The end of February means spring is almost here, and with spring comes spring cleaning! For many families, the garage becomes a catch-all for all sorts of gardening equipment, storage boxes, and other items which become difficult, if not impossible to find. Why not kick off spring cleaning by cleaning and organizing your garage?! In order to maximize the storage space you have in your garage, in addition to being able to continue to use it as a place to park your car, it’s important to know how to organize.
On a clear and sunny day when you can spare a few hours, take everything out of your garage in order to take stock of exactly what you have in there. This is a great way to clear away items that are broken, need repair, are seldom if ever used, as well as to organize things into categories, so when you go searching for something in the garage it won’t become a frustrating mission. As you handle every item, ask yourself if it’s something you need and use often, is it something simply taking up space, or is it something you no longer need and can donate to a neighborhood thrift store or church rummage sale. Then begin to sort everything you have been storing in the garage into one of the three piles.
Invest in shelving or other vertical storage space at your local home improvement store so you can organize things on the walls and hanging from the ceiling rather than cluttering up the floor. Group things according to category, such as hardware, sporting equipment and gardening and lawn tools and draw a simple map for yourself indicating just where in the garage you plan to store items within that category. Store items in clear jars and containers to make it easy to see what’s inside or make sure if you are using boxes to label the outside of the box, such as Christmas decorations or barbecue equipment.
Organizing your garage provides the perfect opportunity to get rid of old paints and other toxic materials which can create a liability and may even lead to a house fire. Keeping a well organized, clean garage prevents unintended accident and liability claims on your homeowner’s insurance. In addition, many insurance agencies offer discounted rates to vehicle owners who protect their car by housing it in a garage when not in use. To learn more, contact us today! *