One of the most requested organizing jobs I get is The Garage. The American garage is almost always required to perform too many functions. It’s a workshop, a gym, a storage unit, a car park, a gardening shed, a pantry, a kids’ play area, and on and on. Since most of the stuff that we don’t know what to do with lands in the garage, it becomes too clogged to perform any of its functions well, if at all.
Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out, wrote that any one room should only have three functions at the most, ideally just one or two. The bedroom should ideally be just for sleeping, the office for work, the spare room for guests, the dining room for dining. Because for most of us space is scarce, the spare room is usually both a guest room and an office or the living room needs to function as both an adult hang out space in the evening and a place for kids to play during the day.
When the garage is expected to cover five or more categories, the reason for the mess and dysfunction begins to be clear. The work bench can’t be worked on if it is piled with bins of Christmas decorations. The car can’t be easily parked—if it can be parked at all—if there is an old sofa and a cacophony of bicycles and sets of old golf clubs in the way. The garage is providing storage, yes, but even that category is fraught because it is difficult to get to or identify what you need when you need it.
Obviously, the first step in handling what’s parked in your garage is to pitch the junk. What usually stops people at this early juncture is the cost of calling a hauler to take big things away. I guarantee it is money you will be happy to have spent, as removing these blocks lets the whole project flow. You have to spend time upfront identifying what can go, and you may overlook a few small things that the haulers could have taken away, but aim for progress, not perfection. Getting things moving in the right direction is the key.
With the trash gone, look at what is left. What are your biggest categories? Gardening? Tools? Keepsakes? Overflow household supplies (those irresistible Costco deals)? Is there a laundry area or do you want to protect space to exercise?
If a category is so large that it is taking over the space, such as gardening or tools, consider buying or building a separate shed for these things if you have the space for one. If you don’t have the space for a shed, consider whether you really need that much stuff for the category.
Can you let the garage off the hook for one or more functions? If you have exercise equipment stuff in there but truly never use it, maybe you can let that idea go and join a gym. Getting a significant amount of space back could be worth the price of a membership. If keepsakes are overwhelming you, talk to your family about what they really want to keep and what they are okay with letting go. If your adult children have their own homes, suggest they take their memorabilia there!
Real estate is such a valuable asset that it is a shame to use even a part of it for storing things you no longer want or need. Examine what is parked in your garage and how you would ideally like your garage to look or function.
I recently stopped eating much meat, so got rid of a large freezer that had been in the garage for a few years. The amount of space I gained was incredible. Now two cars can fit easily, meaning both the driver’s side and passenger’s side doors can open without getting dinged on anything. Also, this winter my outdoor furniture will fit easily instead of like the complicated (and precarious) jigsaw puzzle I used to have to recreate each year. I am still amazed at how opening up space and letting things go that no longer serve me lifts my spirits. May you have the same experience after your next garage clean out.