If you have a garage, wouldn’t it be nice to park your car in there over the winter months? For too many homeowners, the garage becomes a dumping ground/workshop, leaving no room to park the car. It can seem an overwhelming task to clear it out and organize it so that you can use it for its intended purpose.
But if you follow these tips for reclaiming your garage (with the help of a residential dumpster rental) you’ll be amazed at how big your garage really is! And November is a great time to tackle this project. Your garage isn’t an oven, and you’re doing the work before truly cold and snowy weather arrives.
So, let’s dive in.
Tip #1: Set a Schedule
Set a schedule and stick to it for the great garage purge. This is especially important if you have more than a decade’s worth of stuff piled up in your garage. With that much junk, you will probably benefit from scheduling a residential dumpster rental. If you start on a Friday, you can potentially finish in a weekend, as long as you don’t have anything else planned.
Tip #2: Start Sorting
There are 4 main categories for sorting the mountain of stuff in your garage:
· Sell
· Donate
· Toss
· Keep
Take stock of what you have, and be brutal. There is no “Maybe” pile. It might help to stock up on bins to place smaller items in. Another tactic is to move everything out of your garage into separate areas on your driveway.
Sell
You can try to sell items that you have two of or that are in great shape but you haven’t used them in two years or more. Try places like Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, and Craigslist. Be prepared for no-shows and scammers. If something doesn’t sell within a week or two, consider donating it. Ideally, you try to start selling stuff before the time of the big cleanout.
Donate
Donate gently used items that someone else could actually use. You can donate furniture, sporting goods, home improvement items, tools, and more. You might even want to find a charity that will come pick up your donations.
Toss
This is where renting a residential dumpster comes in really handy. If you’re like most people, a lot of the stuff you’ve accumulated in your garage never made it into the house because there was something wrong with it. Get rid of broken or damaged items. If you haven’t fixed it by now, you’re not going to. And don’t forget the attic. Chances are good you put stuff up there when you moved into your house, and haven’t thought about it since.
Clear off shelves and clear out drawers. Got a User’s Manual for a lawnmower from a decade ago? Toss it. Have rusted beach chairs or lawn chairs covered in cobwebs? Toss them. You get the idea. Just remember to be aware that most dumpster rental companies have a list of restricted items you shouldn’t toss in the dumpster. They may be able to help you get rid of those items for an additional fee.
Keep
Ideally, you only keep what you really need and use regularly. If anything in the garage should really be stored somewhere else, such as the kitchen or basement, take it to the appropriate room.
If you don’t already have shelving, install some, or buy free-standing units. Think about vertical storage, such as hooks to hang bikes, pegboards to hold tools, etc. For items that are seasonal, such as Halloween and Christmas decorations, store them in well-marked boxes and bins and place them in a back corner.
Once everything has a home, it will be easier to keep your garage organized. And you’ll be able to park your car in the garage and protect it from the elements again!
Call Now to Schedule a Residential Dumpster Rental
To easily rent a residential dumpster, call or text us at 443-286-3284. In most cases, we can deliver your roll-off dumpster the next day, but we recommend calling 1-2 days before you need it. You can keep the dumpster for up to 10 days, and you simply call us when you’re ready for us to pick it up. We can leave you an empty roll-off dumpster if you need another for a larger project. We offer delivery and pickup Monday through Saturday.
If you’re not sure what size dumpster you need, if you tell us a bit about your project, we can make recommendations. We offer competitive residential dumpster rental prices to homeowners in Harford County and parts of Baltimore County.
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