The home organization has always been challenging, but cleaning the garage might be the most difficult task. You look at the mess and don’t know where to start.
Our expert guide focuses on how to declutter your garage quickly. We’ll put a special emphasis on tools, but feel free to use the tips for overall garage organization. Here are the steps to take and get rid of the clutter in your workshop!
Steps To Declutter Your Garage Efficiently
Let’s check out the steps you’ll follow in the process of decluttering the garage:
- Emptying it to analyze all owned items
- Throw away unnecessary things and clean everything
- Plan the space for storing the items to keep
- Placing the tools and other things in designated locations
As you can see, the process seems simple. However, garage owners face many obstacles during the project. That’s why we consulted experts and analyzed the entire process to help you avoid any pitfalls!
Step 1: Empty the Garage
If you want to clean something up, you might have to make a bigger mess first. That saying applies to the garage decluttering process. It’s why the experts suggest you start by emptying the garage completely.
Is the weather sunny? If yes, and you have a big backyard, grab all tools and other items and take them there.
Here are some tips when choosing the location where to temporarily store the items:
- Make sure the area is close to your garage. Otherwise, it’ll be a big effort moving all things back and forth.
- If you can’t finish all in a day, make sure to pick a covered area. The same applies if it might start raining soon. You don’t want the rain to damage your tools and other items. It’s vital to protect the tools if you plan to keep them overnight.
- It helps to have a generous area for storing tools available. That way, you’ll have an easier overview of all the things you own.
- Make sure pets and children can’t get in touch with the items in the backyard. They might injure themselves or damage the tools.
Alternative: Create a Staging Zone
It’s ideal for getting your garage empty before you start reorganizing things. However, that’s not always an option. You might not have a spacious backyard, or it’s bad weather.
The alternative is to set an area in your garage to be a “staging zone.” It should be the area that you’ll organize last. In the meantime, it’ll serve as the starting point for organizing other sections. The idea is to take out all tools and bring them to this zone. You’ll have a clear view of the things you own while the other areas remain clutter-free.
Step 2: A Thorough Cleaning Process
If we say a thorough cleaning process, it refers to two different tasks:
- Cleaning the garage from dust and dirt
- Throwing away any unnecessary items
At this point, your garage should be mostly empty. Apart from the staging zone, you should only have appliances, a garage rack, and other storing units. Your primary task will be to clean everything thoroughly. The odds are there’ll be noticeable dirt on the shelves, so you can start with them. It’s critical not to miss any detail because garage decluttering and reorganization isn’t something you’ll often do. That’s why the goal is to do everything right.
It’s critical to have adequate cleaning equipment and products. It’s critical to have sufficient detergent or any other chosen cleaner. You’ll probably need to pick different cleaners based on the surfaces you are cleaning. It’s wise to consult the internet or a cleaning expert to recommend the best course of action to clean your garage.
While you are cleaning, the odds are you’ll find some items that you can throw away. That includes things you haven’t taken to the staging zone. The odds are you won’t have to think twice about throwing those away. However, make sure to double-check because you might need some of those items. Decluttering involves getting rid of as many things as possible, but that doesn’t include stuff you could use in the future.
Step 3: How to Establish a Criteria for Keeping Tools
You are reading a guide on how to declutter the garage quickly. While getting rid of the trash lying around is a critical step, decluttering will require more. That’s why now is the right time to assess the tools you placed in the staging zone.
The idea is to determine criteria on what things to keep. Each garage owner is unique, so don’t hesitate to come up with the list that suits your preferences.
Check out some tips to help in the process:
- Analyze each tool to see if it’s working. If it doesn’t work properly, why would you keep it? A thing or two might be worth fixing, but try to be honest. You won’t end up fixing most of those things, and they’ll continue cluttering your garage.
- Once you get rid of non-working items, how about checking which items you used in the past? Are there items that you didn’t use for over a year? Did you find tools that aren’t that valuable, and you only used them once? If you can borrow them if you need them, how about giving them away to a neighbor?
- Are you skillful at using the tools you have? Is there an item you received as a gift and never bothered to learn how it works? Those are all good candidates for throwing away.
- Are there any duplicates of small tools you could get rid of today? It’s always an option to donate.
Step 4: Planning the Required Space
Did you decide which items you plan to keep? If you have all the tools ready, it’s time to store them away in designated locations. Here is how to do that efficiently!
Analyze the Current Situation
The first thing to do is to take some time and analyze the current situation. The idea is to find a way how you want to group the tools. Try to identify the right method. How about grouping them by purpose? If you are primarily a car aficionado, most tools and items might be for working on vehicles. That’s why it might be smart to store them together and somewhere easily reachable.
Alternatively, you can consider storing them by usage frequency. For example, tools that you use every day could be on a garage rack to reach them in seconds. Those who you only activate once a month can find their room on higher racks.
