One of the benefits of sheds and garages is that they offer homeowners a weatherproof place outside of the home to store large, seasonal, or any other items that they don’t want to keep right in the house. One of the problems, however, is that they can quickly become stuffed full of items and get cluttered and messy. Here are is the only guide you’ll ever need to cleaning out and organizing a shed or garage.
1. Clear Out and Clean
The first thing that should be done when organizing sheds and garages is to clear everything out of the space. Do this on a weekend when you have plenty of time to do it and the weather won’t interfere with the project. Taking everything out will help you go through all of the contents and allow you to have access to the entire space when cleaning and installing organizational units. Clean the walls, corners, ceilings, and floors. Patch up any holes or damage and add a fresh coat of paint.
2. Trash, Purge, and Keep
When you’ve gotten everything out of your shed or garage and cleaned, repaired, and painted the space, it’s time to start going through all of the contents. Be honest with yourself when you’re doing this. You should have three separate piles: have boxes for donations of things that you don’t use anymore, boxes or bags for trash, and make sure you find a home for everything that you plan to keep.
3. Organize
After you’ve weeded out all of the things you’re going to throw away and donate, it’s time to start organizing all of the things you’re keeping. The key to well-organized garages and sheds is to make sure that everything has a home. Install shelving units along the walls and tracks in the ceiling for bins to fit into. Put hooks on the walls and in the ceiling to maximize space. If you have a few things left over that need storing or that you need to have quick access to, get a couple of two-level rolling carts. These are easy to move and shouldn’t take up too much space on the floor.
4. Upkeep
When you’ve finally gotten everything clean and organized, it’s important to keep a regular schedule of cleaning up about once a month. Sheds and garages can become cluttered and messy again very quickly, so making efforts every now and then to make sure it stays clean and organized is important.
Do you have any cleaning or organizational tips for sheds and garages? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section.