Hiring a Professional Organizer to help "sort" your Garage Clutter Crap

[fastfredracing]

I probably have 2-3 big cleans/purges yearly . Garage space that I do not use daily , becomes storage space, or where everything that I am not immediately using ends up. Once I go to use that space, I clean.
I cannot stand clutter, but like WD above, I will leave everything out till I am done with a project, then do a big clean/organize .

[GH85Carrera]

Throwing out old magazines, and old serial and printer cables is fine. But do not even think about throwing out any of my tools, even if they have not been used in years. The other day I came across my GM distributor bolt wrench. Mostly useless for any other purpose, but it will remain in my tool box. I have a few tools from my grandfather. One is a forged tool with Ford logo in it and a 11mm box end on one end and an 25 mm open end on the other side, and it is a offset wrench. I admit I have never used it, and it is not in my tool box, it hangs on the wall next to my timing light, and dwell meter. I have used that wrench mostly to show old grey haired guys that even American cars from before we were born used metric.

[fastfredracing]

Never ever , throw away, tools, or hardware. I hoard all that stuff

[VincentVega]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Never ever , throw away, tools, or hardware. I hoard all that stuff

Same. I know I have that somewhere, let me find it....

Too many hobbies that each has specific tool, supplies, equipment... No chance I'd hire someone to 'help' organize my space. Typical rakes and old paint cans? Sure, but the hard part there is doing it.

[1990C4S]

I am renting my house out, which means getting rid of most things I own.

Once you get into the groove it's easy. The first step is the hardest.

I threw out boxes of bolts and fittings that I've had for twenty years, they were just collecting dust.

[VincentVega]

When I moved to my current place the previous owner left me a ton of hardware and misc stuff. Lots of baby food jars screwed to a shelf! And I brought my own misc stuff/hardware. Its been interesting.

[Crowbob]

I get rid of tools and stuff I haven’t used for about 20 years which invariably prompts me the next day to get stuff done that has needed to be done for about 20 years.

It’s like a movie going backwards:

Throw it out then look for it.

[sammyg2]

I look at it this way: if you need to pay someone to organize your stuff, then maybe "your stuff" isn't the root of the problem.

I spent many years gathering, collecting, getting tools and hardware and parts. Hey, I might need this someday!

I spent the last 10 years getting rid of most of that crap I thought I needed. Just a little at a time, at least a few things a week.
It became a burden I didn't need and the more I got rid of the lighter that burden became.
About 2/3rds of the stuff I had in the garage is gone and I don't miss it at all.
I could always get two cars in my two car garage, but barely.
Now it's a piece of cake, I can walk around and get to anything I want and I can find anything I'm looking for.

A few weeks ago I noticed the two rakes hanging up in my garage. The last time I used them was when I laid new sod in my yard in 2008.
I remember that because I blew out my knee doing that job and I promised myself I'd never do anything like that again, I'll just make a phone call.

Now my neighbor is storing two rakes he'll probably never use.

[Dantilla]

House is neat and tidy (except for my desk).

I do, however, have quite a few duplicate tools- Where did all these 10mm sockets come from?

[Rich Lambert]

Dave, I used to do that for a living in the biggest garage in the world and more recently in my more modest garage. Let me know if you want some help. I'm really good at throwing other people's s@%t away.

Will work for IPA and BBQ.

[95avblm3]

I think my only “collecting” vice is tools. One can never be too rich, too thin, or have to many tools.

In 2010, shortly after getting married, I purged my collection of Car and Drivers and car brochures which I had been collecting at auto shows since I was a kid. The collection had been moved 5 times, weighed a ton and just took up space in crappy looking card board boxes. I’ll admit that it was kind of anti-climactic, if also a little sad, to let them go but since we’ve moved another two times since then it’s nice not to be lugging around all that weight. I kept a few of my favorite issues and brochures that were memorable.

I still get Car and Driver but give them to my wife to share with her coworkers. I haven’t collected a brochure at a car show in a decade (not even sure they still have paper brochures). If I hadn’t stopped, my collection of each would be 30 years large. As it were, I was lugging around two 20 year old collections.

Not sure how much longer I’ll keep getting the magazine. Between it and Panorama, they stack up and I never have time to read them. Plus, Car and Driver is getting pretty thin these days, but that is a discussion for another thread.

