The garage is intended for vehicle shelter, but often becomes a dumping ground for any and all knickknacks, eventually becoming a giant pit of improperly placed junk. While the state remains under a strict shelter in place order, use this time to give your car the space it deserves, and give yourself some much needed organizational relief.

First, gather heavy-duty trash bags or boxes to create your separate bins and piles.

  • Recyclables – If you don’t already have the appropriate bins, create separate containers for paper, plastic, aluminum and glass.
  • Donations – Identify unwanted items that are new or gently used and give them new life by donating them. Some places are not currently accepting donations due to the stay at home order, so make sure to call first!
  • Trash – No matter how badly you want to keep those partially or mostly used containers of supplies, if you aren’t going to use it, toss it.
  • Special disposal – Keep all toxic chemicals, old motor oil, and other items that require special disposal in their own containers.
  • Keep – Give items you want to keep the proper storage it deserves.

It will also be helpful to have some additional supplies such as:

    • A strong vacuum, such as a Shop-Vac,
    • A broom, and
    • Gloves.

Next, begin separating your items into their appropriate piles. But before you start to toss items or purchase organizational products, remember the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. This will not only save time and money, but will also prevent you from producing unnecessary trash.

As you go through products, identify items that can be re-purposed into an organizational system. This will keep the items from being discarded and will also save you money.

If you find old or used fabrics, instead of throwing them away, repurpose them into rags or put your sewing skills to the test by making a face mask.

It’s easy to toss out unwanted items, but easier on the environment to sort and recycle them. The following are common household items that can be recycled when given a little extra time.

  • Cardboard, such as food boxes, paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls, can be broken down and reused for gardening mulch. Shipping boxes can also be turned into organization bins.
  • Plastic bottles from laundry detergent, shampoo, and soda, can be rinsed and turned into organizational items, such as utensil holders, desk organizers and more. Be sure to thoroughly rinse containers before repurposing or placing in the recycle bin.
  • Instead of buying new food storage containers or flower vases, reuse aluminum and glass bottles and containers.

Be sure to check back in for more tips, tricks, and DIY projects coming soon!