Where To Begin Cleaning In The Garage
September 29th, 2009 | 
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Probably, the most sufficient space for storage in your home is your garage. This is because it offers a huge amount of space, though that space is limited depending on the use of the garage. Your garage is the perfect candidate for improving the efficiency of your storage space. Luckily, you have a ton of options available to you for taking on this project.
One option that you have is to go out and buy what known as a modular storage unit. These have components that you can mix and match with one another as you see fit to give yourself more storage space compacted into a tighter area. This will solve much of your space difficulty.
Another thing that you could do is to build your own storage area. Sometimes the modular ones just aren’t sufficient enough for the amount of storage that you may need, due to the amount of stuff that you’ve accumulated over the years. Building your own unit may help you cut back on clutter and make it easier for cleaning the useful area that you do have. As well, seasonal items will be easier to get to year in and year out, plus making it safer as you age with your home.
Shelves, cabinets, plastic containers, and wall-mounted racks are the more popular kinds of garage storage and organization solutions. Cabinets work great for protecting what’s inside them from moisture as well as dust. Shelves will save you space more efficiently but the cheapest solution are wall-mounted racks. These combined with clear plastics containers will assist you in being able to see the contents of your storage along the racks.
Just imagine a beautiful spring day. Your certainly don’t want it to go to waste there for get yourself excited to go for a bike ride, maybe do some fishing with the kids, and even enjoy a little picnic. However, when you get to your garage you see nothing less than a huge mess, with all of the equipment that you were so excited to pull out buried behind clutter, shoved in corners broken and damaged. There goes that idea. Instead, it’s time to retake your garage.
The most important part when organizing your garage is knowing where to start. You’ll first want to buy some cabinets, along with some shelves and a hammer and nails.
The sorting and storing goes as follows. You’ll need to categorize every object and put it in a spot specially designed for it. For instance sporting gear needs to be put in a cabinet or up on a shelf. Any tools should be placed in drawers hung on peg boards in an orderly fashion such as by size and type.
Be merciless about throwing things away and don’t even think twice before you toss away anything that you haven’t used recently or those things that are broken. If you haven’t fixed it yet, chances are that you won’t. Seasonal gear should also be sorted; boots and things that are out-of-season such as coats should be organized in small closets.
Once you finish sorting, organizing, and throwing away Unwanted or unneeded items, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to recognize your long lost friend; the garage floor. Maybe you can even get your car into the garage again. Wouldn’t that be special?
Leroy K. Calstard
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/where-to-begin-cleaning-in-the-garage-106714.html
Posted in Home Storage Cabinet
How do I begin to clean up a house and garage full of clutter and junk?
I have a house / garage full of things I’ve collected over the years. Even papers and old documents that are of no use to me. It’s getting to the point where I can’t even walk through the place anymore. I’d like to clean it up, but have no idea where or how to start. Can someone help?
start in one room and go through and get what you don’t want out and then go to another room and do the same
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I am an expert on this subject.
Pick "one" spot,I will give you choices.
Bathroom
Bedroom
Kitchen
Do not get distracted! do not pick up a book and start reading!
Stick with it,room by room.
Bring home boxes to fill with crap.
Have one box for e-bay items.
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a gas can and a match?
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Rent a dumpster and toss out everything that you don’t use. Donate anything that some one else may need to your local Salvation Army or other charity.
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have a yard or garage sale. you will get rid of a lot of stuff if you do.
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Everytime you leave the house you throw something away. Hopefully a bag of something, but if not a bag at least one piece of paper. I mean everytime you leave the house, you go out for the mail, take some trash, etc.
That is how you start.
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Get a heavy duty shredder for your documents. They’re pretty cheap these days.
Start in one section at a time, rather than thinking "I’ve got to clean out the garage." Get three boxes–keep, donate, toss. Wait, get four–one for papers to shred. Go through your stuff and put each thing in one of those four boxes.
It helps to work in increments–one hour, or three square feet at a time.
At the end of each round, take the "donate" box to the Goodwill or Salvation Army (or have them pick it up). Dump the "toss" stuff in the trash. Set aside the "keep" stuff. Shred your papers.
Be ruthless. If you’re hanging on to some things for sentimental value, consider just taking a picture of them so you can get the same nostalgia without having the things taking up space.
I don’t recommend a garage sale. It’s hard to let go of things that way.
