Okay, when it comes to de-cluttering, we can be pretty ruthless. Being in the garage organization business, we’ve seen too many people with way too much stuff. After helping countless families with their garage organization plans, we’ve come up with a 5 step de-clutter plan. Now, this is not for the faint hearted, but it’s guaranteed to work. Follow these 5 steps and you’ll have a clean, neat, clutter free garage, closet, or whatever other area you’d like to de-clutter. These steps work for anything. Ready? Here we go:
Step #1 – Take it All Out
Whether you are cleaning out the back of a semi-tractor trailer, your bedroom closet, or your garage shelves, nothing can be accomplished properly until everything is unpacked. Trying to move things from one garage shelf to the next or to organize while things are in boxes just turns into a time consuming mess. If you’re going to do it, commit to your plan 100% by getting everything out in the open.
Step #2 – Trash or Treasure…The Two Second Rule
Once everything is out in the open, it’s time to get your garbage can, garbage bags, dumpster, or whatever you’ve decided to use for the items that won’t be staying. This is generally the part where most people fail. We like to use the two second rule. It’s pretty simple, and brutally ruthless. Pick up an item. If you can’t think of a reason why you need it or a recent time when you have actually used it in two seconds or less, it’s trash. That’s right, trash. Also, never keep anything that’s broken but “might be repaired” sometime in the near future. We both know it will never happen.
Step #3 – Categorize
Now it’s time for your storage bins. It’s best to store things together according to category. Of course, items such as Christmas decorations and tools are easy to categorize, but try to make sense out of the rest of your things as well. If you have a hobby, label a bin for it. Do you have a Coca-Cola collection? Great. Organize the items in bins and label them.
Step #4 – Your Organization Plan
It’s not enough to organize inside the bins. You need to have an organization plan as well. If this is a garage organization plan, your garage shelving should be divided into sections with items used less frequently toward the back and items used more often in the front. Bulky or awkward items can hang from hooks to make additional use of wall space.
No matter what you are organizing, use every inch of space possible.
Step # 5 – Keep it Up!
After you’ve turned your garage organization ideas into reality, many individuals forget the most important step…Upkeep! Trust me, it only takes a couple of times saying, “Oh, I’ll just set this here for now,” and before you know it, your neat and organized garage becomes that same mess you started out with. It takes a bit of self- discipline but once you’ve organized and de-cluttered, do your best to keep it going. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.
Monkey Bars of Phoenix 