Garages can really spin out of control this time of year. It's too cold to really spend a lot of time out there tidying things up. But not so cold that we can't dump all the house detritus there. And boy do we have lots of it.

 

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Decorations that we'll put away — later. Cardboard boxes. Leftover packing peanuts. Leftover leftovers.

Argghhhhh!!

Come on, now. Are you really going to keep stepping over all this stuff till spring?

Create a new rite of winter: the garage makeover.

Here's what you do: Set aside a Saturday morning in the next couple of weeks and require attendance from all family members. Assign jobs. And go to work.

Out With the Old

Take boxes of old clothing, etc., that you’ve cleared from closets and donate to charity.

Contain Yourself

Consider giving yourself a present and buy some shelving, hooks and baskets to make garage organization more efficient.

Divide and Conquer

Divide the garage into designated areas and mark off with tape so there's no overflow.

• You would have the garbage area for cans, recyclables, etc.
• Parking area for bikes, scooters.
• Sports area with baskets for soccer balls, roller blades, etc.
• Toy area for oversize kiddie toys.
• There might also be pantry shelves, an area for gardening supplies and equipment, tools, car supplies, etc.

Oh yeah, and leave a spot for the car, too. Label everything so no one in the family can pretend they don't know where things belong.

Re-entry Zone

Now this is the most important thing. Garages stay junky because we use them as entries to our house. And we dump all the stuff that was in the car onto the garage floor. And so the piles grow. Solution? Establish an area at the entry door to catch and confine. We like the bin solution. Each family member has a large bin (about the size of a laundry basket) to hold everything that might otherwise be tossed aside. Here's where Annie can put her ballet shoes, Stevie can put his soccer ball (Hey! He's using it again tomorrow!), Dad can put his gym bag, etc. The only catch is that that's all the space they get. When the bin is full, Stevie has to empty it or be forced to put things away each day. Horrors! Also hang hooks by the door for coats, umbrellas and backpacks. And situate a shelf there for boots and shoes. Now they can enter!

Establish Penalties

The first person to trash the garage has to clean it the next time. That should keep it reasonably clean until spring.

Remember, the easier you make it for the family to stay organized in 2005, the more likely it will happen.