It’s always a chore to organize your garage. I know! Before I did my big organization project last week, I would shudder any time I thought about my garage. It was pretty much too full of junk to be able to park my car in it, but one day I just pulled myself up by my bootstraps and told myself that the garage needed to be used for its intended purpose. And then I did it! I actually organized my garage! I thought it couldn’t be done, honestly, but I did it. And now I want to share the good news with you, and maybe also tell you some tips for how you, too, can achieve clean-garage peace.

For starters, make a game plan. Get your car out of the driveway, because that’s where you’re going to be staging literally everything that’s inside your garage. Decide on a start time, and set breaks for yourself (because if you’re anything like me, you’ll get REALLY into it and forget to take breaks and then end the day dehydrated and starving, which isn’t good) and then – it’s time. Time to reckon with your garage.

You’re going to want to take everything out of your garage – and I mean everything. As you’re doing so, sort it all into piles of “Keep,” “Give Away,” and “Toss.” The “Keep” pile will be everything that you need to keep in your possession – and I mean NEED, not just WANT. Take Marie Kondo’s advice, and keep only things that spark joy. Or that are actually useful. The “Give Away” pile will be things that are good enough to take to a consignment store. Then finally the “Toss” pile is everything that will go straight to the curb. Hazardous things, like paint and aerosols and batteries, should be disposed of properly, but everything else that’s just junk can get chucked. It’s very liberating!

After you’ve gone through everything, organize everything from the “Keep” pile as you put it back into your garage. Take this opportunity to give the place a good vacuum, too, and maybe get some shelves if you don’t have them… make labels… you know. Fun stuff. Hopefully, you’ll have a ton more room than before, AND you’ll know exactly where everything is. I did!

Now my car fits into my garage, which is great for those hot summer days, because I certainly don’t like getting into a boiling hot car! And if I can keep my garage clean into the winter, I won’t have to scrape snow off of my car, either. I hope these tips have helped you out, and that you’re inspired to go organize! Good luck!