The garage doesn’t have to be a mess

Reserve at least a whole day, or preferably a whole weekend, for this project so you can complete it in full. Looking for something important among random boxes, falling piles and dusty items can be frustrating. In a tidy garage, you'll instantly find everything you're looking for without getting annoyed or stressed. If you don't have room for all your stuff, remember that you can always reserve a storage unit at Pelican.

Avoid these mistakes:

• Start without a plan. Think about how the garage or storage room will be most practical in the future. Going through things without mental preparation doesn't always give the best results.
• Sort items into random piles and boxes. When you store things on shelves, racks, hooks and marked boxes, they are easier to find and use.
• Take care of the things you intend to sell, reuse or discard eventually. Things can end up sitting in the garage for years, leaving you with less space to work with.
• Get rid of the things you can still use. You may still need them even if you haven't used them for a while.
• Take broken items that need repairing into storage to wait for better times. Think about whether you have or will have the time and energy for a repair.
• Being too optimistic. If the garage or storage is completely full and you don't get rid of anything but just move things around, the result is the same as when you started. The space is still not practical and cramped, and after the cleanup project you don't enjoy the results of your work.

You will succeed with these tips:

• Take a critical look at the room you need to declutter before you start the project. Check if you are utilizing the wall space efficiently. Think about whether you need to add more shelves, hooks, storage boxes, labeling pins, toolboxes or sturdy cardboard boxes.
• Assess whether the stored items are well wrapped as they are, or if it will be necessary to get bubble packs, bags or protective plastic.

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• Pay attention to your shelves and how they are attached to the wall so they can carry heavy objects if needed.
• Check for signs of pests. At Pelican, you can store your belongings safely. You don't have to worry about pests, the changing weather or dust and dirt coming from outside.
• Assess whether the lighting in the room is sufficient. If extra lighting is needed and you have the means to provide it yourself, purchase the lamps before you start the project.
• Find the location and opening hours of recycling centers. Assess whether you can transport your items with a car or if you need a trailer. You can also make a post about the items you want to discard on various recycling groups on Facebook. One person's trash can easily be another person's treasure.
• Take things out of storage and sort them depending on what you need to do with them. Think about which items should be saved, sold or donated and which items you should take to the recycling center or store somewhere else.
• The items you need to store can also be divided into piles depending on what you need them for. Sort tools and sports equipment into separate piles.
• When the room is empty, you can vacuum and sweep the floor. Depending on the floor material, you can also wash the floor with a little water. If there is a window, it should also be cleaned. This makes the room appear larger, brighter and lighter when light comes through the window.
• Once things are out, think about which items are used the most and store them as close to the door as possible. Install the storage units that are needed and put things in their places.
• Make the most of wall space. Free up some space from tables by installing hooks and rows on the wall. Here you can later hang the tools you use the most. You can also install magnetic rows on the wall, which allows you to attach even more tools at once.
• Items that you don't use often should be placed on the back wall or in the upper parts of the room, for example. The upper part of the room is a good place to store long or short items such as skis or ladders. Make sure there's always a ladder or something sturdy, like an elephant's foot, in the room so you can reach the items placed at the top.
• When you put the items back in their places, examine each item carefully one more time, even if it will take some extra time. There's no need to put useless items back.
• If, during your cleanup project, you realize that some important equipment is still needed despite careful planning - for example, extra boxes or hooks are needed, you should mark it immediately so you don't forget it.
• Once the cleanup project is complete, you can enjoy the tidy result of your work. Take a look around the room and give yourself a pat on the back.