Here is the crucial advice – you want to store bulky items on bottom shelves or the floor. Those tools are heavy, and you don’t want to burden higher shelves too much. They could loosen up over time and lead to the tool falling and hurting someone. If you want to keep a heavy item high, consider finding a garage storage hoist.
What’s the Most Suitable Storage Solution?
Do you have a large garage and plenty of tools to store? StoreWALL Heavy Duty 36-Piece Set could be the best choice. The set contains eight extremely durable panels that are spacious enough to fit numerous items. You’ll receive two square baskets for various items. Additionally, you’ll get hooks of various shapes. That includes J, wide, universal, HD tool, and single hooks of different sizes. The product is convenient since it’s a versatile solution that can resolve most of your garage storage problems.
Here are some other convenient solutions to consider:
- A slatwall – the idea of a garage slatwall implies attaching grooved panels to the wall. Those panels are convenient because you can attach hooks and baskets to the grooves.
- Pegboard – if you want a place to hold items you frequently use, getting a pegboard is a wise bet. Not only do you get an easy storage system, but it’s also simple to rearrange tools.
- Chests and cabinets – these are usually closed systems for storing tools. Large cabinets are excellent for heavy tools. However, chests could even be portable. It’s convenient if you often go to job sites and don’t always carry the same items.
- Shelves – many owners claim there’s nothing better than a classic garage rack. While it might have limited use for big tools, it’s convenient for other garage items.
Step 5: Start with Big Tools
It’s only natural to get the hard task out of the way first. We suggest beginning with heavy and big tools. It doesn’t matter which ones you store away first, but try to find the most convenient way.
As we mentioned, it’s vital to find sturdy locations for heavy items. That means safety should be the primary priority. It’s never smart to put a large tool on the top shelf without any security mechanism. Even a small shake (not to mention an earthquake) could cause the tool to fall and hurt someone below the shelf.
It’s vital to move the most valuable assets off the floor. That’s particularly true if you have flood problems in the garage. It often happens with these spaces when it’s rainy or during the winter. Water could damage the tools, so make sure to find a safe location. You could consider closed cabinets or a garage slatwall.
Step 6: Find Room for Small Tools
Bulky tools might be heavier to move, but it’s harder to organize small tools. You’ll end up having numerous items, which means being smart about this is critical. If you have a movable chest, start by putting things you need there.
Those small tools you frequently used should be at your fingertips. If you have multiple rows or baskets, try not the put them in the back section or too high. Instead, the places that are hard to reach should only contain items you rarely use.
Additional Tips for Decluttering the Garage
If you are still planning a garage decluttering project, here are some extra tips to help:
- Use special shelves for balls – do you have children who have multiple balls for basketball, football, etc.? It might help to have a special rack to store those balls. The same applies to fitness equipment and other items.
- Overhead storage for large items – you can consider a durable lifter for heavy boxes and large items like bicycles or camping equipment.
- Learn how to give up on items – do you really need that old box of paint? It’s critical to be realistic in judging whether there’s a point in keeping an item. Why would you hoard things if you’ll never use them?
- It’s all about functionality – yes, aesthetics is nice, and you want the garage to look perfect. However, the top priority is functionality. You’ll be working on various projects, so make sure the organization fits those requirements.
The Importance of Keeping Things Tidy
Allow us to congratulate you because, at this point, your garage should be clean! The odds are everything looks neat and clean. You probably got rid of the clutter and trash that was lying around. Whether you used a garage storage hoist or another solution, the critical thing is that now everything is in its place.
It’s now critical to keep things tidy, and here is why:
- No need for thorough cleaning – if you don’t pay attention, your garage will fill with clutter in days. You don’t want to clean thoroughly any time soon since it takes a lot of effort. That’s why it helps to keep things tidy.
- Always know where things are – do you need a screwdriver? Perhaps you want a particular drill bit? If you keep things in order, everything will be easy to find.
- Feel pleasant while in the garage – you’ll feel better working and moving around the garage if it’s clean.
It will take minimal effort, so try to keep everything in order. If you grab a tool to use it, put it back to its place. Is there any trash in the garage? Make sure to throw it away immediately instead of letting it pile up. And if working with a power tool caused dirt and dust, use your vacuum right away. It’s better to invest a few minutes now than waste hours later.
Final Thoughts
That rounds up our guide on how to declutter your garage quickly. The crucial consideration is to have a bulletproof plan. You start by learning about the owned items and getting rid of those you don’t need.
After cleaning everything thoroughly, it’s time to plan a new storage system. You can go for a moderate-sized slatwall like StoreWall Heavy-Duty 16-Piece Starter Set as an all-around solution. Portable tool chests and cabinets can also be convenient for a workshop, and don’t forget garage storage racks. Once you find a place for each tool, every minute you spend in the garage will be a pleasure!
