans of setting goals that can be accomplished (we know you could stop eating chocolate, but why bother? It’s good for the soul!). Though cleaning out your garage might seem daunting at first, as with any cleaning project, if you break it up into small steps, it is certainly something you can accomplish. And believe us, once you’re done, you’ll have an enormous sense of satisfaction.
Why Bother?
Is there enough room in your garage for your car? It might surprise you how many garages are used purely for storage, leaving cars parked outside in the driveway or on the street. Sure, cars can stay outside, but they will last much longer if they are able to be stored indoors and out of the elements. Even if you can fit your car in your garage (kudos to you), there’s always something to be said for keeping your things organized. It makes it easier to locate your belongings and you’ll feel better knowing everything has a place. Plus, you never know what you’ll find during the cleaning process!
Next Steps
1.Make sure you have enough time to take on this project. If your cleaning gets interrupted, you may lose steam and it will be harder to return to it later.
2. Many hands make lighter loads. If you can manage, enlist your whole family to help organize. After all, you probably all contributed to the mess!
3. Make at least 3 piles: one for things you will keep, one for things to donate, and one for things to throw away. If you’re having a hard time deciding what to throw away and what to hold onto, consider when you last used the item. Did you even remember you had it?
4. Put the items you are going to keep in boxes and label them if necessary.
5. If you want to take a break, go for a drive to the dump to drop off the items you no longer want.
6. Consider what you’ve always kept in your garage that might be better off elsewhere. Items that commonly fall in this category include:
- paint (extreme temperature changes aren’t good for it)
- propane
- paper goods (unless you want to feed the bugs)
- refrigerator (unless your garage is air-conditioned, you’re probably using a lot of unnecessary energy to keep food cold, especially in the summer in East Cobb, GA)
- pet food (again, unless you want to feed wild animals)
7. Put away your items logically. Keep things you use at the same time close together. Try organizing by what season the items are used in. If there’s something you use a lot, make sure to keep it easily accessible. And of course, make sure you leave enough room for your car!
8. Take advantage of the height of your garage. Consider installing shelving on the walls rather than keeping everything on the floor. This makes both organization and cleaning easier.
9. Make sure you can’t find any spaces in between your garage and house or your garage and the outside that could allow air and moisture to get through.
10. Keep up the good work! When it gets warm (and we know it will here in East Cobb, GA), make sure to use a pesticide to keep any unwanted critters out. Kitty litter works wonders for getting rid of oil and grease spills.
Repeat
Make cleaning your garage a yearly event – we all know that messes can accumulate, despite our best efforts. If you commit to cleaning our your garage once a year, chances are you’ll never be too overwhelmed with how much you have in it.
If you decide to take on the challenge of cleaning your garage, send us your transformation photos. We would love to see!