Organization!

I love organization. However, I'm not very good at it. I used to be. Then I married a pack rat. And then we had kids. Now life is chaotic, & organization is low on my list of priorities. 

One of the worst areas of our house is the garage. My husband seems to think it's a place to store all the crap that won't fit in the house. I like to think the garage is an extension of our house. I was contacted recently by Stephanie, an Internet Marketing Specialist for Monkey Bars,  a company that specializes in garage storage systems. She asked if she could write a guest post here on my blog. Here is her article about garage organization:

5 Simple Steps to an Organized Garage

The garage is one of the most underutilized areas in the home. Many times people begin to 

place boxes, totes, and miscellaneous items in their garage. Soon enough, the garage becomes a cluttered dumping ground for the whole family. The garage is the optimal space to store and organize your family’s things and should be fully taken advantage of. Here are a few simple steps to an organized and functional garage. 

Decision Time: The first step to an organized garage is making decisions. If an item hasn’t been used in the last 3 years, chances are you’ll never use it in the next 3 years. Make decisions based on this rule of thumb to rid yourself of a lot of unnecessary clutter. Separate items in a “keep” pile and a “donate” pile. 

Donate: Once you’ve separated your things, donate gently used and useful items to your local charity. Donating to a local charity is a great way to give back to your community, recycle and receive a tax deduction. Who wouldn’t find those reasons appealing? Now, you’re ready to start organizing your garage!

Designate: Now that you’re left with the items you could never part with, it’s time to assign 

them to a designated spot. Sports equipment, off-season items, tools, and yard equipment 

should all have a space of their own to call home. 

Bins and Labels: Store things in clear plastic bins to easily identify its contents. If you prefer a more uniform look, store things in a colored bin and label them according to their contents. 

Bring Everything Up: In order to maximize on your available space and create more usable 

square footage, store things up on the wall, above windows and doors and from the ceiling. 

Utilize shelving, hooks and overhead racks to take advantage of wall and overhead space to store things up and out of the way. 

Store off-season and less frequently used items up high. This keeps them out of the way while still allowing for easy access when they are needed. Store more frequently used items, such as kids’ toys and sports equipment and yard tools lower on the wall and in cabinets for daily easy access. 

By taking full advantage of your garage you will discover just how much space it actually has to offer. By storing and organizing your items up off the floor you will once again feel in control of your garage. 

Monkey Bar Storage Solutions is a garage storage and organization company serving Milwaukee area homeowners with solutions and tips for an organized garage.