Bit by bit you’ll get through it. Good luck!
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start small that help so you wont get overwhelmed.good luck!
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I would love to do a Free Sale. But my bf won’t let me throw anything away. That way you only have to haul away the stuff no one will take for nothing. With a garage sale, you make money but are stuck with most of the junk afterwards.
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If you’re willing to get rid of this stuff now, why did you accumulate it in the first place? I think the fact that you haven’t just waded into the mess to begin clearing it out means that you really don’t want to.
Try sending one of those clean-up shows pictures and a letter. You might get the deed done with a whole lot of help.
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I read an intriguing magazine article on the topic. If you can’t really bare to get involved in a huge cleanup project (or have a hard time parting with things), it suggests that you use the method of "walk out/take out." Every time you leave the house, you must pick up one item (or two or three — you set the parameters) and carry it to the trash. That doesn’t sound so hard, does it? Well, if, for instance, you set it at 2 per walk out and you leave the house an average of 3 times a day, then you will have tossed 42 items at the end of one week. Hard to believe, isn’t it? I am planning to use it on a spare bedroom that turned into a junk room. But in my case, everyone in the house has junk in there, so I have to get "buy in" for the project from everyone — because one of the rules is that no one is to throw out something belonging to someone else without approval. Good luck.
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Confucious say "A journey of a million miles, begins but with a single footstep." Use Confucious’ wisdom. A million miles is a long way to walk, but if you are ever going to get there you must begin walking.
You want a clean house, pick a spot, any spot, and work from there.
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Okay, you are going to have to not look at the entire picture or you will get overwhelmed and accomplish nothing. That you want to do this is wonderful, so tackle it in a way where you will succeed.
If you have a storage facility, start with that. Clear it out. Otherwise, start with the garage, the logical place for storage.
Purchase many large garbage bags and many see-through plastic storage containers. Buy a label maker or use stickers that can be written on, and get a few magic markers. Mark areas, even if it is outside, this way: Throw Away Donate Storage Garage Sale and Put Away. Now, take 1/4 to 1/2 of the garage and start picking up items, one at a time. Be ruthless. Once you get the feel of putting things in the throw away pile, you’ll love it. NEVER touch an item twice. If it is in your hand, keep it in your hand until it is in one of the designated areas. Don’t go back through the throw away pile and start pulling things out. Keep dividing off the space until you have cleared out the garage.
Take the Storage items and place like-with-like, put them in the plastic containers and mark them. Continue until the garage is cleared out, the throw aways are thrown away and the donated items are donated. Now, sweep, hose your garage and neatly stack your plastic boxes in a logical way, i.e., clothing with clothing, housewares with housewares, etc.
You now have a place to put the items you will be storing from the house. Systematically do the same in your house. Bite off a small portion at a time. Throw Away, Storage, Garage Sale Donate. Be ruthless, ruthless, ruthless. You don’t need that stuff. Hug it and throw it away; you haven’t seen that stuff for years and were doing fine without it.
If you can’t do it alone, enlist the help of a trusted friend or hire a secretary-type person who needs money to work on the side. They are organized.
Treat yourself to a new paint job or furniture when you are done. The money you make on a garage sale will pay for it. To make sure it never happens again, the #1 rule is, Don’t let anything go out of your hands without putting it where it belongs. Deal with it at that moment and throw it away without guilt. You can do it.
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Focus on one room at a time. You can’t possibly hope to change it all at once and it will overwhelm you if you try. Start small and stay focused on the end result of that step. Maybe a bathroom or closet 1st, then move on to the next area. Don’t allow yourself to transfer clutter from a new area to one that you have finished, not even for a moment! Also, remember to stop after each area is completed and just relax in the newly cleared space. Let it reset in your mind that THIS is how it is suppose to look. You can even do it by category of items removal. Start by going through the house and concentrating on removing all of the old clothes you don’t wear or use anymore, then go after outdated newspapers and magazines. Reward each success as you achieve them. A relaxing bath and a glass of wine, a fancy dinner, etc. Maybe shopping for new stuff should be avoided as a reward as it may prove counter productive.
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Get a garbage dumpster and just start tossing…you will be surprised what you don’t need!
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The hardest part of solving your problem for you will be to change your ways and think differently. You must make a terriffic change within yourself that allows you to see yourself and surroundings the way you really want them. That is what I had to do.
I found these steps helpful as well….
