A garage or outbuilding packed with junk can be an overwhelming project, even if you have rented a roll-off dumpster to dispose of the useless stuff within it. Make sure that you set aside a good amount of time, and recruit some friends or family members to help out.
Clear an Area for Sorting
Find a convenient area to sort through the items you pull out of the garage. It can be the driveway in front of the garage, or another area nearby and set up three zones. You can mark these zones by using large tarps or whatever is most convenient for you.
- Keep – This zone should be the smallest of the three zones when performing a clean out.
- Sell/Donate – Anything that is unbroken or in good repair but hasn’t been used recently should go here.
- Throw Away – If your roll-off dumpster rental has been already dropped off, deposit these items in the dumpster.
Remove Everything from the Garage
Pull out everything out of the garage. Do not leave anything in it. You can sort the items by putting them into one of the three established zones, or simply get it all out of the garage so you can sort it in the area near these zones.
Establish Criteria for What You Want to Keep
Once you’ve pulled everything out, it’s time to set some ground rules for deciding what to keep. This garage cleaning tip will speed up the process by preventing you from agonizing over each individual item. When deciding what to keep and what to throw away, ask yourself: “Is this item in the garage for a reason, or because I didn’t know what to do with it?” If it’s the latter, either find a use for it or get rid of it
It is important that you make these decisions quickly to keep the process moving, so consider setting up some parameters about what you plan to keep. You don’t want to agonize over each item you look at.
Some criteria to consider:
- If you have used the item sometime within the last 6 to 12 months–or whatever time frame you see as a good cut off (keep)
- If you don’t know what it is (sell or donate it)
- Broken items that you planned on repairing “someday” (dumpster)
- Multiples of the same item (sell or donate)
Sort All of the Items
Sort everything into the three aforementioned zones.
Deep Clean the Space
After all of the stuff has been sorted, you need to make sure there is space to store the items you plan to keep. But first you should sweep out the garage, scrub down the floor and walls, maybe paint them if necessary. Take advantage of having everything out of the garage to make improvements to it.
Organize the Space
Return any shelves or cabinets that you removed from the garage. Are there any other options to organize the space to add storage? Here are a few ways to do this:
- Add ceiling hooks (especially if your garage has exposed beams) and wall hooks to store large tools.
- Install pegboards to help organize smaller tools and parts.
- Purchase additional shelving or cabinets if necessary
Keep the like stuff together such as yard and gardening tools and supplies, automotive items, tools and home repair supplies, etc., and assign specific space within the garage to store them.
Place the Items You Are Keeping in the Designated Space
Don’t let everything get jumbled up and lost again. Keep it organized.
Take Care of Remaining Stuff
Pitch any trash into the roll-off dumpster. Call the dumpster rental company for trash pickup. Take steps to sell or donate the items in that zone.
Take your time and do it right! Get rid of unwanted waste out of your garage and gain some peace of mind. If you still are not sure which size of roll-off dumpster rental you need for the job, contact the roll-off dumpster rental experts at Circle J Roll-Offs by completing our online contact form or 334.271.6900 (for Montgomery area customers) or call 251.661.0001 (for Mobile area customers) or send email to sales@circlejroll-offsinc.com.
