Do you remember that show on TLC – called Clean Sweep? It felt like this is what we had to do in our garage. Only without the experts and the television crews. And without the money.
Yeah… total bummer. If only we were independently wealthy.
I have a tendency to throw stuff I don’t want to deal with in the garage. It’s kinda my “free zone.” Which is pretty unfair to my husband, because I don’t allow him to have any free zone in the house. And, the garage is arguably his space. This is where he saws, nails, welds, works on cars, stores lawn equipment… it’s a multipurpose zone. I also paint and garden there.
Items in the garage also seem to multiply. Which is puzzling. We like to blame our parents for the waterskis and fertilizer and water sealer (I can’t make this stuff up) that just seem to appear in our garage. But, if we were being honest with ourselves, we would agree that the vast majority of the junk is our own fault.
So, to make it up to him, I told Ryan a while ago that I would help him purge and organize the garage to get it back in tip-top shape. He took me up on it over a recent weekend.
And, while you may be hoping for an outcome that looks like this garage, it’s highly unlikely.
(And, if you have a garage that actually looks like this, I don’t think we can be friends. I’m too jealous.)
At one point, we both looked at each other with wide eyes, wondering how we let it get this bad. We talked about the fact that we always wonder how people get to the point that they have no space to park cars in the garage. Now we understand… it just takes time, laziness and junk. Although we were still parking in the garage, the junk was slowly encroaching into our cars’ space.
While we didn’t add any fancy organization tools, we did designate some zones, which helped a ton. Yard tools in one area. Gardening in one area. Car repair in one area. Workout zone in one area. I haven’t taken photos. It’s not really very exciting. Just more organized. (Although Ryan’s tractor now occupies the space designated for his car. But, that’s his decision.)
We also got rid of lots of junk. Some went to Goodwill. Some straight to the garbage.
And, now we both feel a lot better about how the garage looks. And, I think that means we won’t let it get that bad again. (We hope this is what it means.)
Where is your “free-zone” in your house (or yard, or garage)? What will it take to get you to have a clean sweep?
Yes, my husband’s truck is outside while the tractor is parked in the garage. Wouldn’t that garage be nice? Mine definitely doesn’t look like that!
Yeah, I couldn’t be friends with the owner of that garage either. Ours is grey and filled with the husband’s bikes. And lots of tools and yard stuff. No car will fit. Kinda our free zone. That and our downstairs closet and part of the guest room. I think I need to go clean now!! 😉
Ours is the basement, more specifically the unfinished side with the washer and dryer. I would give anything to have a garage!
Ummmm….ours is the basement. Especially the storage area. We never go down there so it is really easy to throw random stuff in there and forget about it until we can no longer walk in there (or need to get out xmas decorations). Good for you for getting it organized! Our basement is ready for you whenever you want to come by!
My hated kitchen table has become one – unfortunately. And can I please have that garage? I loooove it.
That is our basement. Although we clean it out every few months, that’s where all our crap goes.
I’d love to see an After photo! I love Clean Sweep posts. 😉 My unfortunate free area has become my youngest’s room, which is unacceptable. The attic stairs pull down in her room, so if anything needs to go up to the attic, I stash it in there. We’re working on that this weekend. :s
Thankfully we have moved about once a year since marrying, so we purge all of the junk that we don’t want to move. Now that we are in the house we plan on staying in I’m sure the junk will really start to accumulate! I am a neat freak though and closets bother me, so I clean them out frequently to get rid of stuff we don’t use.
Oh, and to answer the 2nd question? A completed home renovation would be my ticket to freedom, for sure. All the tools and ladders, etc., etc. could find a home that was a little less accessible. 😉
Let’s see. The sunroom. The spare bedroom. The guest bedroom. The storage building. The pool patio shed-thingy. One never-ending whole-house renovation will do that to you. Just be thankful it’s just ONE eyesore and not FIVE. 😉
O our garage is the catch all also. Usually twice in the summer, we have to do a clean out.
You sound like me to a T… I dump all the junk in the garage because I can’t stand any clutter in the casa. Guess I need to get on a garage cleaning spree.
That is our basement. When we moved anything I didn’t want to deal with or might get rid of or didn’t know where else to put got put in the basement. But I didn’t put it away in some organized fashion, nope just tossed it in. Now I’m scared to go down there.
Oh it’s definitely my basement….my workshop in particular….yikes!! I put all my treasures down there and finally told myself that until those projects were finished I could attend NO auctions and NO garage sales! I’m always embarrassed of its messiness when the bug guy comes though….so I’m sure I’ll get it all organized again before he comes in the fall!! 😉
Hi Kim – this doesn’t relate to this post, but I wanted to tell you I made your zucchini fritters and they were GREAT!! I’ve tried other recipes and they never turned out – I think it was the Bisquick. Thanks!
Our garage is hooooooooorible. I’m always afraid people will catch a glimpse inside it and think that’s what our house looks like inside (it’s not). We have talked about renting one of those huge dumpsters and just literally throwing everything in it – we figure if we’re not using it now, we’ll never miss it!
I allow no free zones anywhere. “Stuff” drives me insane. I’m the exact opposite of a hoarder, I throw things away constantly. Of course, this ends up with John saying things like “ummm, where’s my whooseywhatsy?” Then I play dumb and say it got lost in the move when really I tossed it 6 months ago because “I” saw no use for it. Wife of the year!
This is so familiar… we actually have so much garage/pole building space that it’s not a big deal to hoard stuff (right now). So you will see me on hoarders in another 10 years. Hopefully I won’t have too many dead cats in the house.