How to Declutter Your Garage in 5 Simple Steps
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If you’ve got a to-do list with “declutter garage” sitting somewhere on it, you’re not alone. Honestly, if you’re like most people, your garage is a mess.
You might have bikes, lawnmowers, sports equipment, camping supplies, or boxes of old clothes all over the place. And if you’ve got one of those rolling carts for organizing items in your garage, there’s probably stuff piled on top of it too.
You want to be proud of your own garage space. You want to use it well but you just don’t feel like you have enough time to really give it a good cleaning.
If this sounds familiar to you, don’t despair! You can declutter your garage quickly and easily with the tips below.
How to Declutter Your Garage in 5 Steps
It’s time to get your garage in order. But, before you do that, you must know what you want to keep and what to throw away.
While it might be hard, taking unwanted things out is the first step. It’s the best way towards organizing your garage. The next step is figuring out what goes where.
Here are five steps for decluttering your garage:
Tools You’ll Need
Decluttering your garage is hard work. It’s a large project but there are some ways to make it more of a manageable task.
There are a few garage declutter tools that are incredibly useful. You’ll want to have the following on hand, just in case:
- A good set of bins and boxes. You can use plastic bins, cardboard boxes, or milk crates to store your stuff. Label each bin or box, so you know what goes inside and which bin or box it belongs to.
- A label maker or index cards. If you don’t have a label maker, index cards will work fine. Use them to label each bin or sheet of paper with a description of what’s inside (i.e., “tools,” “bike parts”).
- A broom and dustpan
- A bucket or two
- A mop or rag for wet mopping (just for stubborn stains, not for routine cleaning)
- A trash bag or ten depending on how bad your messy garage is
The Best Storage Solutions for Your Garage
Garage organization can help take your space from a dumping ground to a functional garage again. Here are some great storage solutions for getting rid of clutter and making more room in your garage:
Stackable Storage Containers
One of the best things about these containers is that they can be stacked on top of one another, so they take up less space than traditional storage containers.
Besides, they are easy to move around and set up, making your decluttering job easier!
Stackable storage containers come in about any size imaginable; as such, you can always find one that fits your needs perfectly.
The storage containers are also available in different colors and styles, so whatever design theme your home has, you’ll surely get something that works well with it!
I personally like to use clear storage bins on open shelves so I can easily see what’s inside them. They’re especially great for storing clothing (in vacuum seal bags) and holiday decorations.
Rack It Up
If you have any bikes or surfboards, racks are a great way to store them off the ground. Use every square inch of wall space.
They’re sturdy, easy to install, and will keep everything organized. It is also an easy way to make a bike more accessible for people who don’t want to keep it in their house or apartment.
Garage Shelving
Shelving is another excellent way to keep things neat and organized in a garage. You can use shelves above workbenches or even install them on the wall above your car if you need extra space.
Shelves can also be used outside the garage – they make great bookshelves or pantries!
You can make your entire garage seem bigger when your garage space is organized with good storage solutions.
Tool Cabinets
Tool cabinets are essential for keeping those tools in one place so they don’t end up spread across your garage floor! Many different tool cabinets are available, so be sure to choose one that fits your needs.
If you have a lot of tools but not a lot of space, consider getting a rolling tool cabinet or a wall-mounted unit with drawers and shelves.
However, if you’re only looking to store hand or small power tools, consider getting an organizer that keeps everything within one compact unit.
Wall-Mounted Bins
Wall-mounted bins offer an affordable way to organize items that don’t take up much space. You can use them for small tools, boxes of nails or screws, gardening supplies, and more!
These bins are also portable, so if you need to move them from one room to another or from one home to another, they’ll be easy to relocate without damaging your walls.
Use Pegboards for Tools and Other Items That Don’t Fit Easily on Racks
Pegboards are another great way to get the most out of vertical space in your garage.
They’re perfect for storing tools and other items that don’t fit well on racks or shelves — attach hooks or pegs wherever there’s room on your pegboard wall, then hang up whatever you want!
I like these for smaller garden tools. They’re a great option for general building tools as well.
You can even use pegboards inside cabinets or closets if you want extra storage space outside your car (and they’re great for organizing kids’ toys, too).
How to Get Started Decluttering Your Garage
Deciding how to declutter your garage can be a daunting task. You might feel like you’re looking at an insurmountable mountain of clutter with no clear path forward.
