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Your garage can quickly become a catch-all for belongings that don’t, well, belong anywhere else. It’s not uncommon to have a garage so full of clutter that your car doesn’t fit into it any more – and isn’t that the whole point?! Follow our advice for some handy tips to help organise your garage.
Admit it – your garage is cluttered. No judgement here – we’ve all been there! Your garage can become a dumping ground for everything that you’re not sure when you’ll need again – if ever – so take some time to get rid of anything that obviously hasn’t got a place in your life any more.
If you’ve got broken items in your garage, dispose of them thoughtfully – recycle anything that can be recycled, and consider taking a trip to the tip to dispose of the rest. If you remove the ‘top layer’ of rubbish from the garage, it’s easier to see what you’ve got underneath and make a plan from there.
Before you can start organising your garage, try to pick a sunny – or at least dry! – day to get everything out and have a good look at what you’ve got in your garage. You can spend a bit of time doing this, and you’re sure to find loads more stuff that can be given away, donated to charity or just thrown in the bin.
You can tentatively begin organising some of your items now – bigger things like bikes or kids’ scooters can be put to one side. This is also a good time to test out these items – have your kids grown out of their childhood bikes? Do the tyres need pumping up on the bike you cycle to work on? If you’ve got a sunny day, get the whole family involved – washing and drying bikes and scooters will give them a new lease of life and your kids might rediscover a love for playing outside!
You don’t want to spend a good chunk of time organising your garage only to have it ruined by unwelcome visitors! Rats and mice can make homes in your garage – so do a quick check to make sure any holes are blocked (you can fill them with plastic carrier bags in a pinch!) to prevent vermin getting into your garage and ruining your belongings. If you think you might have a problem with mice or rats, try to get the advice of a pest control company before you make any drastic decisions.
Garages are usually dusty – and you’re more than likely to come across a cobweb or two. Give all of your belongings a good clean when you’ve dug them out of the garage – hoover any mats or carpet that you’ve put down; hose down the floor of the garage and give everything a good scrub.
You’ll need some heavy-duty bin bags to prevent transferring oily stains onto your driveway or patio, and some sugar soap to scrub the worst of the mess from the floor. If you’ve got the whole family to help, give your little ones some damp microfibre cloths to clean shelves and units.Once you’ve got a nice clean canvas, you’re less likely to want to ruin it by throwing in all your old clutter.
We’re not saying go mad with a label-maker, but making some simple labels can help everyone who uses the garage know what needs to go where. This is especially useful if you’ve got children – they’ll have no excuse when it comes to putting back their garden toys and games!
When it comes to organising, there’s no one size fits all formula. If you use your garage for general storage, you might have all kinds of belongings in there. You could organise by category – for example, outdoor toys for the kids, sports equipment or out of season furniture; you could arrange by season – paddling pool or sun loungers for the summer and snow shovels for the winter; or even by occasion, so you’ve finally got somewhere to store those Christmas decorations!
Try to think ahead when it comes to organising your garage. If you’re a keen gardener, don’t pack your spade and trowel away behind your Christmas decorations! If your kids love to fill their paddling pool in the summer, don’t pack it away on a high shelf. Try to assess how often you use the objects in your garage – and if the answer is “never”, you know where they need to go..!
It’s easy to store boxes on top of each other, or stack things up on the floor. Try to maximise your floor space and invest in some shelves, units or cabinets to keep your garage organised. Hang tools up on the wall for easy access, and screw a few cups to the wall for miscellaneous items like screws or nails that could pose a damage to your car!
It can be easy to forget all about your garage when you’re going about your daily tidying routine, but try to incorporate it in. Give the floor a good sweep when your car is out on your driveway or patio; dust your shelves and storage boxes and clean the floor every month or so. By making your garage a pleasant place to be – instead of dark and dusty – you’re more likely to keep on top of your organisation.
Your garage doesn’t have to be a dumping ground for your belongings. Hopefully with our tips you’ll make the most of the functional space in your home – good luck!
If you would like to hire a removals company in Maidenhead to do all the hard work for you please give us a call today.