Two Day Garage Declutter: Before-and-After Reveal
- Tara M Stewart
- Aug 6
- 7 min read
If you're staring at a garage (or any space) that makes you want to set it on fire and walk away, you don’t need a gentle, tiptoe-around-the-problem approach.
Today we’re walking you through a real garage transformation, one our client affectionately nicknamed “The Graveyard.” You'll see the real before-and-afters, hear how we tackled the project, and hopefully leave feeling encouraged that your space doesn’t have to be Pinterest Perfect, it just needs to be maintainable.
It All Started with This:
“My garage is a disaster. It’s basically... a graveyard.”
The garage had become a dumping ground for indecisions. A narrow path snaked back to the fridge, and the rest was packed wall to wall with:
School papers
Inherited keepsakes
Forgotten toys
Mystery cords
Paint cans
Craft supplies
Electronics
Random “I-don’t-know-where-this-goes-so-it-goes-here” items
Sound familiar? You're not alone.
Why Garages Become Dumping Grounds
(Spoiler: It’s Not Because You’re Lazy)
The truth? Most of our clients aren’t disorganized. They’re busy, thoughtful people who want to do the right thing with their stuff.
Most of what ends up in the garage didn’t start there. These items once had a home yours or your mom’s. They were used, loved, and had a place. But then:
The kids grew up
The hobby fizzled
The décor changed
Someone passed away, and their things came to live with you
When something no longer has a home in the house, but you can’t quite part with it, it gets boxed up and moved to the garage, “just for now.” Which becomes… forever.
So when we tackled this garage, we didn’t just sort stuff. We helped the family make hard decisions, ditch the guilt, and reclaim the space.
What It Takes to Clear the Chaos
For this particular project we spent 14 hours over two days, with two organizers on-site and the homeowners right there with us, sorting through every single bin, bag, box, and tote.
Can you chip away at a project like this 15 minutes at a time? Sure. But it’s going to feel like eating Oreos while brushing your teeth, frustrating and counterproductive.
If your garage feels this overwhelming, do yourself a favor—take two days, call in support, and treat it like a life reset. Bonus points if you reward yourself with ice cream for dinner.
Ready to DIY your own garage project?
Check out our blog How To Declutter an Overwhelming Garage Step By Step
Want to see how we tackled one of our larger projects?
Read on!
How We Made the Day Run Smoother
We hired a junk hauler
We worked with our favorite Army vet and junk hauler, Steve, who:
Hauled trash to the dump
Took scrap metal to the scrapyard
Delivered donations to their destinations
This let us focus on sorting what was staying.
In Lexington? Fayette County offers dumpster rentals through their Loan-A-Box program. The box is 10’ L x 6’ W x 4’ H and just $90/day and if you rent on a Friday, you get the entire weekend for free because pickup isn’t until Monday. You can rent one here!
Not in Lexington? Check your city’s public works department or look for local haulers.
Pop-Up Tables & Canopies
We scheduled this project for May, after the rainy season, before school let out, and before it got too hot. In theory.
In reality? It rained off and on during day two. Thankfully, we had a pop-up canopy!
We set up two of our four folding tables underneath it, along with a comfy chair for the wife to sit and sort. The other two tables stayed inside the garage.
We quickly found a rhythm that worked for everyone: one organizer and the husband stayed in the garage to handle the easy pre-sorting. Items that needed the wife's input—or that the husband knew weren’t his to decide on—were passed to me outside.
That’s where I worked side-by-side with the wife, helping her stay focused, make the tougher calls, and avoid overwhelm.
We planned our day before our big day!
Planning ahead made our two days ultra-efficient. Here’s how:
Shredding: Their city library had a free shred day. We desginated husband’s car for shred boxes .
Hazardous Waste: We scheduled the project around the city’s Hazardous Waste Day. My car was for that.
Books: Donated to the International Book Project - a fantastic nonprofit based right here in Lexington, Kentucky. They love receiving medical texts, resource books, and other educational materials.
Side Note: Dictionaries and thesauri are some of International Book Project's most requested books! So those dusty old paperweights you’ve been ignoring? We absolutely know what to do with them.You don’t have to be local to donate - check out their current projects!
Recyclables:We used the city recycling bin for anything that didn’t need to be shredded.
Trash, Scrap, Cardboard, and Donations: We sorted everything near the curb—trash, scrap metal, cardboard, and donations—so our favorite Army vet (shoutout to Steve!) could swing by at the end of the day and haul it all off.
Large Items: We listed curbside freebies in local Facebook groups. (Psst: I only post freebies for clients—and most items are picked up within the hour.)
