How to Declutter Your Garage Fast in 10 Easy Steps

Simple Tips for Decluttering a Garage

Learn how to declutter your garage fast. Decluttering your garage is a big task that is well worth the effort. These deluttering tips and ideas will help make decluttering your garage easier.

Is your garage so full of stuff that you don’t have room to park your car inside? Do you feel that you are stepping into a scene from Hoarders each time you set foot in your garage?

If so then it is time to roll up your sleeves and declutter your garage.

Let’s face it, a garage often ends up being a catch all for a variety of items from old furniture to those items we keep, but rarely use.

Eventually, that garage can become so cluttered that it is difficult to find anything you need and can even be a safety hazard.

Decluttering your garage can seem overwhelming, but with a few simple tips, this project can be a little bit simpler and easier than you might imagine.

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Helpful Tips for Decluttering Your Garage

Before you embark on your garage decluttering project, here are some tips you may find helpful.

Get Your Entire Family Involved

Gather a team. The garage is one of the biggest decluttering jobs you will do in your home and it can sometimes take days to get through everything. Have the whole family chip in on this project to get it done faster.

Don’t Deep Clean as You Declutter

Don’t try to deep clean while you declutter your garage. Unlike indoor rooms, the garage can be a bit of a messy disaster.

Avoid getting sucked into scrubbing away one mess or another while decluttering. If you see a mess that needs to be scrubbed, make note of it and come back after you have decluttered.

Don’t Toss Out Spouse’s Stuff without Consent

Do not toss out your spouse’s things without getting permission. Anything you do not know is safe to toss out, put into a box or a section of the floor for your spouse to look over.

No matter how much you want to declutter your garage, tossing out something that may upset your partner is not worth a fight or stress on your relationship.

Consider a Storage Unit

Consider a storage unit for things you want to keep while you work on cleaning and organizing after your big declutter.

This can help make it easier to organize your space after going through the work to get rid of any excess that doesn’t need to be there.

How to Declutter a Garage in 10 Easy Steps

#1. Start with a Plan

As with any large project, cleaning out and organizing your garage works best if you actually have a plan.

You will need a day or two of good weather so you can haul everything out of the garage in order to sweep it and wash things down before organizing.

So mark the day on your calendar, get family and even friends involved if possible, arrange for a dumpster if needed, pick up those organizational tools you will need and put on comfortable clothing and shoes and go to work.

#2. Set Up Boxes or Containers

Set up boxes or containers for items that you plan to throw away, give away, sale or recycle. And as you remove items from the garage place them in the proper box or pile to avoid placing any of these items back into the garage once it is cleaned out.

For those items you plan to keep, sort them into categories such as sports equipment, yard tools, repair tools, etc.

#3. Do First Round Pick Up

Have everyone grab a trash bag and do a run-through looking for things that need to be thrown away.

This is a great way to get the first round decluttered and give you more space to work by getting rid of what is out in the open before you start digging.

#4. Sort through Boxes

Sort through boxes and clear away old things you no longer need. The garage is a convenient place to store things but you don’t want to take up your entire garage.

Label any boxes of things you want to keep making it easy to tell what you have inside at all times. Stacking these boxes on shelves can help keep them organized.

#5. Sort through the Toolbox

Dig through toolboxes. If you spend a lot of time working in your garage, odds are you have a toolbox or two. These can become a cluttered mess that makes it nearly impossible to find the tools you need.

Go through and look for tools that need repair or replacement, remove the trash that may have been added into your toolboxes while working in a hurry and move old space nuts and bolts to jars where they can be dealt with as needed.

#6. Check that Old Gallon of Paint

If you store paint or chemicals in your garage check for expiration dates and damage to the packaging. A rusty bucket of dried-out paint is not useful to you anymore if you need to repaint your living room.

Take a photo of that label so you can replace the color next time you need it. For harsh chemicals, call your local sanitation department and get the proper directions for disposal in your area.

List of Things to Declutter from Your Garage – Decluttering Checklist

The garage is where odds and ends for your family are often kept and if care is not taken these items can quickly take over your garage.

Here are some of the items to declutter from your garage:

Old sports and fitness equipment
Old broken car parts
Rusted and non-repairable tools
Old unusable gardening tools
Old/damaged plant pots
Duplicate tools
Old/damaged household equipment (e.g broken vacuum, fan etc.)
Old/damaged holiday decorations
Expired/dried out paint
Expired chemicals
Items you no longer need or use
Old craft projects
Empty boxes
Trash

#7. Time to Deep Clean

After you have removed everything that will not be staying in the garage and sorted it to go where it belongs you can then take the time to deep clean areas of your garage that really need it.

This is the perfect time to pull out a list of all the places you saw that need to be deep cleaned so you can work don’t the list before putting everything away.

#8. Set up Dedicated Zones

Once the garage is empty, set up dedicated zones in your garage for each category of items. Make sure that each zone contains enough space to hold all of the items you need to put into the space.

#9. Install Your Organizational Tools

Before putting items back into the garage, install your organizational tools so that you can immediately put items away as you bring them back into the garage.

Install a pegboard for tools over your workbench so they can be hung neatly out of the way but within easy reach.
Install a bike rack to keep bikes out of traffic areas and off the floor. There are both hanging options and bike racks available for bikes.
A large wire basket is perfect for holding basketballs, footballs and soccer balls.
Installing a simple bungee cord will keep rakes, brooms, shovels etc. upright and out of the way.
Make use of rafters, hang shelves from the ceiling, or off the floor-shelving units for storing seasonal items. Add some stackable drawers for smaller items.
Make use of old tackle boxes or drawer organizer trays for items such as nails, screws, nuts and bolts.
Place storage items such as winter coats, Seasonal décor, etc. in plastic storage boxes and label each one.

#10. Place Everything You are Keeping in its New Assigned Place

Once you have installed all your organizational tools begin putting away those items you plan to keep one zone at a time. Once done stand back and admire your handy work.

Garage Declutter Ideas – Conclusion

The garage is a great place to store things that need a place out of the way in the main home. Hence, it can be a nightmare to work through but putting the work in is well worth the effort. And with a solid plan and determination, you can get it done!

Because cleaning out your garage is going to be a tough task and you are likely to be tired after your hard day’s work you may want to order take out for dinner or make sandwiches and salads ahead of time for a quick and easy dinner.

Turning on music or listening to your favorite sporting event on the radio while working will help keep you motivated and make the task of decluttering seem a little less work.