Accumulated items from two households have overtaken Katie and Mike Myers’ Harrison garages. They are decluttering by making donations to Habitat to Humanity, Goodwill, churches and the dump.
Katie Myers closes a garage door at her Harrison home.
Objects fill Katie Myers’ Harrison garage. She says many of the items have already been removed or given away.
Katie Myers’ husband, Mike, fixes used stoves and has 20 of them stashed in the family’s three garages.Realtors weigh in on garages82 percent say a cluttered, unorganized garage can have a negative impact on a potential home buyer’s first impression.89 percent say shoppers view garages as more than just a place to park a car and agree that home-sellers should make an effort to have an organized and attractive garage.79 percent agree that a garage should be as well organized as any other room in the house.74 percent agree that an organized garage is important to selling a home.66 percent say homeowners should showcase a garage as more than just a place to store cars.96 percent say garages are desirable storage places for home shoppers over attic and basement storage space.Source: Gladiator GarageWorksBefore you start• Set a date – several, if your garage is packed. Put aside four hours each day to sort through your stuff. You’ll make headway without feeling discouraged.• Check the weather. Most of the stuff will end up in your driveway while you sort what to keep, throw away, move, donate or sell.• Recruit a helper, especially if you have a lot of heavy items.• Rent a skip bin – one of those long metal containers you see outside buildings being renovated – if you have a lot to throw away.• Keep your driveway or lawn clear so you can easily go through your things.• Don’t drop stuff near the street unless you don’t want it. Folks who drive by may take it if they think it is trash. n Buy supplies you’ll need ahead of time – garbage bags, pegboards, hooks, lidded boxes, bins in various sizes and fixed storage systems – shelves, cabinets and rails. Include labels and marker pens.On the day• Turn on music. Have drinks and snacks handy to keep your energy up.• Move everything out of the garage onto the lawn or driveway.• If your garage is really full, concentrate on one area at a time. Breaking the job into manageable chunks makes it easier.• Throw out things as you go so there aren’t Mount Everest-sized garbage piles laying around.• Group similar items together, such as sporting equipment, garden products and power tools.• Once the garage is empty sweep it out and fasten any space-saving systems to the walls or ceiling. Elevate bicycles and canoes using wall-mount storage racks.• Sort smaller items into boxes, containers and cabinets, or store them on shelves.• Store similar items – tools, garden supplies, etc. – in boxes and bins together, then label them.Source: Better Homes and Gardens
When you’ve got six cars and three garages that accommodate eight cars, you don’t have to worry about leaving them parked out in the driveway, right?
One would think.
That’s not the case for Mike and Katie Myers of Harrison. Four of their six vehicles won’t fit in their garages. Why? The garages are where they store stuff. Lots and lots of unorganized stuff.
“I hate all the junk, but it just adds up,” says Katie Myers. “I want it gone and just keep what we use.”