HOT PROPERTY

This content is produced by the B2B Publishing team of the LA Times. It does not involve the reporting staff of the LA Times.

SPRING CLEANING FOR THE GARAGE

Spring is here, and for many people, that means getting into once-a-year home projects. This year why not add the garage to your spring cleaning list? If your garage is more storage space than a car shelter, here’s some organization tips.

Work when it’sniceoutside: While this is typicallyeasytodoinSouthern California, youdon’t want to freeze or work up asweat. Spring and fall areoften the besttimes to takeonacleaning.

Setaside enough time to do the job: If you haven’tcleaned out your garagefor severalyears (or ever!), chances areyou’veaccumulated alot. Be realistic about howmuch time you’ll need – one weekend is reasonable.

yourself: When wasthe lasttime Iusedit? Will I ever useitagain?Isitbroken? Makepiles: Keep, donate, discard. To prevent hoarding, the American Cleaning Institute suggeststhat youget rid of asimilar item for everynew item youacquire.

Take agood look at the “keep” pile: Sort items by type: gardening, seasonal, tools,etc. Keep similar items together,likebicycles and an air pump.

of the garage(recycling bins) and lesser-used things(fishing equipment) in the back. Buy stackable containers to keep the garagelooking tidy.

Label everything: Mark what’sineachbox – it will makesearching for an item much easier. Write on the sides of the container,not on top,so youcan seethe labels oncethe boxesare stacked.

Usemore than justfloor space: Take advantageofthe walls and ceiling to hold things. A pegboard can be the place to storetools,hats and glovesfor gardening. Install awirerackonawall for rakes, shovels,and brooms.

— CTW Features

Empty the entire garageonto your driveway: As youpull an item out of the garage, ask

Organize thoughtfully: Likearranging apantry, put items youuse mostfrequentlyinthe front

Organizing your garage is a great spring project.

Photo by trekandphoto /Adobe Stock

Print | Back