Gardens and Garages

Crisp fresh air, cold noses, and warm fuzzy sweaters can only mean one thing – fall is here! This past weekend, I indeed pulled on a warm, fuzzy sweater, went outside and inhaled the crisp, fresh air. I soon had a cold nose. Yep, fall is upon us and so is garden clean up time. I pulled on my rubber boots, grabbed a pair of gardening gloves and off to the garage I trotted to fetch the items I needed, confident it would only take me a few seconds to locate them. Admittedly, it took me longer than a few seconds, in fact, it took me over 10 mins of searching and digging to find everything I needed. As I walked out of the garage trying to dodge the snake-like hoses that I swear were trying to crawl up my leg, I knew what was next on my to-do list – organizing the garage. The garden beds were raked, bulbs were hauled up and readied for storage, and plants that had to wait until now to be divided were safely tucked in new beds. Burlap wraps were rolled up and placed in a corner and are now waiting to be used. The wooden ‘sandwich boards’ were moved to the front and are now ready to be placed over the new hedge to protect it from heavy snow. Garden clean-up was done. Now to tackle the garage. When I walked into the garage and looked around, I have to say that I was completely overwhelmed. Pool noodles, helmets, and rakes – oh my! I’d rather have had lions, tigers, and bears to deal with than the mess in front of me. Where to start?! I stopped for a second and thought of the 10 basic questions we ask our clients to answer before they begin the decluttering process. I refer to this list in almost every post because it really is an invaluable tool to help you organize, regardless of what space you are working in. Quite often we have an emotional attachment to things we own and it can be very difficult to let go of those items. (More on that in a future post!) This simple list of questions can help you take a different look at those items and hopefully help you move forward in the decluttering and organizing process. I have to admit, looking at my grandfather’s old, broken and rusted push mower brought back a lot of wonderful memories of my childhood. I’d been holding onto it for years thinking I would use it as a garden decoration, maybe try and restore it, something, anything to not get rid of it. When I looked at it, truly looked at it, it was a piece of ancient machinery that I’d let rust away over the decades. I pulled the laminated card of ‘the’ questions out of my pocket and answered them truthfully. I realized it was not the mower that I loved; it was the memories of my grandfather that I loved. Those would be stored with me forever and wouldn’t take up much needed space in the garage. And so it went. It was an exhausting day, but the feeling of satisfaction when it was done was unbelievable! The garage was so neat and organized. Everything had a place and there was a place for everything. The hose snakes had been reeled in and rolled up! The bike helmets were hung neatly on the wall, pool noodles were corralled and tucked in between two wall studs held tightly in place by a bungee cord, and the rakes were back on the wall where they belonged. Many, many other tasks were completed, the floor was swept, and shelves were straightened. Life was good in the garage again. Creating calm from chaos. Love it. There are as many different ways to organize your garage, as there are garages. You need to find a system that works for you. Identify exactly what the space is needed for. One car? Two? Bicycles? Tools? Gardening supplies? Work shop? Storage? Once you identify what you need the space to be, take a close look around to see what is and isn’t working for you. Refer to the list of 10 questions and be truthful in answering them. Make three piles: one for keep; one for give away; one to throw out. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. You will be surprised at what you’ve kept buried in your garage for so many years. Time to start letting the clutter and chaos go. We promise, it will be worth it.

To help you get started, we thought you’d like to see a few pins that have great ideas on organizing your garage - and visit our Pinterest page or our board Tips On Organizing Your Garage where you will find these ideas and lots more.

Wouldn’t you love to have your garage this neat and organized? You can!

What great use of available space. Nice and organized!

There is so much more on our Pinterest board – Tips On Organizing Your Garage – where you will find these ideas (with links) and many more creative and fun ways to organize your garage. As always, if in doubt, please contact us so we can help you get started organizing with a FREE consultation! Consultations and organizing sessions can also be booked online anytime! Let us organize your chaos - It’s what we love to do!

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