Now that spring is here, the temperatures have warmed (a bit) and many of us are thinking about clearing the garage. If a garage cleanout is on your project list this spring take heart. The benefits of a decluttered and organized garage are guaranteed to outweigh the time and effort expended. Finding things will be a breeze. Seasonal tools will be readied. The car will fit in the garage. Life will be good! Sounds overwhelming? Not at all! Break the project down into small chunks, put them on your calendar, be determined – you can do it. Envision the look and feel of the decluttered garage in your mind. Invoke that image as often as necessary to stay motivated.
Tag and Bag - Make Space
The hardest part is getting started. Choose a date. Invite a friend for support, for motivation or for protection! Be brave. First is tagging. The purpose of tagging is to identify large things that you don’t need. Use some bright sticky notes or paper and tape to tag items that need to go. How do you know what needs to go? They are the things that you don’t need, want or use. Write on the tag where each will go: trash, consignment, sell, unknown or give away. What’s in your garage for large unwanted items? Freezers, old bicycles, furniture, abandoned lawn mowers, non-working garden tractors, broken exercise equipment, unused large sporting goods, snow blowers, suitcases or old cars? Well, you know what you’ve got. Once things are tagged, the homework assignment is to contact sources that will pick up or find destinations to drop off the unwanted items if you have the means to transport them.
Next, make a first pass at bagging small unwanted items. Pack up hazardous waste in boxes for the spring drop off in your community. Gather trash/sharp items in contractor bags. Pack donations in bags or boxes for charity drop off. Think of family or friends who may want free stuff. If there is a saleable item or collection of items that might sell online pack it up and record a detailed description for listing later. Take care of the bags and boxes as soon as possible: put trash at curb, load donations in car or schedule friends to pick up. Getting rid of unwanted things is critical because it opens up space to work with the rest of the stuff. Homework: follow up by bringing things off site. Commit to a deadline to sell those items of value after which you agree to donate.
Granted, not knowing what to do with unwanted, still good things is challenging and frustrating. You may be one of those people who cannot throw away something that’s still good. Here are some ideas. Most trash haulers will make an extra stop at a donation site for you or may take the still good stuff in exchange for a reduction in trash removal costs. Contact charities to ask if they pick up. Take pictures for listing at online free offer sites. Be creative. Ask around for advice. Make a list of unwanted, still good items and develop a plan of action with deadlines and contingency plans as well. If the garage has not been decluttered in a while, this step may take a few days to accomplish. Remember your clean garage vision and keep working toward that!
Next time – Part 2: Bins and Boxes
Next, make a first pass at bagging small unwanted items. Pack up hazardous waste in boxes for the spring drop off in your community. Gather trash/sharp items in contractor bags. Pack donations in bags or boxes for charity drop off. Think of family or friends who may want free stuff. If there is a saleable item or collection of items that might sell online pack it up and record a detailed description for listing later. Take care of the bags and boxes as soon as possible: put trash at curb, load donations in car or schedule friends to pick up. Getting rid of unwanted things is critical because it opens up space to work with the rest of the stuff. Homework: follow up by bringing things off site. Commit to a deadline to sell those items of value after which you agree to donate.
Granted, not knowing what to do with unwanted, still good things is challenging and frustrating. You may be one of those people who cannot throw away something that’s still good. Here are some ideas. Most trash haulers will make an extra stop at a donation site for you or may take the still good stuff in exchange for a reduction in trash removal costs. Contact charities to ask if they pick up. Take pictures for listing at online free offer sites. Be creative. Ask around for advice. Make a list of unwanted, still good items and develop a plan of action with deadlines and contingency plans as well. If the garage has not been decluttered in a while, this step may take a few days to accomplish. Remember your clean garage vision and keep working toward that!
Next time – Part 2: Bins and Boxes
RSS Feed
