Thursday, March 31, 2022

March Room of the Month - The Garage

First of all, thank you, everyone, for your very kind comments about my March decluttering.  You were all very encouraging and congratulatory, maybe a bit incredulous (a possum skeleton?), but, not judgmental.  I appreciate that very much.  I don't consider myself to be a hoarder but, I readily admit to being a keeper-of-stuff!

Cleaning the garage had been on my To Do List for a very long time.  Years, in fact.  Well before it got to the stage it was in at the beginning of this month.  But, I postponed doing it because it was a big task and, every time I set out to do some cleaning, I felt overwhelmed by it.  It was too full of things that I wasn't quite sure I wanted to get rid of.  It was too messy, too dirty, too difficult, I didn't have the time, there were other things I should be doing inside the house or in the garden, too hot, too cold.  I am not making excuses; I am just describing how I felt. 

In the meantime, additional things got put in the garage.  When there was no room on the shelves, the items were set on the floor.  Then, one of the shelves tilted forward (a screw had come loose and fallen off) and after one of the small earthquakes we have from time to time, the stuff sitting on the tilting shelf fell down.  I probably left it where it fell until I could fix the shelf, except, I didn't fix the shelf.  So, the stuff sat on the floor and additional stuff were dumped on top of that stuff.  In addition, there was a small hole in the side door through which the garden cats and possums got in from time to time.  They usually found their way out, too, but, at least one possum didn't!  But, the cats would sometimes run around and jump on things and they knocked things down which didn't always get picked up.  I eventually got someone to replace the door so the animals couldn't get in - that was in November 2019.  Unfortunately, that door is already warped from the rain!  Obviously, the door was not meant for an outside door!  

Mary-Lou posted about "silent to dos" and "tolerances" and, as I mentioned in my comment to her, I have very high levels of tolerances when it comes to mess and clutter.  There is a reason why my online name is Bless My Mess!  

Finally, when Eileen asked me if there were any projects I could do outside (I had been trying to explain why I was letting some house projects were going undone because I didn't want workers in the house during the pandemic unless absolutely necessary, such as when the furnace needed to be replaced) and I successfully cleaned out the garden shed in February, I decided that I will clean the garage in March.  It was going to be my March Room of the Month.  I started out spending 15 minutes a day, just removing one or two items to declutter.  Deciding what to declutter and what to keep took most of that time!  Oh, the dialogs I held with myself over keeping and tossing! I posted some pictures after I had got started, here.  

Right Wall - Then
Right Wall - Now



Not much of a difference at first glance, but, the shelving units and the cabinet top have been scrubbed clean and all the large cooking pots (yes, they are used, especially when having large gatherings, jam and chutney making, etc.) and one or two baking pans have been moved to these two shelving units - easy to access from the side door.  I have not gone through the kitchen cabinet unit, yet, or the totes in the corner (Christmas decorations and some old files).

This is the left wall, my "wall of shame" which I didn't show in the earlier post because I felt too ashamed to show it; I am taking a deep breath and posting it now:

Left Wall - Before (March 12, 2022)

I spent half the month just steeling myself to deal with this mess.  The other half of the month was spent working on it! I really, really wished I had some help with this part of the cleaning (it would have been accomplished much faster with some help, too), but, I managed to do it, a little at a time.  These are the pictures I took while the cleaning was in progress:


March 14, 2022 - The lilac vinyl table cover 
is covering the window air conditioner


March 21, 2022


March 22, 2022 
Some of the donations ready to go

March 25, 2022


March 26, 2022: Tilting wall shelf
to the right of the yellow basket
removed


March 26, 2022: Focus on the empty
lower shelves

And at the end of the month:

March 30, 2022

I asked M to put the box with the Christmas tree on top of the metal shelving unit.  It had been stored on the floor between the Christmas totes and the old kitchen cabinet on the opposite wall.  I realize it makes the top of the shelving units look very crowded, but, I am trying to get things off the floor, to make it easier to clean the floor and to minimize the opportunity for critters to get inside the boxes! 


March 30, 2022: Empty Shelves!

I might take these shelves down, too, eventually, but, I'm keeping these up for now.  

I haven't finished decluttering the garage, yet, but, I have brushed cobwebs down from the walls, washed the windows, washed each and every shelf and cleared quite a bit of the clutter.  I am now in the process of cleaning out the files and the newly ordered paper shredder should help with that!  

Still to do:
- Go through boxes of files and papers
- Go through the old kitchen cabinet and decide what to do with all the craft supplies stored in there
- Decide if I want to continue to keep the kitchen cabinet
- Find a better place for the stack of resin chairs (we use them in the garden in the summer)
- Go through the stack of plastic drawers
- Go through the Christmas items (might wait until closer to Christmas to do that!)

I am debating whether to continue with the garage as my room of the month in April, too.  It is, most definitely, a work in progress!

30 comments:

  1. Well done! I said it before but it's a great achievement. I actually don't think that the before photo is so very dreadful. I really wish I had photos of my pre-declutter surfaces; they would have been a source of great solace to you!

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    1. Aw, thank you, Lady Ella. I felt very ashamed of the before. But, I'm being honest, here; hopefully, I won't let it get to that state, again!

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  2. Oh Bless, your garage is looking wonderful! Really, no reason to be embarrassed about the before - you should see my basement!! No, you shouldn't! You've accomplished so much. Best, Celie (I'll admit that I actually would've liked to see a photo of that possum skeleton!!)

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    1. Thank you, Celie; you are very kind. :) In a way, I'm glad I don't have an attic or basement! Now I wish I had taken a photo of the possum skeleton! LOL!

