Ekkkk! Does your garage look like ours did? I would love to say that as a Professional Organizer that all the places/things in our world are neat and tidy but this is real life people… and our family is just like yours. While most areas of our home stay pretty well organized, our garage is a whole other story 🙄. Despite my best efforts to organize, rearrange, etc… it always seems to turn into a giant trash hole again. It's terrible.
Last weekend I had enough…. There were piles of Ben and Brennan’s clothes; a collection of boots and sneakers; along with enough dirt/mud to plant a small garden… and then the smell of cats 😖 OMG. Lawddddd help us. {Yes, we have two cats that are well cared for, however they live outdoors and in the garage. Part of my issue with cats is that you can always smell them 😤} It was time to get this crap cleaned up and everything in its place.

Another issue I have with our garage is that it has never been painted. Drywalled but never painted… add that to the list of $hit that makes me crazy. I know, we don’t live in the garage but could the last owners not spare a few bucks and throw some paint on the walls after it was drywalled? Or did they prefer the look of unpainted, nasty drywall? Needless to say the garage is not a place that brings me any sort of joy. In fact, it probably induces unnecessary anxiety each time I'm in there. I was over it. Time to PURGE.
First it was tearing out the carpet on the back entry steps that was most certainly holding cat smells. 🤢 {My MIL insists that carpeting on the back step is necessary to catch dirt rather than tracking it in the house. While I agree – I would prefer a carpet that can be tossed in the wash and not something so permanent.}
Then it was making Brennan go through each and every piece of clothing and shoes/ boots to determine what was still good or what could be tossed. He seems to think the back railing is his personal closet for his "play/work" clothes. He was given a LONG lecture that he is no longer to use the railing as a dumping ground. We'll see how long this lasts. {The amount that could be tossed because he had outgrown them made me want to SCREAM… you know, they don’t fit but we’ll just leave them lying around until mom loses her mind.}
Sports equipment – we have enough for a small army but some of it was just garbage. I mean how many old, crappy basketballs does one family need? Or footballs? Ummm, if I remember correctly we only have two children so the amount we had was insane. Ok, hoarders – I mean family… time to get rid of this crap! {We use an old toy shelf to store those items - along with an old wicker planter that we were no longer using.}
And I continued on purging, sorting and putting like items with like items so they are more likely to be found when needed. That included cleaning out the cupboards/drawers & counters by the back door that had been littered with crap that was basically useless. Some of the things there since the day we moved in I am sure. Yes, lets hold on to it for eternity just in case we may need it. What on earth people?!? {I may or may not have done some of that when no one was looking. Shhhh!!}
But I wasn’t done yet…. Those unpainted walls that make me crazy?! I decided I was going to at least paint the wall to the entrance to the house. Brighten it up and make it look more inviting. And the back stairs… heck, why not paint those too?! As for the carpet – we purchased an inexpensive washable throw rug at The Christmas Tree Shoppe that fits perfectly! And then hung back up some of the things that were originally on the wall – so much better already and it’s barely a complete wall painted. {It has also prompted Ben to contact a friend about painting the entire garage. I would say that was totally worth the effort!!} The end result is a less-anxiety inducing garage with organization. Yay!

What does your garage look like? Is it organized or could it use a little help? Do you know you can organize it in an hour or less with yourself & the help of another person or two? Be ready to purge {have trash bags or cans ready!} and have a plan for organizing what you are keeping. There are many options when it comes to shelving, cupboards and various units for garage organization. It’s important to think practically when organizing your garage. Is your garage small? If yes, think about hanging storage {Like hanging bikes, kayaks, etc. from the ceiling for storage rather than storing them on the ground or standing up to free up that space for other items.}
Need help? Contact Orderly by Danica today - 585.749.3493 or at orderlybydanica@gmail.com