How We Kept Our Clients Focused
Two full days of decision-making is a lot especially when you’re sorting through years of memories, paperwork, and random “what even is this?” items.
Decision fatigue is real.
But part of our job (and one of our secret organizing superpowers) is keeping the momentum going and helping our clients stay laser-focused on the end goal.
Here's how we did it:
We Created a Distraction-Free Zone
Phones down: No rabbit holes on where to donate what. We paused distractions (except for changing the Spotify playlist).
Kids in school: We worked from school drop-off to pickup. Quiet hours = maximum progress.
Client comfort: We set up a chair under the canopy and brought her one box at a time. This helped her stay focused and avoid overwhelm.
Lunch plan = essential: We decided what we were eating and when before the day even started. Pro tip: do not try to declutter when hungry. It never ends well.
We Kept the Big Goals Front and Center
Crafting Zone: We repurposed shelves and reused containers she already owned to create a functional craft area. Could we have gone out and bought all new, matching bins? Sure. But she already had plenty of perfectly good ones and we’d much rather repurpose what’s on hand than push people to buy more stuff.
Keepsakes: We got them out of random cardboard boxes and into clearly labeled, (picutre take before labels ) organized totes. More on that below.
Work Surface: She wanted to set up a special table gifted by her mom. Now she has space to do just that giving her a dedicated place to spread out and create whenever inspiration strikes.
Parking One Car in the Garage: Since one side of the garage is now reserved for crafting, we made sure the other side stayed clear for parking. She can now pull her car in without dodging bins, bags, or boxes.
What Organizing Supplies We Used
Many of the original items were still packed in old cardboard boxes—some left over from a previous move, others lovingly (and maybe a little sneakily) gifted by her mom. Unfortunately, some of those boxes had been turned into cozy little mouse condos—a common issue, especially in neighborhoods with nearby new construction.
So, we made brought with us favorite clear storage solution: Hefty Hi-Rise Totes.
We used the 72-quart totes for larger, lightweight keepsakes like concert tees, high school shirts, and childhood memorabilia. For the heavier or bulkier items think trophies, yearbooks, and oversized books we brought in one of our favorite sizes: the 40-quart tote. It has the height of the 72-quart but a smaller footprint, making it perfect when you want vertical space without making a bin too heavy to lift.
We also used the 17-quart and 32-quart totes for photos and small keepsakes. The 32-quart, shown here, became a “Nostalgia Bin” a curated collection of items she wanted to be able to open and enjoy easily whenever the mood struck.
Side note: Today was not photo-sorting day. We kept it simple, larger prints in the bigger tote, smaller ones in the smaller tote. That’s a task for another day.
Looking for garge storage inspiration?
What the Space Looks Like Now
This wasn’t about making the garage look nice for a photo. This was about creating a space that actually works for her real life. Here’s what we made possible:
A wide-open center
No more navigating a maze to get to the fridge. She can walk through without tripping, sidestepping, or muttering under her breath.
The fridge is now next to the door
So grabbing a drink or extra groceries doesn’t feel like a trek through the wilderness.
Craft supplies are sorted and easy to access
Which means she can actually use them instead of just thinking about all the projects she could be doing someday.
Keepsakes are clearly labeled and safely stored
No more mystery boxes or guessing games. When she wants to take a trip down memory lane, she knows exactly where to look.
Room to park and space to create
She can pull into the garage and still have a dedicated spot to set up her mom’s table and enjoy a little creative time.
It’s not magazine-perfect. It’s real-life functional.
What We Accomplished (and How We Can Help You, Too)
By the end of this two-day garage rescue mission, here's what we had to show for it:
✔️ 2 van loads of donations sent off to new homes
✔️ 1 trailer load of donations
✔️ Multiple curbside alerts posted for FREE furniture and large toys
✔️ 2 trailer loads taken to the landfill, recycling center, and scrapyard
✔️ 1 completely full recycling bin of old paperwork
✔️ 3 boxes of books donated to the International Book Project
✔️ 9 boxes of documents safely shredded
✔️ 6 boxes of hazardous waste responsibly dropped at Live Green Lexington
And surprise! We no longer needed two entire shelving units—they were hiding in plain sight, stacked two rows deep!
What started as a space our client lovingly called “The Graveyard” is now a clean, functional garage with room to park, create, and breathe.
If your own garage (or attic or basement or bonus room) has become the holding zone for every “I’ll deal with it later” item you're not alone. And you're not stuck. We’d love to help you reclaim your space, your peace of mind, and yes, even a proper place to park your car.
We've got the team, the tools, and a playlist ready. Let’s do this.
Comments