by: Ralph Maupin and Sherman Rogers

Do the neighbors get an eyeful of rubbish every time you open your garage door?  Would you start an avalanche if you were to reach up and pull one item down from the rafters?  It sounds like your garage is in need of a good Fall Clean-up.  You will need a large dumpster to throw the trash into.  Otherwise, there will be an unsightly pile of garbage in front of your nice clean garage when you finish the job.

When storage space for seasonal items becomes packed with other items, like things you mean to fix or repair or materials for unfinished projects, outgrown clothing, items the kids left behind when they moved out and many other things that accumulate over time, the job is often much larger that it looks.  Be sure to plan ahead before tackling this project; allow twice the amount of time you think it will take to organize the garage. 

Decide what size dumpster will be needed to get rid of the trash.  You will save yourself a lot of time and trouble renting a dumpster rather than trying to bag it and pile it up at the street for your regular trash pick-up service.  There is most likely a limit as to how much can go out each week.  A dumpster rental saves you time and conveniently gets rid of all the trash at once.

Be organized when taking on this project.  Move the cars and use the driveway as a place to pile everything.  Empty the garage completely, sweep it clean and begin reorganizing.  This is the time to put up shelves, build a cabinet or install the organizers.

Now that everything is easy to see, you can decide what to keep, what to donate to charity and what gets pitched in the dumpster.  Maybe you have things you’ve been meaning to give to a friend or family member, something you borrowed and need to return or things other people left at your home.  Have different piles for different categories. 

Handle each item just once!  Put it in the appropriate pile, on the shelf, in the tool box or in the dumpster.  Get rid of whatever you haven’t used in over a year; chances are, you really do not need it and will never use it.  Continue with each item until the driveway is clean, the garage is organized and the dumpster is full. 

Decide where to store everything.  Items like tools or things used on a regular basis should be stored in an easily accessible location.  Holiday decorations and seasonal items can be placed on high shelves or up in the rafters area.  Remember to allow space for easy access to the lawn mower, bicycles and other large items that will need to be taken in and out regularly.  Try to make it easy to access with or without the cars being in the garage.

When the project is complete and the dumpster is being rolled away, make a mental note to be more organized in the future; remember how this huge project took all day.  Admire your handiwork for a few minutes to appreciate the nicely organized garage you’ve been thinking about and looking forward to parking in this winter.   Of course, clutter happens, over time, but a clean-up project this large can be kept down to an annual event if you remember to have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. 

This article was written by Ralph Mark Maupin, of Right Now Marketing and  Sherman Rogers of All-waste, LLC, a dumpster rental company who provides dumpster delivery service and same-day dumpster pick-up service to residential, commercial, retail and industrial customers.  Sherman has the size, shape and competitive priced dumpster for any size job.  Other services include container service, trash pick-up, hauling rubble, waste removal, delivery of landscaping supplies including mulch, sod, top-soil, crush aggregate and more.  Visit http://thegarbageman.com/ for more information about services offered.

Contact:

ALL WASTE, LLC

4751 22 Mile Road

Shelby Township, MI 48317-1515

Phone: Fax: 586-254-9936

Web site: http://thegarbageman.com/

Email: sherman@all-waste.com