My garage is a mess. I’d like to tidy it up but I just don’t know where or how to get started.

Ah – this is a problem that faces many homeowners as they begin to think about the annual spring cleanup. It’s a perfect time then, for a discussion about how to take control of your garage space and make it a practical, tidy and clean environment in which to store and organize the many things required to maintain your home and garden. And, you’ll be able to park your cars in their rightful place!

The most difficult task is one that actually requires no “physical” effort. It’s a “mental” exercise, because you need to decide what you longer need or use. There are three basic rules:

1. If it can’t be used, or has no value, toss it.

2. If you no longer need it, or plan to use it, give it away or sell it.

3. If you need it and use it, keep it.

You know it’s junk if it’s empty, broken (and cannot be easily fixed), outdated, or you haven’t used it for some time (say 1 year) but it is still of value. Be ruthless here and avoid the typical trap ‘I may use this someday.’ There are lots of companies that will gladly come to your home to take away your junk for a fee, or you can take it to the junkyard yourself and pay a fee based on weight. Junk removal companies and junkyards will take almost anything except hazardous waste (chemicals like paint, or electronics like computers). Your city will have a place where you can take this type of junk and drop it off at no charge. Some will even pick it up for free.

If you have things that you haven’t used for some time, or simply have outgrown, think of others who may be less fortunate and may still find them of value. These might include toys, bicycles, books, clothing, furniture, etc. Many organizations will be more than pleased to come to your home to pick these things up (i.e. Community Living Ontario, Cerebral Palsy Association) and there are others where you can drop things off (Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Goodwill, women’s shelters, etc.). Or, you can invest a little of your time and organize a garage sale.

Now that you have cleared your garage of all of the clutter, it’s time to organize the things that you need and use. Here are some simple principles that you may find helpful:

A. Try and get everything off of the floor and on to the walls or ceiling.

B. Organize by season, purpose and occasion.

C. Think about how frequently, or when, you use things.

Getting everything off the floor is important as it affords you the opportunity to get your cars in the space for which they were originally intended. If you’re handy, you can build your own shelves, and even systems to hang your tools etc., off the wall. Something as simple as a 2″×4″ piece of lumber affixed to your walls will work. Just add long nails or screws and you’ll be able to hang most tools. If you’re not that handy, there are companies that specialize in interior garage design and organization who complete this work for you. Your space might look something like this:

Organizing by season, purpose and occasion will make things easier and quicker to access when the need arises. Your garage areas might include:

• spring, summer fall tools (rakes, spades, lawnmowers etc);
• summer lawn furniture;
• winter tools (snow shovels, salt etc.);
• auto care (fluids, soap, wax chamois etc);
• sports (balls, bicycles, racquets, skates etc);
• occasions (decorations for Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc);
• garbage and recycling.

If you’d like to take the organization of your garage space up a notch, you might consider investing in some storage bins with lids. They can be found at stores like Wal-Mart or Home Depot and make great containers for storing occasional stuff, while at the same time keeping them free of the dust that typically collects in garages. I like the clear kind as they make the contents stored inside easily identifiable.

Organizing your garage contents by frequency or time of use is particularly of benefit if your space is limited. For example, store winter things in the summer out of the way, and vice versa. Out of the way typically means higher on the walls or in the ceiling where a small step ladder may be required to access them.

Now that your garage is free of clutter and organized there is one more thing that you might want to consider. Garages are a haven for dust and that’s because most have concrete floors, and many have cinderblock walls. If you would like to improve and maintain the cleanliness of your garage space you need to cover the walls and floor with material(s) that do not generate dust. Wall coverings may include drywall that is finished and painted, or high density plastic panels that are applied to the walls. Floor coverings range from paint to heat welded and sealed slip resistant rolls. You can do this work yourself if you are handy and have the time, but there are companies that specialize here too.

Next year at this time, or perhaps even sooner at the next typical time to clean up (Thanksgiving), think of how much time you’ll be able to dedicate to doing something else. Your garage will have been organized and you’ll have less clutter as you’ll find that once your things have a place, you’ll return them to their space after you use them. Hmmm – more time and less clutter. And, you’ll feel better about your garage, maybe even “garage proud”.

This article was provided by NuvoGarage Inc. NuvoGarage Inc. is a full service Ontario-based firm that specializes in interior garage design and organization. We take care of all of the required work from removal of junk, hazardous chemicals and reusable items, to custom design and transformation of your garage. www.nuvogarage.com .