Page 4 - RVO Home Lawn & Garden March 2017

4VV SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017
HOME, LAWN & GARDEN • RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRATGAZETTE
Organized garages that are free of clutter can serve as valuable workspaces for handy homeowners.
CAR CAPACITY
STEPS TO A MORE ORGANIZED, FUNCTIONAL GARAGE
Homeowners who park in their drive- ways may feel that their garages have become crowded, cluttered
spaces in which searching for tools can feel like scouring a haystack in search of a needle. Organizing the garage can cre- ate extra room in a home while affording homeowners the chance to protect their vehicles from the elements.
Homeowners who want to turn their garages into something more than cluttered storage areas can employ the following strategies to transform these largely over- looked areas into more valuable spaces.
➤ Choose the right day.
Garages tend to be separate from the rest
of the homes they’re a part of, meaning the only way to organize a garage is to first rem- ove all the items from the garage and put them in the driveway during the project. Because items removed from the garage will be exposed to the elements, homeowners should choose a day that’s temperate and sunny to clean their garages.
If possible, homeowners should opt to organize their garages in late spring, summer or early fall, when there are add- itional hours of daylight. This protects homeowners from having to work in the dark should the job take longer than they initially anticipated.
➤ Get rid of unused items.
One of the foremost causes of garage clut-
ter is simply an abundance of items. By par- ing down their unused goods, homeowners can be well on their way to a clear garage.
“If you can go through three years and three different changes of seasons without needing it, then you probably don’t need it,” said Matt Teer of Central Arkansas Storage Systems in Greenbrier.
Duplicate items are some of the main culprits behind cluttered garages. As gar- ages gradually become more cluttered, homeowners may buy tools they already have simply because they cannot find their original tools. When organizing the garage, create separate piles for duplicate tools, placing still-useful items in a pile that can be donated to neighbors, local charities or organizations, and another pile for old tools that are no longer useful.
Homeowners who want to organize their garages and make a buck at the same time can host garage sales. Make only those items that are still functional available for purchase, and let neighbors and bargain hunters do the bulk of your organization work for you.
➤ Utilize storage systems.
Mini-storage rentals and backyard stor-
age buildings can help transform garages