Organizing a Garage

I am really excited about my latest organizing client, The Consumer Queen.  For those of you that have been living under a box and haven’t heard of her, she has one of the top websites about living frugally.  However, it is a good thing she is not dispensing organizing tips on her blog, given the state of her garage.  She appealed to Rubbermaid for help.  They answered her call but recognized the need for professional advice.  That’s where I come in.  I will be providing Melissa (yes, that is the Consumer Queen’s in real life name too) and her hubby with my virtual organizing services to get her garage organized and functional.  To give you an idea- they have never been able to park their car in the garage!

Since I am giving them garage cleaning advice and this being the best time of year to tackle such a project, I figured I would share five concepts to keep in mind when tackling a garage project.  If you have any thoughts to add to the list, please feel free to leave a comment.

1. The garage floor is for the car, lawn mower and other moving objects.  Try to keep things off the floor.  Storage in a garage is mainly comprised of shelving, hooks, peg boards and if you have the option- attic space. By keeping the floor clear from debris and clutter, you guarantee a safe parking place for your vehicle(s).
2. Tools are fine and good BUT you don’t need five screwdrivers and eleven wrenches.  Avoid having duplicates.  In addition, if you only use a welder once or twice a year, consider borrowing from a friend or renting rather than taking up precious storage space in your garage. (Note to wives- I don’t recommend touching the tools without having a discussion with your hubby first.  This is certainly a territorial issue in my household
3. Keep the climate in mind when deciding what to store in the garage.  Remember that garages are not typically well ventilated, usually lack climate control (air conditioning/heat) and are bringing in dirt every time you bring a vehicle in.  Some things that are not recommended for storing in a garage are food items (unless you have a refrigerator or freezer), clothing, and important documents.
4. Remember safety first.  If your garage has been cluttered for a long time, rodents and bugs could be lurking beneath the clutter.  Even in our “clean” garage my hubby has found spiders big enough to make me shudder!  Also, leave the garage door open when cleaning the floor, etc.  Since it is not a well ventilated space chemical odors and vapors can quickly become an issue. 
5. Purge!  People store so many things they do not use because they think “I might need it someday”.  If you haven’t used an item in a year (excluding seasonal decorations, etc) then you probably don’t need it.  I put several appliances out in my garage (waffle maker, popcorn maker, etc), waited six months (which I marked on the calendar so I wouldn’t forget) and when six months was up the popcorn maker went to Goodwill (we never used it all that time) while the waffle maker stayed (we had used it 7 times).  Sometimes, you need concrete tasks like that to make keep or toss type decisions.

To keep up with the Consumer Queen’s garage project, you can visit her site or Rubbermaid’s blog.

Happy Organizing!