12 Things In Your Garage To Toss Immediately

It's time to say goodbye.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garage, you know how valuable this extra storage space can be—but keep in mind that it’s not meant to house everything. It’s time to stop letting the garage become a catchall for household gear, equipment you no longer use, empty boxes, and the like. Make this the year that you get your garage into tip-top shape by taking note of 12 key items that you should remove from this area immediately, according to Southern organizers and lifestyle experts.

Gear for Former Hobbies

Perhaps you or someone in your household were extremely into tennis or woodworking for a period of time but those hobbies have dwindled. If that’s the case, it’s time to toss any related gear! “Garages can become a purgatory for items you don’t really want anymore but can’t bring yourself to part with,” explains Jessie Carrillo, owner of A Charming Home in Dallas, Texas. “It’s also easy to fall into the trap of keeping everything because it could be useful one day, even if not right now.” However, she urges individuals to dedicate garage space to “serve the activities you currently spend your time on.”

Project Pieces You Won’t Need

On a related note, it's time to part with furniture or other household items that you had purchased with the plan of refurbishing but have never touched. “Goodbye, chairs I never recovered,” says Chitra Swygard of Organized With Beauty in Richmond, Virginia. “Ask yourself how likely it is that you will actually complete this task.”

Excess Shovels

“Realize you can only use one at a time,” Swygard comments. “Maybe you will have someone helping you in the garden or with the snow. Keep what you will legitimately use and get rid of the rest.”

Outdated Electronics

Technology is changing constantly, and if you’ve found yourself with a pile of dated electronics in the garage, Amanda Bernal of Peace by Piece Home Services urges you to let those items go. “Donate them or recycle them properly,” the Helotes, Texas, organizer says of VCRs, DVD players, laptops, and the like. Adds Swygard, “Are you hesitant to get rid of it because your personal information is on there? Remove the hard drive!”

Clothing and Shoes

By no means should your garage function as an extension of your closet. Clothes and shoes kept there are susceptible to mold or infestation, Bernal notes. “It's time to find a new home for them.” Use this as an opportunity to go through clothing and gear and part with items that you may be holding onto for no reason. “You can definitely keep the keepsakes like your child's first baseball glove or baby's first blanket but toss the rest,” suggests Orlando, Florida lifestyle expert Bianca Dottin.

Food and Beverages

The garage shouldn't serve as a glorified pantry, either, Bernal adds. “The ideal place for your back-stock of food and beverages is in a climate controlled space,” she explains. “Although most canned goods can withstand high temperatures for a short while, changes in temperature can affect the quality of your food and drink.” Carve out a storage spot in the basement instead.

Paperwork

By no means do you want to risk losing important documents to environmental factors such as moisture, heat, and pests, Bernal notes. “Keep important documents in a secure and climate controlled area,” she advises. “Shred or toss all other outdated paperwork.”

Cardboard Boxes

As you’re tackling your pile of paper, make an effort to clear out any cardboard boxes as well. “These attract bugs and rodents,” says Jenna Fischer of The Arranged Abode in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Typically once they are stored in a garage for a longer term, they attract dust and dirt, and are no longer clean for use.”

Alexia Ford of Passion Organizing in Alpharetta, Georgia, agrees and also advises parting ways with boxes you no longer need. Doing so, she says, “improves organization, cleanliness, safety, and sustainability. It creates a more functional and enjoyable space while reducing potential hazards and minimizing your ecological footprint.”

Old Paint

If you don’t plan on touching those half-filled paint cans anytime soon, don’t keep them in your garage. “Let's be real, no one ever uses it,” says Libby Huffines of Libby and Labels in Dallas, Texas. “Check with your city to see if they have a local hazardous waste collection for easy disposal.” If you do think you’ll need to keep some spare paint on hand, implement this hack from Katie Savage of Blue Pencil Home. “Set aside the paint that you currently need for your home—take pictures of the labels and create a folder on a device/paper to save them,” the Memphis, Tennessee-based organizer says. “If the paint is in good condition, and there is a significant amount, then plan to store it.”

Old House Parts

You likely won’t ever need any of these bits and bobs either, Huffines says. “Whether the previous owners left their clutter for you to deal with or you recently changed out your light fixtures and switch plate covers, you won’t need (or really want to use) those old parts again, so go ahead and toss them.”

Leftover building materials may find their way to the garage, too—think tiles, wood, flooring, grout, and cement.”Realistically, you’re not likely going to need one, much less 15 of these types of items,” says Allison Flinn of Reclaim in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Free up space in the garage by relocating them to an attic or other storage area,” or donate them to a charity such as Habitat for Humanity, she offers.

Exercise Equipment

The garage shouldn’t serve as your home gym, even if it seems like a smart idea initially. “A garage is a popular place to store exercise equipment because there’s lots of floor space, but therein lies the problem...you’ve lost your floor space,” Flinn comments. “Get those weights out of the garage so you can get your car in,” the pro organizer adds.

Actual Trash

If it’s trash, it belongs in the trash can, not the garage! “Garages collect all sorts of things that just didn't quite make it to the trash can,” comments Kate Waldo Jones of Orchid Organizing, which services Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah, Georgia, as well as Pensacola, Florida. “Add a trash can in your garage for clean, recyclable items,” she suggests. “Then, make a habit of throwing away empty boxes, paper towels, plastic wrap, extra shopping bags, etc.”

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