How did we get here? Just prior to moving into this house, we had decluttered the garage in our previous home (click the link to see those photos).
In April of 2020, I hired a lady to help me clean out our garage. It was jam packed, ceiling to floor, side to side, with only a small path to walk in. (Yes. This was the stuff we brought from the previous home.) She and I spent 5 days a week, 5-6 hours a day, for 6 weeks decluttering. There were at least 5 bags of trash a day, and a vanload full of decluttered items taken once a week. This was grueling work, especially because it was hot and humid. But, we got it done!
While the garage was about 80% decluttered after that, things did come and go, increasing the inventory and causing some disorganization.
In October 2023, we saw a bug in this garage, which was NOT ok. This house is only 4 years old, and we have never had a pest situation. I immediately arranged for the exterminator to come out 3 days later. Guess what that meant? We had to clean the garage so he could have access to all the baseboards and concrete around the perimeter of the garage. So, we sprung into action the morning before he was set to arrive.
Below are the before/after photos. Some things things to note:
The items labeled trash will be going to the dump with the next load that goes with some debris from our renovations.
The boxes of photos need to be emptied, with the contents moved into the house for decluttering.
This was just some minor organization–i.e., some of the packages of water bottles were moved from the other side (see some pictures further down), and the second and third shelved were combined.
The water bottles were moved from the path to the backdoor and lined up along the other wall.
The shelves were semi-decluttered.
The items for “Holiday” are being emptied throughout this holiday season (Nov/Dec 2023).
Both of these shelving units will pretty much be empty. If so, our plans are to sell them.
This work actually only took us an hour, which included loading empty boxes into the car and sweeping. We only needed help from one other person who moved the cases of water to the other wall.
We were proud of what we accomplished in such a short time. Once we got started, the motivation became stronger and the rest just happened.
Is there an area of your home that needs some attention?
Is there an upcoming event that requires a more presentable environment?
Take one small step and start today. Use the “Bag a Day” Challenge as a starting point.