Warm weather and spring cleaning are a good opportunity to tackle the garage, a space that is often used for storage. Garages also tend to become a place for \u201cjust in case\u201d items that may never actually be used again.<\/p>\n
A successful garage clean out is easier when you follow a simple process: set a goal, plan your storage, sort your belongings, remove what you no longer need and finish by cleaning the space.<\/p>\n
Before cleaning out your garage, decide what you want to use the space for. You may want to park your car there during the winter, store outdoor tools and equipment more efficiently or create a space for projects and hobbies.<\/p>\n
Your garage could also become a workshop, home gym or additional activity space. Having a clear goal will make it easier to decide what to keep and how the space should be organized.<\/p>\n
Once you know what you want from your garage, choose a time when you can work on it without rushing, such as a long weekend.<\/p>\n
Look at the available space and choose storage solutions that match your needs. Sturdy shelving can make storage easier, while wall and ceiling systems can be useful for hanging items such as rakes, brooms, bicycles, canoes, kayaks and paddles.<\/p>\n
Use locking cabinets for toxic products, sharp tools and other potentially dangerous items.<\/p>\n
Start by sorting your belongings and removing anything you no longer use or have duplicates of. Divide your items into four groups:<\/p>\n
Dispose of unwanted items according to your local collection rules. Used oil, certain old tools, equipment and hazardous materials should be brought to the appropriate ecocentre.<\/p>\n
Items in good condition can be sold, offered to someone you know or donated. If your belongings are included on Entraide diab\u00e9tique du Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s list of accepted items<\/a>, you can also arrange a home pick-up<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once you have finished sorting, organize the items you are keeping so they are easy to find.<\/p>\n A clear storage system can help you avoid buying things you already own and makes the garage easier to maintain.<\/p>\n A garage clean out should also include cleaning the space. Sweep or vacuum the floor and clean the walls, workbench, shelves and cabinets as needed.<\/p>\n A clean and organized garage is more pleasant to use and easier to keep tidy over time.<\/p>\n If clothing, small household items or other belongings found in your garage are still in good condition, consider donating them instead of throwing them away.<\/p>\n Check Entraide diab\u00e9tique du Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s list of accepted items<\/a> and see whether home donation pickup<\/a> is available in your area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the arrival of the warm weather, spring cleaning is in full swing! It’s also a good time to tackle cleaning out the garage\u2014a space often used for storage. The garage is also a place where we keep “just-in- case” items, which frankly are often things that will never be used again in the future. Entraide diab\u00e9tique du Qu\u00e9bec explains in a few simple steps how to make your garage cleaning a success! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":23428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23431"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25198,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23431\/revisions\/25198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entraidediabetique.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}4. Organize your garage efficiently<\/h2>\n
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5. Clean the garage itself<\/h2>\n
What should you do with unwanted items?<\/h2>\n