When it comes to organization, we all think of spring, right? It’s time to introduce a new concept – fall organization! Especially fall garage organization. If you’re lucky enough to have a garage, you’ve probably been using it all summer to store things like outdoor items, kids’ toys, and a bunch of other junk. But you’re going to want to keep your car in the garage during the winter, right? And if your garage is totally full of stuff, you can’t put your car in it. So, here are my tips for organizing your garage in preparation for the cooler days ahead!

First, take your car out of your garage (though if you can fit it in, you’re already several steps ahead). Then, take everything out of your garage that is just lying on the floor and put it in your yard or driveway. If you have broken stuff, junk, or just plain old garbage, chuck it to the curb!

Now that you’ve weeded out the trash, look at what else you have. Check out your storage in the garage – it might be time for a makeover! If you have shelves in your garage, go through them. Consolidate, throw out the trash, dispose of old materials like paint safely, and see what you’ve got. If you don’t have shelves but have room for some, go pick some up!

A handy way of organizing what you have is with hooks (in addition, of course, to the aforementioned shelves). You can hang almost anything from hooks – chairs, bicycles, hoses… you name it, you can probably hang it from a hook. Everything else should fit nicely on your shelves! If you have larger items that just can’t go one of those places, clear out a specific space for it.

Next, sweep that floor. Who knows how long it has been collecting dust, dirt, and little bits of things. Sweep it all out the door and start fresh! If you have a shop vac, you can really get into the crevices.

The final step is to put everything back, but using the shelves and hooks you (hopefully) have or installed. And voilà! A clean, organized garage that you can park in with ease. If you have questions about car care in the colder temperatures that I mentioned above, come to Fiore Toyota and ask our professionals how best to take care of your vehicle. Maybe it’s all-season tires, maybe it’s a fresh wax and wash before the first snow. Whatever it is, they can help!