5 Ways to Begin Organizing your Home
1) Stop it before it comes in
If it is junk mail, opt out of it and do not sign-up for contest that will put your name on a mailing list. In the ideal sense, if your husband has enough socks and you buy him more than you must toss an equal number.
2) Do you really need it?
When ever you are evaluating an item, please ask yourself: Do I really need it?, What is the worst thing that could happen without it?, and If you keep it then get rid of something else!
3) Find a home for everything.
Everything that you decide to keep must have a home of its own. This means not in the "junk-drawer" or stuffed at the bottom of a closet. It needs to be obvious to everyone where it goes.
4) Return things to their home.
This is the MOST important part of Home Organization, returning the item to its home everytime it is used. This is basically, Organizing 101, and the daily key to maintaining your space.
5) Practice these steps everyday.
Organizing is a continuous process and does not end when you have tossed and found homes for everything. But it is much easier from that point on. Follow these basic steps and you will be more organized making you feel better and your house look better.
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http://www.breathingspacefl.com/Resources.htm
Get lots of small boxes (liquor stores have them). Put several in each room. If you haven’t used an item, separate accordingly in boxes. Get rid of clothes you don’t wear, toys no longer needed, anything at all not necessary for utility or pleasure. Then have a yard sale. Donate what doesn’t sell and take the tax write-off if needed. Sometimes we have so much, we can’t find what we need. Life is so much easier without the clutter.
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the easiest way to do that big of a task is a little at a time. start with your papers…then nicknacks…then what ever else you have…organize as you go, and LABEL! it’s a huge time saver when you want to go back and find something. walmart has a great deal on plastic tubs that are HUGE space savers…also if you get them in clear, it’s easy to see whats in them with out opening the lid. a little at a time!
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Hi,
Either call a bunch of friends over to help you or call
1-800-GOT-JUNK, which is a company that will come to your residence and clean it out.
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one room at a time, sort for Goodwill, trash, garage sale items should be kept together…good luck
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CALL AND WRITE….BRAVO QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY…TELL THEM ITS AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION AND LAY A BET THAT THEY CANT DO IT…..THEN JUST START…..TIL THEY COME SMILE YOU LITTLE PACK RAT (HAVE ONE IN THE FAMILY)
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Before you start commit to getting rid of most of it. Equip yourself with 3 containers: trash can, give-away bag/box, and ‘keep’ box.
1. Go to garage 30min* a day and sort and toss (try listening to music or books on tape while you do it and it won’t be so tedious).
2. Immediately disperse the give away stuff (to Goodwill, etc.), and dispose of the trash. Also distribute the keep stuff where ever you plan to store it. This step is essential to prevent the stuff from finding its way back into the garage.
* alternative: take longer (2 hours) or commit to a whole day, if you can stand it.
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Been there, done that.
what I do when my room gets junkie I take every that is not were it is supposed to be and put it in the middle of the floor. then go from there and separate the garbage from the things that I am using now from the things I didn’t even know i had (things i don’t use) making sure everything has a place. meaning when I pick something up and use it when I’m finished with it i put it back where i got it . this helps for when you get new stuff. your house will never get junkie cause everything has a place. and if that didn’t help sometimes its good to go corner by corner and work your way to middle of the room.
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Step 1 – Figure out how much "stuff" you have room for, or how much free space you want in your environment.
Step 2 – Categorize your stuff. I break it down into
> what I’m keeping (stick to space available in Step 1)
> what can I sell at a garage sale, etc.
> what I can find a home for (friends, family, Goodwill)
(Last time Goodwill came and picked it up)
> what should be thrown out
Step 3 – Figure out a system and try to stick to it.
> put aside chunks of time to work on it
> What help is available if any
.> brake down the job by area or room
> or by the categories listed above.
Good Luck!
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get some boxes about three
or so
one box is a keep box and the next box is a through out box and the other box is a sale box.
this is needed for each room and the garage to
and remember this can only get better.
as for the papers-you need to go over them while you takeing a break and see if theres anything that you might need like for tax home papers or anything thats home related or car or things like that and thenn file them on your pc or home safe.
or then keep going untill you have gone throught all your house then go and sit up and garage sale for three days to see if you can make some money from it.
and don’t sale it to high on some things like clean sweep does,but try to be fair with it to.
and good luck to you on this.
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i just did this last week