7 Tips for Decluttering a Messy Garage

Is your garage a chaotic jumble of tools, boxes, and random items? Do you cringe every time you open the door and are met with a wall of clutter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with a messy garage, but the good news is that you can transform this space into an organized and functional area. Decluttering your garage may seem like a daunting task, but with a well-thought-out plan and some elbow grease, you can turn it into a clean and efficient space. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of getting started on decluttering your messy garage.

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 garden tools in a messy 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. 12, 2023, is to begin decluttering your garden tools 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.

Getting Started: Decluttering a Messy Garage

1. Set Clear Goals

Before diving into the clutter in a messy garage, take a moment to define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your garage? Are you looking to create a space for parking your car, setting up a workshop, or simply improving storage? Having clear objectives will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the decluttering process.

2. Prepare Your Supplies

Gather the necessary supplies before you begin decluttering. You’ll need:

Trash bags: For disposing of items that are no longer needed.
Cardboard boxes or plastic bins: These will be used for categorizing and storing items.
Cleaning supplies: To wipe down surfaces and remove dust.
Labels and markers: For labeling boxes or bins.
Safety gear: Depending on what you find in your garage, you might need gloves, safety glasses, or a dust mask.

3. Sort and Categorize

Start by emptying the entire contents of your garage onto your driveway or another open area. This will give you a clear view of everything you have. Now, sort items into categories. Common categories include:

Keep: Items you want to keep and use in the garage.
Donate/Sell: Things that are in good condition but no longer needed by you.
Trash: Broken, damaged, or useless items that should be discarded.
Recycle: Items that can be recycled, such as old cardboard boxes.

As you sort, be ruthless. Ask yourself if you’ve used the item in the past year and if you’ll use it in the future. If the answer is no, it might be time to let it go.

4. Clean and Repair

Once your messy garage is empty, take the opportunity to clean it thoroughly. Sweep the floor, dust shelves, and wipe down surfaces. If there are any repairs needed, such as fixing a leaky roof or a broken shelf, address them at this stage. A clean and well-maintained space is more inviting and functional.

5. Create Zones

To keep your garage organized in the long term, create designated zones for different purposes. For example:

Tool area: Hang pegboards or use tool chests to keep your tools organized and easily accessible.
Storage shelves: Install sturdy shelves for boxes and containers, clearly labeled with their contents.
Workspace: If you have a workbench or need a space for DIY projects, allocate an area for it.
Seasonal storage: Use high shelves or overhead storage for seasonal items like holiday decorations or camping gear.

6. Label Everything

Labeling is the key to maintaining an organized garage. Clearly mark boxes, bins, and shelves so that you can quickly locate items when you need them.

7. Regular Maintenance

To prevent your garage from returning to its cluttered, messy garage state, commit to regular maintenance. Set aside time once a month to tidy up and put things back in their designated spots. This will help you stay on top of the clutter and keep your garage organized.

Decluttering a messy garage is a rewarding project that can transform an unusable space into a valuable asset in your home. Remember, it’s not a one-time task but an ongoing process. With determination and a well-organized approach, you can reclaim your garage and enjoy the benefits of a clean, functional space.

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 a Messy Garage

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 a Messy Garage

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 Declutter a Messy Garage

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.