It’s that time again. Time to clean out the garage. One of most homeowners’ biggest needs is to optimize the space in their garage. The garage often acts as a catch-all for homeowners and their families: it houses the car, the recreation activities like basketballs, bicycles, all terrain vehicles, jetskis, seasonal decorations, old tax paperwork, and who knows what else. Suffice it to say, there is a lot that needs to fit into a limited space.

Here are some tips to make sure that you are getting the most out of the space you have in your garage.

Sort

Haul everything out of the garage and start putting it into one of four piles: keep, sell, donate, trash. By putting it all on the driveway at once you’ll be forced to do something with it all right now. Touch each item and if it’s not useful or wanted, put it in the donate, sell, or get rid of pile accordingly.

Get rid of the junk

Once you have your four piles, get rid of the things that are going away immediately. There is no reason to drag them back into the garage. Right here, right now, get rid of it. Arrange with a junk removal company to be at your house at a certain time on the day you are doing your sorting. This will ensure that you have a deadline you have to stick to so you don’t put it off or work lazily during your sort. The junk removal company can then arrive as you finish and haul away your items for donation as well as take care of the garbage removal for the pile that is just trash. Then you’re halfway through your piles already.

Label

For the items to sell, either delegate someone else to do it or do it yourself, but while the items are out, label them for sale. Then draw up enough signs and posters to attract people to your garage sale and pile them with all the stuff that you will be selling. Once you’ve done this, set these items to the side.

Organize

For the items you have left that you are keeping, it’s time to organize them and put them in their new homes. Group like things together, such as tools, sports equipment, things for storage, camping gear, etc. Utilize bins that can be stacked for large items and label them, putting the heaviest ones on the bottom and not stacking higher than is easily accessible.

Utilize the ceiling

An alternative to stacking bins or an idea that can be used in conjunction with them is getting a ceiling storage rack. The rack can be used for the bins, for loose items that need to be kept out for whatever reason (like a spare tire or something like that), or for items that are too big for the bins.

Also, hanging racks are very useful for things like bicycles or some sports equipment, etc. to keep it off the floor and clear up floor space that can be used for more storage or simply better maneuverability around the garage.

What’s a surprising way you’ve cleared out space in your garage?