Don’t Let Your Garage Become a Dumping Ground
While you might be striving for a more edited life, chances are you still live in a conventional home. And in most conventional homes, a major repository for clutter is the garage–it becomes a catchall for the stuff we don’t use or want to see. Today, Justin Klosky from OCD Experience gives great tips for making sure your garage doesn’t become your own private junkyard.
Most people use their garage as a large storage space with no thought of organization. Think of your garage as a home away from home. Like your home you want to know where everything is and make use of the things in it. The primary use of your garage should be for your automobiles. If you have the luxury of using your garage for other things as well make sure that you utilize the empty wall space first.
Organize: PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR GARAGE! I know it might seem overwhelming, but you need to know what you are organizing before you start putting things where you think they go.
Create: Invest in custom cabinets or industrial shelving where you can store seasonal items such as Halloween or Christmas decorations. For you Christmas lovers look into the ornament storage container! Always make sure that whatever you are putting into your garage is safe from moisture and rodents. Always store items in airtight bins to prevent damage. If you have an excessive amount of tools you can use peg boards like these. These peg boards keep tools organized and out of the reach of little children. Make sure paint and hazardous items are locked away from children. O.C.D. approved accessories are lockers for children’s toys which will allow you to teach them where their items belong and will also keep things neat. Some fun organization tools for the adult kid in us are sport organizers such as this golf organizer and the Electric Lift System to keep larger, bulkier items off the floor . If you are storing food or cans in your garage make sure the food isn’t near the chemicals as food and chemicals don’t mix.
Discipline: Make sure you don’t just pile things back into your garage. If you are storing something in your garage it better be for a good reason.
Garage Organization Tip: The garage can end up as a dumping ground if strict organizational discipline isn’t implemented. Make sure that if you are putting anything in your garage, it has a place, it is easily accessible and you never have to wonder what is hiding in your garage.
image credit: OCD Experience