Garage space is limited, but belongings seem to reproduce themselves, overflowing all the places available for storage. When some saved item is wanted, it has become so buried that it can’t be located. Either a new one must be bought, or the chore (that would have been ideal to justify the hoarding of this thing) becomes an impossible nightmare because the part/tool/instruction booklet can’t be located.
Some level of clutter is comfortable. A handyman is one who seems to have on hand whatever is necessary to fix things. Clutter help only becomes necessary when possessions start to get in the way of a contented life. This includes one’s own life and that of spouses who object to being buried in unrecognized treasures. Garage cleaning only needs doing infrequently, when clutter tips are followed most of the time.
A Few Clutter Tips
- Keep a coffee can in a handy location. Toss in it all the little spare parts, screws, washers and clips. Separate the filled can’s contents on a day when doing a little chore will be relaxing.
- Sort the items into labeled cans or see-through containers for future ease of use. Avoid glass, as it will shatter when dropped. Salted nut containers are about quart-sized and are rectangular. They fit well on a shelf and have a large opening that is convenient to reach into. It may take a while to eat that many nuts or whatever product comes in similar containers, but the jug is free. An old bookcase makes a perfect place to keep the jugs 1 or 2 deep, for easy viewing.
- Label a few boxes, or plastic bins to hold mid-sized items. PVC pipe fittings and electric extension cords are good candidates for their own bins. Stuff a coiled extension cord in a toilet paper tube first, to keep it from tangling.
- A bank of metal school lockers take up 12” to 18” of floor space, are fire-resistant for storing spray paints and cleaners, and can be padlocked to keep children out of insecticide sprays. School districts auction old ones off, or charitable organizations sell them occasionally in their stores.
- Build a tool rack for long-handled gardening tools. A few ¾ “ dowels glued into a 2 X 4 can be mounted in an out-of-the-way wall space, and holds all the shovels and brooms accumulated.
- Install a pegboard back above a work area. Screw 2X2s to form a frame, with struts at every-other hidden stud. Screw the pegboard to the frame. The 2X2 space enables the peg hooks to be moved easily. Organize tools satisfactorily, and then draw an outline around each with a marker. Then get in the habit of putting them where they belong at the end of the chore.
- Put up shelves. It makes little difference between the wire type, made for closets, or ¾” boards. Put the shelf brackets high enough that they don’t interfere with walking about. A couple of 2’ wide shelves are handy for keeping suitcases.
- Keep a roll of electrician’s tape handy to bind things best stored in rolls.
- Buy a tool box to keep all the tools and supplies for a single chore together. An example is lawn sprinklers and garden drippers. It makes it much more convenient to just grab the tool box when something leaks, knowing that anything one might need is going to be right there.
Be Realistic About What to Keep
Consider how large and bulky it is, and how long it has been sitting about. Maybe the best use is as a donation to a charity, so another handyman can locate it. Selling something not currently used could be converted into cash that could earn interest. The future purchase of a modern replacement or the rental of an item will be a financial coup.
Some things do become junk. Parts for something already discarded should also be tossed. Touch-up paint for walls no longer that color won’t be needed (and paint does deteriorate in storage). A thing that was useful years ago may have deteriorated. Hobbies change, and things originally kept for a bygone purpose will never be utilized.
Just having a reduced volume of stored items to comb through before beginning a chore is a relief. It becomes more probable that needed supplies will be found. Being able to move about the space and even park in a garage again becomes doable.
Alan Simpson - Work History: Insurance agent for 30 years, Movie Background Actor for 13 years, Insurance Adjustor for 2 years, Army Helicopter pilot, ...
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