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    2. It had an elongated snout with pointy teeth and a very long tail! :D

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  3. You should be very proud of yourself, everything looks so clean and organized in your shed, and now your garage. I can't believe the amount of stuff you got rid of. It was quite a bit. I know how daunting it must have been from the start but you got in there and you did it. I know it was a lot of work but there is nothing like a clean, de-cluttered, organized, space. You worked very hard and I know you must be pleased. Enjoy your weekend! Denise

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    1. Thank you, Denise. The hardest part was to get started! I do admit that it was easier to get rid of things towards the end than at the beginning. In fact, towards the end, I went back and tossed a few of the things that I had decided to keep at the beginning.

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  4. You've done a great job, Bless. These types of tasks often feel overwhelming to me at first but when tackled a little bit at a time, I can begin to see progress, which spurs me on. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. Yes, I felt overwhelmed at the beginning, but, seeing the progress I was making was motivating. :)

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  5. You have done incredibly well clearing and cleaning your garage. I understand when a job seems too big to tackle it's difficult to even make a start, so very well done. Don't feel bad about the possum he may have been ill and found a place to die, it's what animals do. Take your time with the rest of the sorting, it'll get done.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. I'm taking a couple of days off from the garage, but, will get back in there again to deal with the rest of it! I wondered about the possum - I still have some that come to eat what the cats leave after they've had their dinner! I call them the clean up crew as they will eat all the bits and pieces!

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  6. I would have liked to have seen the possum skeleton, too. :)

    You use your garage for storage, and real-life storage rarely looks like it does on TV. So, I didn't think the before pictures were bad. But it must feel great to have the area clean and orderly. Our garage badly needs to be cleaned like yours, but it will have to wait because it's now full of construction things.

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    1. Oh, now I wish that I HAD taken a picture of the possum skeleton! :D

      Thank you, June. I really shouldn't have allowed the garage and the shed to get to the state they were in, but, it happened. Once I finish decluttering, I want to get the floor washed. I'd like to get the walls painted, too, if possible.

      I'm sure you'll get your garage cleaned once the construction work is completed. :)

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  7. Oh my, & may I suggest one thing you might want to declutter right away ... it's any feeling of shame. Trust me we all have those before photos! Life happens & we all collect things along the way ... you are doing amazingly well in getting rid of things & donating things. As I've said before you get to wear the crown of decluttering!!

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    1. Thank you, Mary-Lou. Yes, life happens. I am taking steps to clear the mess and should focus on that. I'm loving my crown, by the way. :)

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  8. Well done Bless. It's such a huge achievement and you should be proud of yourself. There's absolutely no need to be embarrassed about the before pictures at all. The important thing to keep in mind is that you did tackle the problem head on and you have made a massive difference. Are you starting to feel better about going into the garage now?

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; yes, I am tackling the problem and not avoiding it! Yes, I'm starting to feel better about going into the garage, now. Thank you, again, for the encouragement with the decluttering. :)

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  9. Wow, you got s lot done and now it is so organized. I need you to come guide me with my laundry room. I did some and then left the rest for another time. I need to finish.

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    1. Thank you, Anne. I've a bit more to go, but, most of the cleaning has been done. I've love to help you with your laundry room! It's always more fun to do projects with someone else. :)

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  10. Sending hugs, admiration and utter respect. Sometimes things feel so big and overwhelming that it's impossible to start (I feel that about almost everything in my life right now). But you have had the courage - and it was courage - to make a start. You have done great things and are awesome.

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    1. Aw, thank you, Lyssa. Getting started is usually the hardest part for me. I don't know about courage - it was more desperation, I think! I was coming close to the end of my tolerance level for the mess!

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  11. Quite a transformation and everything clean as well! It didn't look so terribly bad to me before, but I can see that the arrangement on the second half is brilliant, now.

    We now have sap gushing from the trees and a lot of panic collecting to make sure no pails overflow! It is hardly surprising that this happens after all was frozen up for days. DH is happily boiling again.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. The cleaning took a long time as I had to wash everything because it was so dusty! I wore a dust mask the entire time I was in the garage, but, it worked - I didn't get an asthma flare up.

      Oh, my! It sounds like the spring rush has started! A lot of work, I'm sure, but, it sounds wonderful!

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  12. You have made wonderful progress here. If you are not quite satisfied, by all means, make it April's project as well. I am glad that our garage is hubby's territory - I have enough trouble deciding about items in our utility closet.

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    1. Thank you, Susanne. Yes, I think I will continue with the garage in April, too. It'll be nice to be able to say I have organized it to my satisfaction! I want to get to a few places inside the house, too. No utility closet here, unless you count the laundry room which is closet sized.

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  13. I think it's really lovely that you share your decluttering projects and progress. It helps me to know that I'm not the only one!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. No, you are not the only one! There are probably others, too, who have garages or sheds like mine, who hold onto too many things and who struggle to get rid of the excess for one reason or another.

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  14. Pictures! My gosh. It looks great, Bless. You must be so pleased. And quite honestly, the before pictures are fine too. Really, they could be most people's after pictures lol
    You should see my garage. ugh - While organized, it has way too much in it.

    I am so happy for you getting this job checked off. I know you want to do more but you have tackled it and go it done - doing a complete room go through and you also cleaned well.

    Good job.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. :) Yes, I am pleased. I do want to do some additional cleaning and decluttering, BUT, it was a very successful first round! I am taking a short break from the garage now to deal with the boxes of files. Stay tuned! :D

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