From Leafy Mess to Organized Garage Success
The garage is often the most neglected room in the house. It starts as a place to park the car, but slowly turns into a dumping ground for sports gear, gardening tools, seasonal overflow, and—especially this time of year—a whole lot of autumn leaves.
Before
When we started, most things were hard to access, the floor needed sweeping, and we found multiples of several different types of items.
Blocked Access: Essential items like shovels, potting soil, and ladders were piled in corners or leaning precariously against the wall. The bikes were hanging up, but getting to them required navigating around strollers, wagons, and bins. This also made accessing the toddler’s bikes difficult.
Multiple Madness: We found several large tanks of helium for blowing up balloons, several half-filled bags of potting soil, and other duplicates that needed sorting.
The Process: Purge, Clean, and Sort
This wasn't just about moving boxes around. We had to roll up our sleeves. Watch the timelapse below to see the transformation in action:
The Clear Out: We pulled everything out and put the items in zones using sidewalk chalk. This was the "messy middle" where it looked worse before it got better. We categorized items by type: wheels with wheels (bikes, scooters, wagons), camping gear with camping gear, and garden tools in their own designated spot.
The Deep Clean: Once the floor was clear, we swept out years of dust and debris. A clean floor changes the entire energy of a garage.
After
The transformation speaks for itself. The garage feels more open and twice as big, even though we didn’t actually get rid of very many items.
