Take a minute and look out your window. See the building behind your house–the one with the gigantic door? Does it hold ... your car? Or, is it full of all the extra stuff you can’t fit in your house? Could this be all the stuff you no longer want, use or need?
RECLAIM YOUR GARAGE IN 10 EASY STEPS.
This project is easier to do with one other person because the more people who are involved in the clearing, the more “reasons” there could be to justify keeping stuff. Most people don’t miss what they forgot they had!
1.CLEAR your drive way.
Leave as much room as you can to sort your stuff.
2.REMOVE everything from the garage.
Leave no captives. Everything OUT!
3.SORT your stuff into FOUR piles – Pitch, Patch, Pack and Pass-along.
4.PITCH. This stuff is garbage and should be recycled or thrownout. Be responsible and be environmental! Take paint cans, aerosol containers, batteries, cleaning products, oilsand solvents, old computers... to your local Hazardous Waste Disposal location.
5.PATCH. Fix, repair, connect. When deciding to keep something, make sure it fits, it works and it has all the parts. If it doesn’t work...see # 4 above.
6.PACK “like with like”. All sports equipment should be stored together, all camping supplies should be stored together, all garden tools should be stored together... get the idea? Plastic storage bins are ideal for keeping stuff dry and keeping pesky animals out.
7.PASS-ALONG. Some stuff might still be “good”, but it’s just not being used by anyone in your home. You could always sell it at a Garage Sale, take it to a local Consignment Shop, share it with a neighbouror donate it to your favourite charity. What ever you decide, get it out of your space!
8.RETURN all your stuff to the garage!
Remember, everything you put back in the garage will have to endure sub-zero temperatures all winter.
9.LEAVE lots of room for your car(s)!
10.THINK TWICE before storing more stuff in your garage. If in doubt, throw it out! Parking your car in the garage all winter will make shoveling snow that much easier.
Love all the new-found space in your GARAGE?
Now, think about how much room you could free up in your...BASEMENT!
