Okay, so my garage was getting seriously out of hand. You couldn’t even walk in there without tripping over something. Stuff just piled up everywhere – tools, old paint cans, kids’ toys they haven’t touched in years, camping gear, you name it. It was driving me crazy. I knew I had to do something.
I figured the simplest way to start tackling this mess was getting some solid storage boxes. Nothing fancy, just practical containers to get things off the floor and organized.
Getting Started
First thing I did was head down to the local hardware store. Spent a bit of time looking at different types. Clear ones seemed like a good idea so you could see what’s inside, but the solid color ones felt a bit tougher, maybe? And stackability was key. I ended up grabbing a bunch of sturdy, medium-sized plastic totes with lids that snapped on tight. Bought more than I thought I needed, just in case.
Got back home, cleared a little space in the garage to work, and just started pulling stuff out. Man, that was a job in itself. Found things I completely forgot I even owned. Had to be ruthless about what to keep, what to toss, and what could maybe be donated.
The Big Sort
Then came the sorting phase. I tried to group similar items together:
- All the car cleaning supplies in one pile.
- Gardening tools and supplies in another.
- Holiday decorations (seriously, why so many tangled lights?).
- Sports equipment.
- Old hobby stuff.
- Things to keep but rarely use.
This took basically all afternoon. It’s messy work, dragging everything out, deciding its fate. Lots of dust.
Boxing ‘Em Up
Once things were roughly sorted, I started loading up the boxes. Tried not to make any single box too heavy to lift, especially the ones I knew would end up stacked higher. Grabbed a marker and labeled each box with a general idea of the contents – “Xmas Decks,” “Camping Gear,” “Old Cables,” etc. Not super detailed, but good enough to find stuff later.
Packed them reasonably full so things wouldn’t rattle around too much, then snapped the lids on tight. Hearing that click felt pretty satisfying, like progress!
Putting it All Together
Finally, the organizing part. I started stacking the boxes against one wall. I put the stuff I use less often, like the holiday decorations, on the bottom or higher up. Things I might need more regularly, like basic tools or car stuff, I kept in easier-to-reach spots. I tried to make neat, stable stacks.
It wasn’t perfect, maybe could have labeled better or sorted even more, but wow, what a difference. You can actually see the floor now! It feels so much better walking in there. Finding things is way less of a headache. Definitely worth the effort.