inside: Carolyn Lamour ... - Floridawise Magazine

DecoratingWise
AAccording to
Harris Interactive,
50 percent of
homeowners rate
their garage as the
most disorganized
place in their home.
For most families,
every member
contributes to their
garage’s clutter and
disarray. You may
have made many
attempts at
organizing your
garage. However, because Florida homes do not have
basements, most families use their garage to store out-of-season
items that would typically be stored in a basement. Without
that option, it becomes even more imperative for Florida
families to maintain a neat, organized garage. Instead of
haphazardly tackling the overwhelming task of once-and-for-all
getting that garage organized, here is a step-by-step process
that will help you navigate your way to neatness:
1. Do an initial assessment of all items, including things on
shelves, on the floor, in corners or hanging on the walls. Use
bright sticky dots to place on items you know you should get
rid of. The rule of thumb is that if you have not used the item in
over a year, chances are you will never use it. Remove those
items immediately and place them in one of four piles. This will
make room for your continued organizational work.
2. Assign all items to one of four piles: a) things that need
to be thrown away which would not be of use to anyone who
currently lives on this planet; b) things that could be donated to
your favorite non-profit organization such as The Vietnam
Veterans, Hadassah or Good Will; c) things that could be sold
in a yard sale – even those $1 items could add up to pay for
some new shelving, a new outfit or a night out; d) things you
know you will want to keep.
10 October 2006
How to Organize What is Probably the Most
Disorganized Place in Your Home:
By Cindy Reavis
“We can achieve order and harmony in every aspect of our lives
with a habit of neatness . . . We can never feel we’re at our best
when we’re surrounded by a mess.” — Edwene Gaines
3. Take everything off shelves, hooks,
in corners or on the floor, and place all
items in a spacious area or set up folding
tables if you need more space. Organize
all items into categories, such as games,
sports equipment, tools, seasonal
decorations, etc.
4. Evaluate these separate piles and
assess how often each item will be used.
Some items, such as seasonal decorations
used once a year, may be placed in colorcoded
storage bins and stored in your attic.
You could purchase black bins for Halloween, gold bins for
Thanksgiving, green bins for Christmas, etc.
5. Use your four pile strategy again: a) items that should
be thrown away or given away; b) items that could be
donated; c) items you want to keep and store; d) items that
could be sold in a yard sale. If you are not up for the task of
organizing a yard sale yourself, see if a friend or neighbor
wants to collaborate and plan one together. You could share in
the cost of advertising, too.
6. Store all items in plastic bins with lids. You may use
different sizes to accommodate the size and shape of your