But don’t despair! You can take easy steps to make the process simple and more manageable. Here are some tips for getting started with the decluttering process:
Step 1: Take everything out
The first step to decluttering your garage is to take everything out. Garage clutter can feel overwhelming. That much stuff completely disorganized seems like a really big project.
So, don’t worry about organizing it or sorting it into categories yet. Gather all the clutter into one big pile in the middle of the floor and get down on your hands and knees with a pair of clean latex gloves.
Now that you have everything out, take stock of what’s left. Look for things that could be donated, recycled, or thrown away (including old paint cans or empty boxes).
At this point, think about things that aren’t currently used but might be if you had another vehicle (or two). You can either use them as packing material until you buy more boxes or store them in another part of your house until they’re needed again.
You might consider having a yard sale in order to get rid of unwanted items and also make some money.
Step 2: Sort everything into categories
There are countless ways to sort your stuff, as shown below;
Sort by category: Putting similar items together makes a lot of sense. Electronics, tools, and household goods are probably the first things that come to mind.
But what about those pieces of furniture or the boxes of books you haven’t used in years? Once you start looking around your garage, it becomes clear that sorting by category is just as important as sorting by size.
Sort by size: Organizing things by size can be a really good idea too. Larger items like tables and chairs may require their own space—or at least an area with extra clearance so they can be moved safely when needed.
If you’re going for maximum efficiency, consider storing these items on wheels so they can be easily rolled out whenever necessary.
Sort by shape: Some storage solutions are better suited for square objects than round ones (think laundry baskets versus wire shelving units).
Before settling on a storage solution, take some time to lay out similar-sized items together to get an idea of how much space each item takes up relative to its counterparts and how much room remains after all the “sorting.” This will ensure that there’s enough room for everything else!
Step 3: Decide what to eliminate, what to keep, and what needs fixing
First, sort through your garage and decide which items need to be tossed, stored elsewhere, or fixed up.
For instance, you can throw away a broken lawn mower sitting in the corner for several years if getting it fixed is more trouble than it’s worth because you don’t use it often enough (and probably never will).
On the other hand, your car tires might be worn out from too much off-roading, but you can’t afford new ones just yet. Storing them elsewhere will keep them from lying in your garage and turning into dust bunnies.
Step 4: Put everything away in a logical way
Think about how you use the garage. Do you just store stuff there? Or do you use it to work on projects?
Also, think about how you’ll use the garage in the future. For example, if you plan to start working on cars and tinkering with things more often, consider reorganizing the garage to make tools easy to find!
Finally, ensure everything is easy to find and reach (within reason). The goal here isn’t just being organized; it’s being comfortable working in this space.
A cluttered garage can be distracting at best; dangerous at worst. So consider what kind of tools need specific storage solutions—for example, a fluorescent light fixture or a power generator—and then create some structure where you can easily put those tools away when not in use without getting lost under other clutter.
Step 5: Install cabinets or shelving (optional)
Installing cabinets and shelving makes your garage look more organized, giving you a sense of pride.
Additionally, if you have items that need to be stored safely but aren’t worth keeping long-term (e.g., tools or seasonal clothing), shelves are a great way to keep these things out of sight.
If possible, install locks on the cabinets so only certain people can access them. For instance, if there’s a specific toolbox/chest for each family member (or group of people), give each person their key so they don’t have to worry about someone else taking their stuff!
I personally like cabinets because seeing things out on display all the time tends to make it feel cluttered even if it isn’t.
Conclusion
After you’ve decluttered, take a break! You’ll be so proud of yourself for getting through all that mess, but it’s also important to remember that there are no shortcuts to being organized.
Try not to get frustrated during this process. Yes, it is a big task but you can totally tackle it with the right tools and mindset.
If you’re struggling with an item or can’t figure out what should stay or go, ask your friends and family for help.
They may have a different perspective on what’s important to them and might even have an idea of who else would want your stuff!
If things seem to be taking longer than expected, remember that organization is often about working in small chunks.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if the garage still looks messy after day one; keep putting one foot in front of another until it becomes manageable again!
I’m someone who loses motivation quickly if I’m not seeing good progress. Try your best to break down your tasks into manageable chunks and just tackle them one by one.
