In today’s world, we all have too much stuff. Take a minute to check out your life. How much of it to you touch every day? Maybe a tenth? Is your house filling up with items that you do not even put to good use? Did you somehow forget what most of your possessions are? We call this stuff “clutter,” and clutter is a key to a more dreary and pessimistic life. Clutter is proven to affect your daily activity, mood, and productivity.
Getting rid of clutter really does make you happier! At Pittsburgh Garage, we make it our mission to help you reduce clutter and find peace with your garage space, so that you can spend your important free time doing something other than stressing or searching for the screwdriver you thought you lost years ago. Together, we can turn your garage into a clean and organized haven!
Everyone has probably seen the movies about people that hoard things in their house, and they probably (rightfully) make you feel uncomfortable. How could somebody possibly live that way?! Well, please go take a look at your garage with a keen eye, because you will start to realize that you might have a little bit of hoarder in you. In fact, we all do. It is human nature to hold onto possessions.
As we mentioned before, science indicates that decreased clutter raises your mood, and, outside of simply being happier, you might also discover some possessions that you completely forgot about. Of course, clutter in the garage is a clear a safety issue. Removing it can protect both your vehicle and your home. Do not give invasive animals any more opportunity to turn your unused stuff into their makeshift house!
The first step in removing clutter and maximizing your garage is to take a step back and start to use your creativity a bit. Take a look at your garage, envision your ultimate goal and start the process. A great first action to take is to take everything and start to group it by activity or genre. Make a stack of your car repair tools and a different one for your sporting goods, your yard stuff, and your boxed up memories. Make sure to have a trash bag handy, because this is the step that begins what we call the “purge.”
Once you have tackled the purge, take a sheet of paper and create a thorough inventory. It is highly probably that you find a lot of: completely ignored items, completely abandoned projects, completely useless mementos (yes, that dusty old pile of DVDs just might have to go!), very old tennis racquets, and even untouched items still in a box!
Take this list to a trusted family member or spouse and go over it with them, but remember to be ruthless. In a few weeks, you probably will not even remember the items that you purge. A good way to think about it: if you haven’t touched it in five years, remove it. Four years, remove it. Two years?! It is probably time to go. For bonus points, the best de-clutterers will find a local charity or donation center to minimize waste and keep everything from heading to the trash.
Another tip is to digitize pictures, books, movies, and other family heirlooms that might be boxed away. Storage on a hard drive is much less obtrusive than storage in your garage.
Eventually, start to think about solutions. This is where we come in. Our website and list of products are very straightforward and helpful. There are pictures and descriptions but our office phone is open for free consultations and advice. Our storage solutions range from custom cabinetry to ceiling racks to slatwall storage. Let us help get your stuff off of the ground and into a designated space. We don’t want you to get rid of everything, just what isn’t going to make you happy anymore.
Once you have found the perfect way to declutter your garage, you will find a calm that did not exist before. You will be using your possessions more, eliminating unnecessary purchases, and most importantly, you will find a sense of peace when everything is in its right place. Our warranty options and professional installations will keep your garage in its best shape for years to come, but try to remember to keep it up yourself: consistent mini-organization sessions will prevent you from needing to fight a cluttered garage ever again. Breathe a big sigh of gratitude, pat yourself on the back, and begin to enjoy your garage in a totally different way!