Decluttering your garage to make space and cash

The day has arrived when you have decided to declutter your garage. The tidal wave of stuff that greets you upon opening the garage door is overwhelming. Tools that you bought for various past DIY projects sit abandoned like shunned old friends on the concrete floor. The mountain bikes that seemed like a great idea for last summer's lazy warm days lay there with no danger of being used while there is a wind chill of -5 outside. You desperately want to create some space in your garage, but already you are considering shutting the door and heading back inside to the comfort of the living room sofa. We understand how you feel. We feel your pain.

Think about the items that you use regularly, and those that are for occasional use or once a year. The lawnmower will be needed at least once a week for seven or eight months of the year so best to keep onsite, unlike the precariously balanced Christmas Tree on top of two suitcases that haven’t been used since your last trip to Benidorm. There are, no doubt, several electric and hand tools that you might need a few times a year but many; like the circular saw you bought when fitting the kitchen might not be needed for a while (if it was even required then!). The two-piece ladder for window cleaning, gutter clearing and general outside maintenance will be fine stored in the garage on two hooks placed on the wall. That way the ladder is available when you need it, but not there waiting to trip you up.

What about the drum kit that you paid a small fortune for when you thought you might be the next Clem Burke? It gets used occasionally, and you might come back to it, but it would be safer in a secure self storage unit. Some families have up to five push bikes cluttering the garage over autumn and winter with virtually no danger of them being ridden again until the weather improves. These bikes probably fall into the 'keep' but 'not needed now' section and are perfect items for self storage.

Somewhere, buried in amongst the clutter is the cycling machine that you promised you'd use 'at least every other day.' In reality, the static bike was only used once or twice for keeping fit. The rest of the time it became an overpriced temporary clothes horse. This type of item joins the unused foot spa and is perfect for selling onwards, not only creating space but putting cash in your pocket.

When decluttering your garage, consider the items as:

Use regularly: Lawnmower, strimmer, ladders, frequently used electric and hand tools etc. Many of these types of things should be in a garden shed if you own one, but there are security issues with sheds as they are less secure than a garage. These types of items are needed often, so all that is required is the correct types of storage. Hooks for ladders, plastic storage boxes for tools etc. Is the shadow board still a thing for hand tools?!
Use occasionally: Christmas tree, suitcases, family bikes, drum kit, etc. Perfect for a small self storage unit at your local facility. For items that you don’t need every day but want to keep safe.
Use rarely or unlikely to be used again: cycling machine, home gym, winemaking kit, dartboard, foot spa, etc. If you are honest with yourself, and you genuinely think you are unlikely to use these again; sell them now. eBay is the obvious route, but I believe Facebook Marketplace is far better value for money – no fees and buyer collects!

There is, of course, the chance that you clear so much clutter out of your garage that you can then use it to park a car in!