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June 2008 Feature Article: "How to Clean Your Garage in One Weekend!"
June is a great month to clean out your garage - and you can do it all in one weekend! You'll be running into your neighbors when you open your garage door more now than any other time of the year. Do yourself a favor and clean it out before they see all your clutter! I know... we just moved and we have lots of boxes to get rid of this weekend!
How did you do on "The Paper
Diet" since last month? Over Memorial Day weekend we relocated
from Dallas to San Diego with 70 lbs. less – all because of
"The
Paper Diet!” (See ARTICLE Page.) It was a motivating way to clean out files, binders, and magazines.
Important News . . .
*
I was honored to
be featured (photo and bio) in "Secrets of Getting Organized"
by
Better Homes and
Garden! It’s a "must have"
tool for your
organizing library.
(Note it's a special
edition, not the monthly magazine.)
Purchase
it at Barnes and Noble or amazon.com.
* “Move IN” Offer: To fit in my new office space, I am offering a sale on our most popular CD Album, The CD Package! Get organized with hundreds of new tips, and learn while you drive with this compact CD library of six seminars.
"Never fear - there are ways to get
through the emotional entanglements of garage cleaning. And the benefit
is always order and extra space. Put on your organizing hat and let's
get going. Today's the day!"
-- Marcia Ramsland, Simplify Your Space
FEATURE ARTICLE: "How
to Clean Your Garage in One Weekend!"
by Marcia Ramsland, "The Organizing Pro"
Cleaning
out your garage can earn you garage sale cash and make things easier to
find. It's
Father's Day, too, so surprise Dad and clean out all the extra clutter
and give him back some space (and his tools!). Whatever the reason,
you'll impress the neighbors and feel good when you pull into your
garage each day.
No garage? Head to the
basement or attic and apply the same principles.
Supplies
to Gather Before the Weekend
* Index cards, tape, and markers for signs
* Big empty trash bins
* Plastic storage boxes with lids
Time Estimate:
2-4 hours per wall, depending on how much you have to organize.
Start early Saturday morning with a good helper and plan to eat out after you
finish!
Approach Your Garage by Sections
To begin creating order in your garage, begin by clearing the center of the floor. If you intend to keep your car in the garage every day (It is possible!), then you need to make sure your garage floor is no longer a dumping ground for miscellaneous clutter.
Your garage-organizing plan must be clear to everyone involved in putting things away, so consider dividing the two side walls into masculine and feminine walls. As you sort, label the walls with signs across each wall such as:
Left Wall—The “Guy” Wall
(Or "Outside" Items)
·
Yard and lawn equipment
·
Workshop tools and paint
·
Gardening tools
·
Sports equipment
Right Wall—The “Gal” Wall
(Or "Inside" Items)
·
Household storage
·
Giveaway Items
·
Children’s toys
· Pet
care supplies
Rafters—Long Term Storage
·
Holiday decorations
·
Household carpet and trim molding
·
Suitcases
(If you have no rafter storage, put these items on the left and right wall
space.)
By setting up
signs around the room, you can cut your sorting time in half if you decide now
rather than later where things go.
In this major sort, focus on clearing the center of the floor. When
you can see the center of the floor, this visible sign of progress will motivate
you to keep going.
Sweep the garage floor when you can see significant space. This will
make you feel like you’re really cleaning the garage—plus, you won’t track old
dirt and grease into the house.
The initial big sort of the center of the garage floor requires
decisions. Not everything can stay. Make room for today’s activities in your
life and let go of your past interests and old items.
Lighten Up and Let Go
Once you organize your garage, you should have a lot to get
rid of. Take these items away the same day to a charity or a dump to complete your
task successfully.
Garage Checklist
Now go through the garage
checklist until every answer is “yes for success!”
___ 1. Is the garage floor clear in the center and cars able to fit?
___ 2. Is the main wall attractive and items intentionally
well placed?
___ 3. Are all the yard and workshop tools in one area?
___ 4. Are all the storage boxes in one area and labeled?
___ 5. Are items placed in clearly defined sections?
___ 6. Are all containers labeled and able to withstand temperature changes?
___ 7. Have the ceiling storage items been labeled and sorted?
___ 8. Are the trash and recycle bins easy to open and use?
___ 9. Have I delivered all my charity donations and returns to other people?
___ 10. Does the garage function well for storage, yard items, and recreational purposes?
Treat your garage like a family room—everyone uses it and everyone puts away
their own stuff! Be sure to get your money's worth out of your weekly garbage
and recycle pickups by filling the containers each week, too.
If you have effectively organized the garage, you will be able to
spend fewer weekends cleaning the garage and more time doing hobbies and
things you like.
========================================
For
more motivation and details to organize any room in your home or office beyond
this excerpt, get
Simplify Your Space: Create Order and Reduce Stress and related CDs
at
www.OrganizingPro.com.
Today's
Space-Saving Tip
"Cardboard boxes tend to
wilt over time, so upgrade your garage storage to plastic containers
with lids."
-- Simplify Your Space, Tip #40
"MOVE IN" Offer - Our Most Popular CD Package
 Move
In Offer: Our most
popular CD package, which includes six live seminars on CD. Don't miss this
opportunity save money and organize your
life!Order The CD Package and clear up every pile of paper and clutter! |
Warmly,
Marcia Ramsland
"The
Organizing Pro"
San Diego, CA
Marcia Ramsland,
"The Organizing Pro," is an
entertaining speaker, author, and professional organizer who appears on
radio and TV shows like Martha Stewart radio, and national magazines
like Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, and Woman's Day. Her popular
books include
Simplify Your Life, Simplify Your Time, and Simplify Your Space
available at Barnes and Noble, Office Depot, Costco, and
www.OrganizingPro.com.
Simplify Your Holidays will be released October 2008.