Spring Cleaning Garage Tips

Spring has Sprung!

And it's a great time of year to begin those projects that you may have been putting off all winter.

So, where does one begin? Well, the garage is a great spring time project. If your garage looks like the one in the picture, you may need some help, or maybe you would just like to park your car in your garage.

Here are some great tips to help you get started:



1.Create your vision; it is important to know where you are going in order to know how you will get there. What is your vision or what would you like the garage to look like and how would you like it to function?

2. Write your vision down on paper, sketch out what you want your garage to look like.

3. Create categories; in your schematic create a place for all the things in the garage. Typical items in a garage are things like Tools, Sporting Equipment, memorabilia, Holiday items, arts and crafts, and miscellaneous items.

4. Gather the tools you will need; (1) Heavy duty garbage bags-used to place trash and donated items in. (2) Large and Small boxes and plastic containers-Used to sort items in and place larger donated items in (3) A black Sharpie marker or a label maker- used to label boxes (4) Box cutter-used to break down boxes and miscellaneous task *note this will come in handy

5. Place containers and bins strategically in the driveway *as you pull items out of the garage you will be sorting them into various categories’.
6. Purge items as you go *one of those piles should be reserved for trash, one for donate items and one for the treasures that you would like to keep

***After you have gone through, sorted, and categorized everything, you are ready to maximize your space

7. Does your garage have storage space? If yes, you will be using that space to store the items you categorized. If not you will need to install shelves, cabinets and hanging tools.

8. Install some closed door storage space *hint- store your hazardous materials such as gasoline

*always keep safety in mind when storing Hazmat items


9. Hang that bike up and out of the way. *bikes can be clumsy, large items that are at best used once in a while. Use a bike mounted wall or ceiling hook to hang bikes and create more movable space.

10. Hang tools, such as rakes, hoes, hammers, and shovels on peg board. Hang sporting equipment on racks or peg boards.

11. Store items used seasonally or less often in overhead storage space, such as a loft area or crawl space. *Make sure you label items before you store them.

12. Prepare to throw away disposable items; you may need to make special arrangements to donate larger items such as appliances or heavy furniture. Place trash on curb or bring to a recycle center.

13. Donate items to charity. Check in your area for a local Goodwill or Salvation Army, some churches except donated items also.


copyright easy track


Hire a professional organizer: My company Balancing Solutions
Will assist you in sorting, purging, and organizing your garage, we will install organizing products,such as shelves and hangers. You can have the garage you always envisioned!

Maximilian Quarto/Organizing consultant
Balancing Solutions Inc
www.BalancingSolutionsInc.com
balancingsolutions@gmail.com
302-545-0173

Have a Great Idea?

Do you have a great Idea?


Write it down!

We all have them, ideas that just come to us. Maybe we are driving in the car, or reading a novel, or perhaps just lying in bed. My advice is to write down those great ideas immediately. When we write down our ideas or thoughts they become powerful. In fact, you can take writing down your great idea a step further by taking action steps to make that great idea become a reality. After all a great idea or thought that is not written down becomes just a dream.

Here is what you can do:

*Create a word document, title it GREAT IDEAS-write down those ideas when they come to you.

*Keep a little note pad with you at all times, in the car, by the bed; Here's a great idea go to Jott.com and sign up for voice to email! This service is FREE for 30days

*I often text myself with reminder notes: This is a great way to jot down ideas to yourself when not near a computer


Remember, Ideas are great! They allow us to create wonderful,new accomplishments and contribute valuable things to the world around us.

Product Review: The OOK Sheild

Need to hang a picture?

I recently discovered a really fantastic way to hang just about anything on the wall. It’s called the OOK Shield; it is made by a company that provides a wide variety of art and picture hanging products.

A client and I discovered the OOK Shield having the need to hang a very heavy mirror on her living room wall. I was skeptical at first, but this product did not disappoint. The product promises “Strong Hold without damaging your Walls”. How does it work? The shield features a shock absorbing padding, a repositionable adhesive that makes the product removable and reusable, and hands free hammering for easy nailing. The shields are available to bear different amounts of weight, including 5, 10, 20,30,50,75,100, and 160LB’s. The nails used to mount the shield to the wall are small enough not to do any damage to your walls, plus they go in at an angle which provides extra stability and support.

I definitely will use this product again for my next picture hanging project and would recommend its use to my clients.

Visit their website: http://www.ooks.com/

The Self Storage Dilemma-continued

Making the decision to utilize self-storage:

After having asked yourself some important key questions you feel as if self-storage is right for you. It is important to utilize some strategy while in your unit.

Here are some key strategies to use when using a self-storage space:

1. Take inventory
-It should be very important for you to know what you are storing. Believe it or not most individuals who utilize self storage don’t know what they have stored! Taking inventory can be as easy as writing down everything you put in storage on a spiral note pad, or if you really wanted to get creative you could take pictures of everything and document all your items by categories in an excel worksheet document. Documenting what you have in storage will help you keep track of items and could also be used as an insurance tool in case of damage or stolen goods.

2. Limit your time in the unit
-In order to avoid late fees and keep overall costs to a minimum, you must have a plan of how long you’re going to stay. Of course, this will depend largely on why you are using the space. The biggest mistake consumers can make is to not have a plan. This plan must include an exit strategy.

3. Hire a professional
-Hiring a professional organizer can save you lots of headaches. There are times in life when one experiences critical lifestyle transitions. A professional organizer can guide you in the right path and help you make those critical decisions.

When thinking about utilizing a self-storage unit, ask your-self some key questions, plan to plan, make the right decisions by utilizing some key strategies and avoid lengthy stays in the unit and consult with a professional.
-Maximilian Quarto/Organizing Consultant


Maximilian Quarto is an organizing consultant and owner of Balancing Solutions a professional organizing service company based in Hockessin DE.

Maximilian Quarto/Organizing Consultant
Balancing solutions Inc
Organizing solutions for a balanced environment
Email:balancingsolutions@gmail.com
Web: www.balancingsolutionsinc.com
Phone :( 302) 545-0173