7 Things You Should Get Rid Of In Your Garage

If the first word that comes to mind when you think of your garage is “disaster,” it’s probably time to do something about it! Whether your garage is crowded with unfinished projects, disorganized gardening tools, or an accumulation of old electronics and other junk, there’s no time like the present to do some much-needed decluttering!

I’ve always believed that fall is a particularly good time to clean out a cluttered garage, and here’s why:

5 Good Reasons To Clean Out Your Garage In The Fall

Reason #1: The Weather Is Ideal

In autumn, temperatures are in that perfect in-between area where it’s not yet frigid, but the scorching heat of summer has finally passed. You can shuffle things around for hours or haul heavy boxes without getting drenched in sweat, or wasting time putting your sweater on only to pull it off five minutes later.

Reason #2: Your Car Will Thank You

If your garage is cluttered to the point that you can’t even park your car inside it, you may want to rectify that before the snow flies! In addition to protecting your car from the elements during foul weather, your garage will also protect your car from the harmful effects of wildly fluctuating temperatures!

Freezing temperatures can affect everything from the functionality of your car’s battery to the integrity of your windshield wiper blades. Clearing out your garage now so you can park your car inside it over the winter will help keep your car in good condition and prevent unnecessary damage.

Reason #3: You Can Swap Out Your Wardrobe While You’re At It

Sweater weather is upon us! If you swap out your wardrobe seasonally like I do, you’re going to be unpacking your winter wardrobe and storing away your summer clothes at some point in the near future.

And if that task takes place in the garage, you might as well do some decluttering and reorganizing while you’re out there!

Reason #4: The Holidays Are Coming Up

From spooky pumpkins to jolly Santas, many of us keep our festive holiday decorations packed up in the garage. Whether you’re decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or thinking ahead to Christmas, you’ll be pulling out your decorations soon to liven up your home!

While you’re at it, why not take an inventory of your decor, untangle your Christmas lights, and get rid of unnecessary junk to make your garage storage easier to navigate in the months ahead? A couple of months from now, you’ll be very glad you did!

Reason #5: It’s Time To Put Away Your Summer Gear

Beach season has come and gone, so you need a place to store your summer gear like your sun umbrellas and water toys. And even if you plan to keep your outdoor furniture out a bit longer, it’s a good time to start strategizing where you’ll store it over the winter (and maybe give it a good cleaning too!)

Now that you know why this time of year is ideal for tidying up your garage, it’s time to get in there and start decluttering! The list of items I’ve provided below makes a great starting point for your journey to a clutter-free and organized garage. :-)

7 Things You Should Get Rid Of In Your Garage

1. Old Paint Cans

Don’t let your garage become a paint can graveyard! Here’s good rule of thumb when it comes to old paint: if you open the can and the paint inside smells sour or is especially hard to stir, it’s time to toss it.

And if the paint has been sitting in your garage longer than two years, that’s another signal to toss it. (The temperature swings within your garage aren’t doing that paint any favors!) To throw it out safely, turn it into a solid first by mixing a generous amount of kitty litter into the wet paint and letting it dry out.

2. Cardboard Boxes

If you’re an online shopper like me, then you may have a stack of old shipping boxes in your garage somewhere. They’re taking up valuable space, so break them down and recycle them!

In addition to taking up storage space, cardboard boxes and stacks of old magazines or newspapers can also be a fire hazard. They can also turn into a moldy mess if they get wet, which isn’t a cleanup project anyone wants to deal with.

If you’d rather reuse your old boxes than recycle them, check out this list for ideas and inspiration.

3. Holiday Decor You Haven’t Touched In Years

There’s nothing quite like putting those special ornaments on the tree that instantly take you back in time… and then there are the dozens of ornaments and decorations you skip over while you’re decorating. Look through your boxes of decor and get rid of anything you haven’t unpacked in the last couple of years. It just may become a special part of some other family’s holiday tradition!

4. Unfinished Projects

It’s easy to get overly ambitious when you’re excited about a new project. If you’ve had a half-upholstered chair gathering dust in your garage for months, it’s time to get it done or get rid of it! Just think how nice it will feel go out to the garage and not have that “unfinished project guilt” weighing on.

5. Never-Used Kitchen Appliances

This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, but the same rule should apply to old kitchen appliances as to paint and unfinished projects: use it or lose it! If you haven’t used the juicer you got at your wedding 15 years ago, offer it to a friend or neighbor or drop it off at Goodwill.

As the old adage goes—one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! If you’re missing a few key components or the appliance is no longer functional, you may still be able to bypass the landfill and recycle it.

6. Ancient Electronics

If you have treasured footage of your family that’s only saved on a VHS tape, it’s time to get that tape digitized! Not only are digital files easier to store and organize, they’re also less likely to get damaged or lost.

Another advantage to digital files is that they don’t take up a ton of space in your garage! If old tapes, outdated media, and other electronics are making up the bulk of your storage problem, it’s time to part with them. You can recycle some electronics and appliances, including CDs, TVs, and cell phones, by taking them to your local Best Buy.

7. Outgrown Sports Equipment

Having raised four active and energetic kids, you can bet there was a wide array of sports equipment and dance costumes collecting dust in my garage once they left the nest. It wasn’t until years after Erik’s old football had last been thrown and Kell’s flat basketball had last been dribbled that I finally got rid of them!

If you have a lot of old athletic gear that’s still in good condition, consider donating it to your local recreation center. If it’s in like-new condition (maybe from a sport that just didn’t stick), consider selling it on a site like playitagainsports.com. Either way, there are certainly kids out there who would love to put your old sports equipment to good use!