Garage Organization Made Simple

You’ve conquered your house, your home office, and your car, and you’ve mastered the art of scheduling and cooking in bulk.  But your garage is still a cluttered and unorganized mess.

As with everything else, a neat and organized garage is attainable with just a little elbow grease and some simple storage solutions.
First, get a handle on the mess by moving everything out to sort through what goes and what stays.  Large, clear plastic containers can help you do this. They’re great for clearing away the clutter and then using for storage.

Be ruthless with yourself during the sorting and purging process.  Don’t keep paint from a project from two years ago, and if you have parts to things you no longer have, get rid of the parts as well.

Consider adding a cabinet to your garage. Look for units that offer keyed locks, so you’re able to store poisonous materials and sharp tools out of children’s reach.

The garage is also where most of your kid’s sporting goods land. To keep bats and balls organized, purchase a hamper-style organizer. Designate a section for each child. Add a bin or shelf outside to store messy, muddy shoes as well.

Find a workable storage solution for all the little things in your garage.  Organize bolts, screws, nails, fasteners and other small parts into small clear containers so you can easily see what each contains.

Organize into steady stacks or consider installing a shelving unit to house these out of the reach of small and curious fingers.

For long-handled items, such as rakes and shovels, look for storage units to keep everything straight or use a durable rubber trash can.  Pegboards can also be installed on garage walls, and can be a simple solution for hanging items such as rakes or shovels out of the way.

They can also be hung on hooks. Inexpensive hooks come in a variety of sizes. Large deep hooks are perfect for hanging a ladder and bikes can be hung and kept off the garage floor as well.

Now that you’ve practiced on your house, your office and your car, organizing your garage is a snap with a little creativity, some hard work, and a well thought out plan.

Clutter Quickly Grows With Procrastination…And Even Kills!

The most common problem most people have with getting rid of clutter and getting organized is not knowing how to begin or where to get started.

So it gets put off until…later.

Of course, the reasons are usually decent.

For one, there’s a lot going on in our lives. We go in so many directions and there never seems to be enough time to get anything done.

And it’s easier to put organizing off because you think it’ll take up too much time right now.

The other priorities — like eating and sleeping (minor things, right?) of course take first on the list.

But getting organized doesn’t have to take a lot of time every single day.

And if you don’t start getting organized, even just a little bit at a time, there are some very real negative affects that, well, could kill you.

A little drastic… I know.

But the affect clutter and disorganization has on your health is very, very real.

It adds stress to your already busy life.

It sucks away your energy and makes you tired.

In many people, it increases the symptoms of depression.

But enough of the negative stuff!

Here’s how we can benefit from being organized and getting rid of clutter…

-More sleep.

-A better mood every day.

-Better relationships.

-Easier house management.

-Your bills get paid on time.

-More space.

-More time to do things you actually enjoy!

This is all very real stuff and getting organized should not be put on the back burner any longer.

But I know…it’s still too easy to put it off for “later.”

I will admit, the here and now makes it easier to pile things on the counter, on chairs and tables or toss things in closets and drawers.

It’s too easy to put things down and ignore my simple and important rule of “touch it once.”

Though, like I said earlier…clutter can be deadly.

No joke.

Back in January of this year a 62 year old woman from Washington was found dead under nearly six feet of dishes, boxes and “clutter” that apparently collapsed on her.

A very sad, and very drastic story.

Take this poor woman’s life back about thirty years. How many days went by when she procrastinated and said she would “get to it tomorrow.”

Now I hope your situation is not as drastic but reality is reality. And unless you get things under control right away, you just don’t know what a disorganized house can lead to.

At the very least I bet you’re feeling stressed and a little frustrated with a real desire to simplify your life at home.

It’s not a lot to ask, is it?

And we all know stress is not good.

But maybe your situation isn’t so out-of-control, and you just want to get rid of clutter and get your things in order.

Or you need to manage papers better because once in a while you forget to pay a bill that was sitting somewhere in a pile (because you don’t have a real system for your bills — which you need.)

No big deal, right?

After all, what’s a $5 payment here or a $35 late fee there?

It adds up.

So how ’bout you take a step towards ending clutter in your home and getting organized…before it kills you?

Conquer Bathroom Clutter Simply and Effectively

Bathrooms seem to be notorious for becoming cluttered and unkempt.  Between small makeup compacts, medicine bottles, hair accessories, razors and the like, it can be quite easy to lose things in the shuffle.

Assess your bathroom and its contents and utilize a few simple ideas and you’ll find more space and tranquility as a result.

First, take a good look at your medicine cabinets.  Ironically, it’s probably not a good idea to store medicine in your medicine cabinet, as most bathrooms become hot and humid during showers and baths, and can be detrimental to medication that requires being stored at room temperature.

Don’t keep medicines past their expiration date, even if you’ve never opened them or have used them very little.  Try storing your medications on a high shelf in your linen closet with a lock-tight lid.

This will help lengthen their shelf life as well as keep them out of reach of curious little hands.

The same should be done with old makeup.  Generally speaking, most makeup will last about 18-24 months, with the exception of mascara, which lasts about three months, and liquid eyeliner, which lasts about three to six months.

Nail polish generally only holds up for about a year, so if you have any older than that, get rid of them.  And since many makeup products have animal-based ingredients, it’s also important to pay attention to how they smell.

If they smell like they’ve gone bad, they probably have, so toss them. Try using a permanent marker to mark the purchase date on the back of the item, so that way you won’t have to try to remember just how long it’s been since you purchased something.

If you take a look in your favorite discount store’s home organization aisle,  you’ll find lots of inexpensive storage containers that can easily be utilized in bathroom drawers, under the sink, and for shower and bathtub areas as well.  Since bathrooms are full of small things, they can easily be organized in small bins, baskets or boxes.

Careful Organization and Planning Helps Preserve your Favorite Photos

Photos can be a wonderful way to preserve memories and relive favorite past moments.  However, they can also become a cluttered mess without an organized storage plan.

Probably the most important tool to have when you begin your photo organization project is a trash can.  Statistics show the average person develops one roll of 24 pictures a month but only seven are worth keeping.

That being said, you’ll probably find many photos in your collection that simply aren’t worth keeping.

Another tool you’ll need during your organization process is several manila envelopes.  Do your best to sort the photos by year, and place each group in the envelope with the year clearly marked on it.  Place these envelopes in a strong cardboard box or storage bin.  You’ll probably be able to store a decade’s worth of photos in a single container.

Collages and shadow boxes are great ways to display several photos from a selected year.  Include mementos and keepsakes in the shadowbox to add a unique personality.  Special photos should be enlarged and framed to be displayed around your home.

Take special care to purchase photo albums that are made with acid-free paper.  The acid used in processing everyday paper can be very damaging to photographs over the long haul.

Scrap booking is a growing trend and a clever and creative way to display your photos. Craft stores have an abundance of scrapbook supplies, including stencils, decorative scissors, background papers, rubber stamps and permanent markers.

You can also utilize everyday items around your house such as ribbons, magazine clippings, and fabrics.  Again, take care to ensure that the paper you use is acid-free or is displayed separately from your favorite photos.

Lastly, just in case something should happen to your photos, make sure you have a backup plan to replace them. Store the negatives of your most important and cherished photographs in your safe deposit box to also protect against theft or destruction from elements such as fires or floods.