[Zeke]

Seems too easy to tell someone else what they should keep and not. What kind of training is needed for that? Seriously. I could to that to you, but don't touch my siht. If I move something and then look for it, well, it's just not to be found.

So, I make it a habit to go around once in awhile and just handle everything within reach. Now and then Ill go through boxes up high just to validate. In my hobby/side business of restoring antiques and collectibles I find that having all kinds of scrap this and that saves countless trips to God knows where to TRY and find something suitable for a repair.

Back to the organizing gig, seems like getting your foot in the door would lead to a garage renovation, new cabinets and all. I'm qualified there.

A side story: we've all found things "missing" in funny places. It's like a birthday present. I've been looking for my original jeweler's loupe for about 10 years now. I know I didn't take it off the property. It's in a box somewhere when I was examining something and put it away forgetting the loupe. But...., I've looked at every box since then and thrown out some.

[wayner]

I play a game with myself every garbage day

After everything is out to the curb, I go back in and find one more thing

Since I don’t like to fail I often have to make a really tough decision so that I can return to the curb successfully

[Rusty Heap]

Ummmmm. Scale of event.


as the OP, let me set the bar.


My Clutter Cave toy box.

My goal and target is to get floor space open for a high bay 2 post lift by summer.


THATS A NICE incentive, my own two post lift!


3000 sq ft shop has been in the build phase over 20 years, done 85% of it myself.


it's also 85% full of "stuff"








This Saturday is D-Day for nuclear cleaning.

[CurtEgerer]

I did a little bit of tool-downsizing recently. Went from a 40' x 50' shop and a 3-car garage to this tool bag. Didn't have any help, but it took me the better part of 2 years to get rid of it all. 95% of all the tools I own are now in this bag. My current goal is to not have to use them

[fastfredracing]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Ummmmm. Scale of event.


as the OP, let me set the bar.


My Clutter Cave toy box.

My goal and target is to get floor space open for a high bay 2 post lift by summer.


THATS A NICE incentive, my own two post lift!


3000 sq ft shop has been in the build phase over 20 years, done 85% of it myself.


it's also 85% full of "stuff"








This Saturday is D-Day for nuclear cleaning.

Man, is that a nice set up. I dream of something like that at home for when Im done doing it professionally . Id side job out of that big building, and store fun cars, and do projects in the smaller garages.

[MikeSid]

The 3 pile system works for me and I often struggle with hanging onto things too long. Clean once a month quickly using three piles.

Pile one - definitely throw out.
Pile two - definitely keep.
Pile three - unsure.

It goes fast and you touch everything. First time through, you'll have a lot in pile three. But do this every month and you'll get in the habit of throwing out a pile of junk every couple of weeks. You can also go through pile 3 a second time to see if a second look lands something in pile one.

After a couple cleaning sessions, if you keep seeing the same things in pile three, it's time to let them go. If they haven't graduated to pile two, cut 'em loose.

I really think over time this has trained my mind to throw certain things out right away since I know an item will quickly be in Pile One and hanging on to it is just waiting for the day I decide to clean. No reason to wait for that day.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I have 4000 sq ft and it's filled to the brim. I need a bigger shop but I can't even imagine moving everything I have even with most of it being pretty well sorted into bins and boxes.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I did a little bit of tool-downsizing recently. Went from a 40' x 50' shop and a 3-car garage to this tool bag. Didn't have any help, but it took me the better part of 2 years to get rid of it all. 95% of all the tools I own are now in this bag. My current goal is to not have to use them

I'm looking at the bag and trying to make sense of it with my mouth hanging open.

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Throwing out old magazines, and old serial and printer cables is fine. But do not even think about throwing out any of my tools, even if they have not been used in years. The other day I came across my GM distributor bolt wrench. Mostly useless for any other purpose, but it will remain in my tool box. I have a few tools from my grandfather. One is a forged tool with Ford logo in it and a 11mm box end on one end and an 25 mm open end on the other side, and it is a offset wrench. I admit I have never used it, and it is not in my tool box, it hangs on the wall next to my timing light, and dwell meter. I have used that wrench mostly to show old grey haired guys that even American cars from before we were born used metric.

I remember the GM distributor wrench - what a life saving tool!