This week’s guest post comes from Chelsea – her post made me giggle out loud. Organizing your garage doesn’t have to be a major solution – some creative gumption can take you far! And I’m curious – do your cars fit in your garage currently? Fess up! ~Susan
Oh man, the garage. How crowded it doth get. Half the time, I forget what I put in there on those whirlwind days of organizing other rooms of the house:
- I love this blouse-that-doesn’t-fit
- Paring shears from Aunt Maude
- Now where did I put my tape gun?
- (fill in the blank___________________________)
Solution? Store it in the garage!
But seriously, the garage can be one of the most useful rooms in the house because you can do things in there that you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) do in other rooms of the house.
The garage is an amazing place to store your workout equipment, organize your gardening pots and watering cans, or set up a calm, quiet meditation space where the kids won’t interrupt you every five seconds. You know, your “me” space.
But how to begin?
Throw stuff away
I know its hard. You saved those antique picture frames so that one day you might bedazzle them, and they might then have a featured place on the mantle of a loved one as a creative birthday gift. Reality check: get honest with yourself about whether this is a top-tier item that will absolutely, positively turn into the craft project of your dreams in the next year or remain a dust collector that just makes you feel uninspired when you happen across it in the corner of your garage. If it’s the latter, curb that sucker. Who knows? That frame may delight a passerby whose own mantle is begging for a shimmery DIY project!
Organize
Just because your box of winter clothes is in your garage does not mean it needs to be in your garage. Is there a closet where you could better stow it until cool-weather time? If you are going to use your garage for something really special, make sure the only items in there are ones that need to be.
Put in a portable closet
Have items unrelated to your dream purpose that absolutely do need to remain in the garage? No problem. Invest in one of those chic portable closets, fill to capacity, and place in the corner. You can even hang mirrors or pictures from it to add to the ambiance of the space you are working to create.
Repurpose storage boxes
Another idea for storage boxes and bins in your garage is to make them earn their keep. Stack neatly, place a smooth piece of wood on top and drop a pretty tablecloth over both for a “table” or “shelf” that can hold whatever tools or art supplies you like.
Don’t forget the “cleaning” part of cleaning: Organizing is one thing, but make sure to follow up your box stacking with a few spritzes of green cleaner for a dust-free-and-cobweb-free space in which to house your dream projects. Cleaning and organizing your garage need not be a stressful experience. Create a space you love in the most versatile room in your home by first getting all the clutter out of there.
Chelsea is a seasoned writer and arts and home improvement enthusiast. Her inspiration for this article came from Portland Garage Doors & Repair. She can be found on twitter and loves to make new friends!
3 comments
Hi Kenya – yes, there is definitely a relationship between mental clutter and physical clutter!
Meant to say that the energies of any vibrational frequencies that are mindful in clutter can be a dose of problematic symptoms. But when we do feel out everything we want to do – even tracking down our car keys, we will understand why our mental feelings are nicer afterwards.
Collecting – digesting – and other things are all well when prepared correctly. The garage ideas are very well established guides to going through any type of regimen that doesn’t want to feel out why they are having so many issues in any area. I would say that a dose of factoring in spirit and energies that may not be as – wayward as we think once we do clear out our space. This is very nice.