Garage Organization: 4 Simple Steps

Before you start hauling stuff out, know what your local dump will accept and will not accept. And, know their hours of operation. You probably won’t want to have a pile of trash sitting in your driveway for too long.

1. Totally clean out the space. Use the driveway and yard to sort items into piles (this is where watching the weather can be helpful). Some main categories might be yard tools, sports equipment, auto items, donations or things to take to the dump. As you are sorting, ask yourself, “when is the last time I used this?” Don’t sort the small stuff, such as nuts and bolts, at this time. Put all those smaller items into a container and save the detail sorting for a later time.

2. Take the time to sweep out the garage and wipe off surfaces. Start with a clean slate. A clean space tends to stay organized longer than a dirty one.

3. Now that your garage is cleaned out and your items sorted, decide where you want to store everything. Think about zones. Some examples of the different zones you might have in your garage are sports equipment, tools and work space, auto or seasonal. Use sturdy shelving units and containers with labels. Keep the kid stuff at the lowest level for easy access and, more importantly, easy clean-up. Use wall-mounted racks to safely store shovels, racks, bikes and sports equipment.

4. Finally, you are ready to actually park your vehicles in your garage, but don't forget about the maintenance. Every organizing system requires effort and upkeep from those using the space. Remember, a clean space stays organized longer. Make it an expectation that items will be returned to their bin or shelf after each use.

For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

May Newsletter Article....Garden Supplies Organized

It's time to get out the gardening supplies again. Did you take the time last fall put them away in an orderly fashion? Does your gardening storage space need a tune-up? Just follow my easy five-step STUFF System™ to help you get it all organized and ready to go for the season.

Sort
Give yourself lots of working space to sort like items together; use you garage floor, driveway, or yard. This first step gives you a good idea of what you actually have. Be sure to check the forecast for rain if you are doing this outside.

Take Out
Next, take out, recycle, throw, or give away anything that is broken, you don't use, or just don't need. Maybe you have extra flower pots that a friend could use. Do you really need six rakes? Keep only what you need and use.

Utilize Your Space and a System
Now that you know what you will be keeping, you need to figure out how to best organize your space. Do you need shelves? Can you hang up some of the lawn tools? Keep like items together or near each other.

Fill Containers
Use boxes, buckets or baskets to contain like items. For example, I like to keep my hand tools, gloves and kneeling pad in bucket with a handle. When I work in the yard, I take my bucket with me wherever I go. Everything I need is right there.

Follow-up
When you are finished working, return your tools and supplies to their home. This will help keep them nice and you'll know exactly where to look for them the next time you need them.

Garages and Basements

Garages and basements often become the dumping ground for all the decisions we just don’t have time to make. Many times these areas are used to store things that we don’t have a spot for and hope to get to someday. Here are some simple solutions to making these areas more usable:

· Remove unwanted items. Throw out, donate, sell or put away those unused or unnecessary items and quickly uncover basement and garage space you forgot you had.

· Hang larger tools. Hanging tool organizers are inexpensive ways to easily free up messy corners filled with rakes, brooms shovels etc. The tools will also become easy-to-access and less of an eye-sore.

· Install shelving or shelving units. Inexpensive shelving gets items off the floor, making it easier to see, retrieve and return items. Tools can be organized and stored in existing cabinet spaces or tool boxes if available.

· Rearrange the larger work surfaces or furniture. Just by rearranging the work surfaces or furniture in your garage or basement, previously disorganized space becomes usable again.

· Read my article, Garage Organization, for more guidance and simple steps to getting your garage under control.