At this point, we all know that clutter is not good for you. Yes, a cluttered space due to lack of proper garage storage cabinets in Los Angeles can severely limit the usefulness of this precious square footage but it’s more than that. It can affect your sleep, anxiety levels, and ability to focus. It can make you less productive and trigger avoidance and coping mechanisms that make you more likely to binge on mindless TV shows and bags of junk food.
Instead of using the garage for parking your car, an efficient Los Angeles garage storage system, and for things like working out, stacked boxes of useless stuff rule the roost. And the clutter and the dust are also contributing to your health problems.
Why Is Junk Taking Over Your Los Angeles Garage Storage?
It’s absolutely mind-boggling that so many of us allow a collection of things that have little or no worth or significance to determine how we can use our garages. Your garage is probably clogged with junk that’s maybe (maybe!) worth a few hundred dollars, while your car that’s worth tens of thousands of dollars is left parked outside.
Now maybe you’re considering upgrading your garage with modern garage wall cabinets in Los Angeles and a swanky new floor, or maybe you are just ready to get rid of what’s not serving you anymore. In either case, the first step in transforming your garage space is to get that clutter cleaning project in motion.
As we always tell our clients, follow the golden 1-year rule when decluttering your garage. Figuring out what you need to throw away is easy – rusty garden tools, broken toys, filthy couch, broken lawn chairs, and so on. But if you don’t feel so sure about something, ask yourself – have I used this item in the last 1 year?
You can give yourself some leeway and stretch that 1 year to 2 years, which should make things even clearer for you. As you proceed, you’d come across some items that will make up the bulk of the “toss/discard” pile, such as:
#Worn Out Sports Gear
Garage cabinets in Los Angeles are often filled with lots of tattered and faded sports equipment that may not have been used in years. If you have children who participate (or used to) in organized sports, you know how quickly they can outgrow that gear. If the equipment is in good shape, donate it to a nonprofit or to kids whose parents can’t afford to buy brand new stuff for their little ones.
For the sports equipment your family uses for outdoor activities that you are keeping like pool toys, skateboards, bikes, etc., consider a practical garage storage system like Slatwall Panels in Los Angeles. These panels will maximize your storage space by making better use of the walls in your garage.
Instead of a few nails or hooks on the wall, a Slatwall system allows for a wide range of hanging accessories to be adjusted as your storage needs change over time. And for items that are completely frayed or worn out, and are not going to be of anyone’s use, discard them.
#Old Paint
What is it with garages and old paint? Almost every homeowner we know in Los Angeles has some partially used, unused, or totally empty paint cans stored in their garage. We get it – saving some leftover paint for touch-ups is a salient idea, but only if your garage is climate-controlled.
Paint doesn’t keep very well when stored in fluctuating temperatures for long periods; its consistency gets altered and the colors separate, causing the paint to dry out. So, take your old empty paint cans to a local hazardous waste disposal facility. If there’s still some usable paint left, reach out to your local nonprofit organizations, community organizations, or schools to donate it.
#Old Books & Papers
Books, magazines, newspapers, board games, photographs, and documents like old tax returns and invoices are a magnet for insects and rodents. Need we say more? You can keep this stuff stored in airtight plastic contains inside your Los Angeles custom garage cabinets but keeping paper products in the garage for the long term is not an astute idea. Not only would it attract the creepy-crawlies but also become a fire hazard.
And let’s be honest, those old books you never got around to reading until now will probably stay unread anyway. Old documents and newspapers are of little to no use to you after a few years. As for photos, if they are important to you, you should not be storing them in the garage at all!
#Old Cardboard
Those cardboard boxes from Amazon can pile up fast! And if you’ve been holding onto those old boxes for a while now, it’s time to do something about it. Look, you bought a TV and you held onto the box just in case there were any issues with the TV and you needed to send it back while still under warranty.
That’s a judicious idea but your garage storage conditions may not be ideal to store cardboard. Pests love cardboard, especially the glue used on the boxes. Not to mention, cold and moisture cause cardboard to decay over time. The boxes also collect dust and make the indoor air quality worse.
#Leftover Building Materials
Keeping some extra paver stones to replace damaged stones or a few spare pieces of scrap wood around for a home repair can come in handy save you a trip to the local hardware store.
The thing is, a lot of garages end up becoming storage sheds for far more leftover building materials than will ever be used. Leftover hardwood flooring shouldn’t be stored in a garage because the temperature changes and dampness will damage it.
And if these materials are stored inside cardboard boxes…we have two words for you – humidity and pests. If you’ve got to keep them, consider investing in custom garage wall cabinets in Los Angeles where you can store them inside safely.
#Old Tires
Old bike, truck, and car tires tend to end up in the corner on the garage floor. You can’t just throw them away either since tires can be recycled into a variety of things including carpeting, rubber mulch, steel items, rubberized asphalt, and more.
With that said, you can either contact your local waste recycling center or a tire retailer who will charge you a small fee for recycling your old tires. If you want to hold onto the old tires, keep in mind that rubber tires degrade over time. If the tires are over 10 years old, they are not going to be of any use.
#Rusty & Broken Tools
A rusty hammer, rakes with missing tines, rusty garden tools, broken power tools, etc. are only taking up space in your Los Angeles garage cabinets. You’ve probably even replaced most of these damaged items with newer ones.
Getting rid of them won’t only create more space for an efficient garage storage system in the future but also make it easier to organize your storage wall; there will be one less thing to scan the walls for when you’re looking for something specific.
#Hazardous Waste
It is estimated that average garage storage in Los Angeles can accumulate nearly 100 pounds of potentially dangerous waste. Old paint, caulking tubes, varnishes, stains, fertilizers, car cleaning products, home cleaning chemicals, etc. can accumulate over time.
Most of these items have expiry dates, and keeping them stored for long periods in a garage where temperature conditions are not optimal reduces their shelf life. All of these compounds that have little to no use are not just occupying space but also pose a fire and poisoning hazard.
Start Your Garage Junk Cleaning Project Today With Leading Los Angeles Garage Remodel Specialists
While we have covered some of the most common junk items, a Los Angeles garage is a large space and it’s usually your home’s go-to dumping zone. So, if you have got a LOT of stuff in your garage and you don’t even know where to start with decluttering it, give Garage Excell a call.
In addition to designing and building custom garage cabinets in Los Angeles, we have a team of garage organization experts that can sort through your clutter for you. We will do all the heavy lifting for you, from donating, discarding, and sending stuff away to be recycled.
We can then outfit your garage with high-quality, durable garage wall cabinets that make it a breeze to keep the space organized and running efficiently on a daily basis. Call us at 877-573-6637 or leave a message here to set up a consultation.