I don’t know about you, but for me, there may not be anything that is much more annoying than opening my door and stepping out to find the most disgusting eyesore known to man… the abyss, otherwise known as the garage.

The mere thought when I step into the garage to do my laundry, get something out of the secondary fridge, or even to gain access to my storage above the garage, always leaves me having a small anxiety attack. I am not a fan of clutter, so when things feel in disarray and the ‘feng shui’ is all over the map, it makes me want to scream. So, what can you do to help your own situation if it feels like mine? If it’s bad enough that you can’t park your CAR in the garage or if you need to arm yourself with a hazmat suit and a leaf blower, then maybe it’s time to consider a good cleaning out of the garage.

The first thing you will want to do is clean everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, out of the garage. Oh Lordy! This sounds like it might take a while, so make sure the weather is good. Your lawn and driveway might look like something out of ‘Sanford and Son,’ for a bit… prepare yourself! Clearing everything out also gives you a good chance to make sure that you are using your garage space to the best of its abilities. You might consider wall and ceiling hangings to maximize floor space and clear walkways.

Throw things away that are outdated, old, smelly, foreign looking, unused, dirty, crusty, empty… you know what I’m talking about. If it has an odor that seems like it should grow legs and walk off on its own, or if you can’t identify it, it needs to go. If you haven’t touched it in days, weeks, months, or even years… pitch it! You will be shocked at how much you can accumulate in your garage simply because it is ‘out of sight.’

The next thing you want to do is strategize and figure out how best to organize your space. Putting all the tools together in one area is a great start. Then you can follow up with household cleaning supplies, lawn and gardening tools, pool equipment, yard toys – you get the idea. Whatever you store in your garage you will want to organize in like spaces. There is nothing worse than going out to look for something specific and you have NO CLUE where it is. Keeping like-minded things together saves headaches and time!

Lastly, if you have tossed out what you can and you still have stuff left sitting in the driveway or yard and you don’t foresee it going back into the garage, toss a sign in your yard, prop up a chair and sell it! Yard sales are an awesome way to make money so you can, uhmm, buy more stuff.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a garage to clean…