Often, garages are repositories for many things we don't know what to do with.  If your garage makes you cringe each time you pull your car in (or if you can't pull your car in at all) we have some ideas for you.

If you’re lucky enough to find a warm day to complete this project, consider “unloading” the garage as much as possible into the yard or driveway.  But don’t handle things more than you need to.  Whether indoors or out, you can use the four bin or pile method to sort things as you go.  Create four areas, one each for trash, sell/donate, storage and put away. 

Trash- If your trash pile won’t fit in with your regular pick-up, check the City of Longmont’s solid waste site to see if there is an upcoming large item stop-and drop or landfill drop day.  Do you have old paint to dispose of?  See our tip here.

Sell/Donate- Schedule a Garage Sale, or better yet, donate useable items to benefit any one of many worthy organizations.  Many will pick up your items for free.  What could be better than that?  (See a list of a few below.)

Storage- Be careful!  Store only what you really need.  Sturdy, carefully labeled boxes or bins will keep things organized and help next time you need to get them out.  Make sure you label bins or boxes on multiple sides or at least on the side you can see once they are stored.

Put Away- This should be your smallest category.  Items you use regularly should be stored on shelves or hooks that are easy to access.  There is a wide variety of hooks for all sorts of items, making it really easy to create your own organizing system.

While you have everything out of your garage, it’s a good idea to give the floor a good cleaning.  A push broom is good and a power-washing is even better.  After all, many of us enter our homes from here and it’s easy to track dirt and grime into the house. 

If you’re really ambitious, consider sealing or painting the concrete to make cleaning easier in the future (just check drying times for the project if you have everything sitting outside).  When you’re done, don’t forget to add a floor mat at the door to help swipe dirt off of shoes on a daily basis.

The following places will take various household items and sell them to benefit various charitable organizations.

Habitat Re-Store- Sales of donated home improvement materials and furnishings benefit Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley.

Savvy Seconds- Donor designated contributions benefit A Woman’s Work, a timely fund for local women in need.

The Association for Retarded Citizens and Cerebral Palsy as well as the Disabled American Veterans have regularly scheduled pick-ups in the Longmont area.