How Long Does it Take to Declutter a Garage?

A cluttered garage can be a source of frustration for many homeowners. It’s a space where we often store a mishmash of items, from tools and sports equipment to holiday decorations and forgotten treasures. Over time, the clutter can accumulate, making it challenging to find what you need and even park your car. Decluttering a garage is a common home improvement project, but how long does it take to declutter a garage? In this blog post, we’ll explore various factors that can affect the time it takes to declutter a garage and provide some helpful tips to streamline the process.

Welcome to my Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Each day we do a daily task based on the room we are working on. Today, our task is to start decluttering your clutter in your garage. If you prefer watching videos, check out my youtube channel here. Today, we’ll look at some tips for decluttering unwanted camping supplies in your garage.

The best way to develop a new habit is by slowly and daily application. We will begin a new daily declutter habit starting with the 2nd bathroom. In the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series, we will declutter 30 minutes a day, five days a week on weekdays. Sign up to receive daily encouragement and motivation.

Plus, you’ll learn your specific daily task to work toward completing the goal of a Year Long Thorough Declutter where you will declutter every space and learn how to start to purge your house. Are you ready to finally get organized? If so, will you join us? Leave a comment below to subscribe.

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find my free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category.

Currently we are working on decluttering the Garage. The daily task for today, Sept. 15, 2023, is to begin decluttering any unwanted camping supplies in your garage. Remember, we are focusing on just the garage area, so don’t declutter your whole house. We will cover each room separately. If you are asking: “How Long Does it Take to Declutter a Garage?” you are in the right place.

How Long Does it Take to Declutter a Garage?

Size and Scope of the Garage

One of the most significant factors influencing the time it takes to declutter a garage is its size and the extent of the clutter. A small one-car garage with minimal clutter may take just a weekend to organize, while a larger two-car or three-car garage with years of accumulated stuff could take several weekends or even longer. Before you begin, take a good look at your garage and estimate how much work is needed.

Your Commitment and Available Time

Your level of commitment and the time you can allocate to the project also play a crucial role. If you can dedicate an entire weekend or several consecutive days to decluttering, you’ll make faster progress compared to sporadic efforts here and there. Creating a schedule and sticking to it can significantly impact the overall timeline.

How Long Does it Take to Declutter a Garage or any room? You can also try this formula to estimate how long it takes to declutter an area:

Estimating the time it takes to declutter a room can be challenging as it depends on various factors, including the size of the room, the amount of clutter, your organization skills, and the level of detail you want to achieve. However, you can create a rough formula as a starting point for estimation:

Time (in hours) = Base Time + (Room Size Factor * Clutter Factor * Organization Factor)

Where:

Base Time: This is a constant representing the minimum time it would take to declutter any room. You can start with a value like 2 hours, which accounts for some basic cleaning and organization efforts.
Room Size Factor: This factor considers the size of the room. It can be determined by dividing the total square footage of the room by a reference square footage, such as 100 square feet. For example, if your room is 200 square feet, the Room Size Factor would be 2.
Clutter Factor: This factor represents the level of clutter in the room. You can estimate it on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being minimal clutter and 5 being extreme clutter. Assign a value based on your judgment of the room’s clutter level.
Organization Factor: This factor accounts for your organizational skills and the level of detail you want to achieve. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being very organized and 5 being disorganized and detailed, assign a value that reflects your approach.

Keep in mind that this formula provides a rough estimate and does not consider other variables like the complexity of items to be sorted, the need for disposal, or the level of emotional attachment to items. It’s always a good idea to add some buffer time to your estimate to account for unforeseen challenges.

For example, let’s say you have a moderately cluttered bedroom with an area of 150 square feet, and you consider your organizational skills to be average. You could estimate the time as follows:

Time (in hours) = 2 hours + (1.5 * 3 * 3) = 13.5 hours

So, according to this rough formula, it might take approximately 13.5 hours to declutter this specific room. However, remember that this is just an estimation, and the actual time could vary based on individual circumstances.

Sorting and Categorizing

One of the most time-consuming aspects of garage decluttering is sorting and categorizing items. You’ll need to decide what to keep, what to donate, what to sell, and what to discard. To expedite this process, designate clear areas for each category and use bins or boxes to organize items accordingly. Sorting through items methodically can save you time in the long run.

Enlisting Help

Decluttering a garage is often a big job, and having some extra hands can make a significant difference in how long it takes. Enlist the help of family members or friends who are willing to pitch in. More people working together can expedite the process and make it more enjoyable.

Disposal Options

Deciding what to do with the items you no longer need is another factor affecting the timeline. Selling items online or through a garage sale can take time, but it can also be financially rewarding. Donating items to charity is a generous option, while disposing of junk responsibly may involve arranging for bulk trash pickup or a trip to the local landfill.

Organizing and Storage Solutions

Once you’ve decluttered your garage, you may want to invest some time in organizing and finding suitable storage solutions. This step can vary in complexity depending on your preferences and needs. Simple shelving and storage bins can be installed relatively quickly, while more elaborate solutions, like custom cabinetry or wall-mounted storage systems, may take more time.

Maintenance and Ongoing Organization

Finally, consider the importance of ongoing maintenance and organization. Regularly tidying up your garage and implementing good organization practices can prevent clutter from accumulating again in the future.

The time it takes to declutter a garage varies widely depending on several factors, including the size of the space, the amount of clutter, your commitment, and the help you enlist. While it may be a time-consuming task, the benefits of a well-organized garage, such as improved functionality and peace of mind, make it well worth the effort. So, roll up your sleeves, set a realistic timeline, and start decluttering your garage today. Remember, it’s not just about cleaning up; it’s about creating a more efficient and enjoyable space for your home.

I personally have a bad habit of placing items that need to be donated in the laundry room behind the door. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Delaying decisions means we still need to declutter.

Maybe you have a habit of delaying decisions, too. Let’s decide today where your decluttered items need to go. Do they need to be donated? Disposed of? Don’t delay that decision any longer. If they need to be donated, sort and put them in your vehicle. Then, make a note in your calendar to drop them off at your favorite charity.

As you are decluttering your items, I want you to try not to just move them to another room. You may be tempted to do that. However, resist the urge to keep everything. Decluttering means we actually part with these items. Otherwise, assign those items a permanent home where you can best utilize them.

Declutter Steps for How to Clean Out Garage Clutter

1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.

2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.

3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina. This is one of the most useful declutter motivation tips. Listen to your body and work at decluttering when you feel the most alert and energized.

4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. This is one specific way for How to Be Ruthless When Decluttering.

5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. The goal is to purge the dead weight. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later. Read on for more declutter motivation tips and my room specific deep clean checklist, though, as you will begin cleaning after your declutter.

High Impact Decluttering Tips for How to Clean Out Garage Clutter

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.

Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.

I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.

How to Clean Out Garage Clutter

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.Get rid of items that don’t work or that work poorly, expired items, anything you don’t love, anything that you’ll never use again

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option

How Do You Declutter Your Entire House (and get it deep clean?): Need to deep clean?

First, My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

Second, My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

Third, My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

Fourth, My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

Fifth, My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Check out the link above to see a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Homemaking Checklist.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3: How do you remove clutter? How Do You Declutter Your Home?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.