While our garages are supposed to be for parking our cars, it’s far too common for them to become our storage center for old furniture, clothes that our kids have outgrown, half-used paint cans, old electronics, and who knows what else. For some reason we hang on to these things for years upon years just adding to the chaos with each passing day. It comes to a point where you’re considering moving to a new home, or realize it’s time to declutter, only to realize that you need to figure out what you’re going to do with everything lying around your garage! You might be feeling overwhelmed, but we’re here to help guide you through the garage clearing process with these essential tips.
Take Absolutely Everything Out
The first step to clearing out your garage is to completely clear it out, literally! It’s best to completely move everything from your garage onto your driveway or yard as this allows you to take immediate stock of everything you have. You can immediately pinpoint what’s junk to throw out, essentials that need to be kept, and nonessentials in good condition that can be donated. If this is feasible due to inclement weather or another reason, you can always tackle your garage in pieces. Working from the front to the back allows you to segment off portions of your garage and clear them out as you go.
It can feel embarrassing knowing that you let your garage get to this point, but it’s important to detach yourself from that emotion. Ultimately, you’ve reached this point, and as such it’s important to go into it with the mindset that you’re going to effectively clear out this garage once and for all.
Be Honest With Yourself
When clearing out your garage before moving, it’s important to be honest with yourself throughout the entire process. It’s only natural to have a hard time letting go of your belongings, even if you haven’t looked at them in years. Whether it was something that was once of significant monetary or sentimental value, you have to look at each item and decide if you truly need it moving forward. If it’s been collecting dust in your garage and looks like it hasn’t been touched in decades, then it’s probably time to let go.
Keep, Donate, Or Trash
As you sort through your belongings, you should have three essential piles: your keep pile, your donate pile, and your trash pile. This will help significantly on your journey towards a cleared out garage.
Your keep pile should be reserved for absolute essentials. Unless absolutely critical such as backup generators, items that you haven’t touched in years should not be included in your keep pile. It might be hard, but you have to accept moving on from all the things that contribute to the clutter in your current garage, or you can expect the same thing to happen in the garage of your new home!
Your donate pile should be dedicated to the items in your garage that you no longer use or need, but are still in good condition. While you may no longer have a need for it doesn’t mean that it can’t find a new home for someone to enjoy. Donating the items in your garage that you don’t want to keep is a great way to clear out space and declutter. It’s common for people to elect to just throw away these items, as donating your stuff can be a chore. Bagging everything up and having to take multiple trips to your local donation center back and forth can be exhausting, especially when you’re within a tight window. With South Florida Donation Center, that worry goes right out the window. Instead, South Florida Donation Center offer convenient donation pickup services. Simply box up your belongings, and our team will handle the heavy lifting! Schedule your pickup today here.
Lastly, your trash pile should be dedicated exclusively to the items either in complete disrepair or completely outdated and can no longer be used.
Prepare Temporary Storage
Once you’ve cleared out space and decided what you’ll be keeping, you’re likely looking at much more open garage space! As you approach your move date, it’s a good idea to invest in temporary storage for your keep items for your entire home. Label large tubs to help yourself down the road as you’re moving in. This will help you tremendously as you move out and have to lug your items out of the garage.
Next Steps
Now you are ready to start systemically working room-by-room to sort through each room in your home for an upcoming move or decluttering!
