Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Great California Garage Sale inspires some tips for organizing

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Great California Garage Sale

When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched his Great California Garage Sale this weekend, it made me think about cleaning out my closets and having my own garage sale.

Afew years ago I interviewed an expert at California Closets who offered the following tips on how to  sort out, size up, store and contain your cargo in five easy steps. The tips were for the car but they could be also used for your garage. Once you’re done, maybe it will motivate you to have a garage sale. Here’s to cleaning up (and making money)!

1. Sort and Clean-Up Take everything out of the car, including car seats, music and miscellaneous items stored in the glove box and door pockets. Don’t forget the trunk and cargo area!  Chances are you’ll find all kinds of trash to toss. Organize the rest of the items into three piles: stuff you use all of the time, things you use occasionally and items you might need in an emergency. Whatever doesn’t fall into these categories should be stored in your home or garage.

Need some ideas for your garage? Check out this!

2. Analyze: Ask yourself, “How do I use my car?”  Are you salesperson traveling with a trunk load of samples, a mom with two toddlers in car seats or a realtor squiring prospective clients from property to property? Do you make a lot of short trips or are long journeys the norm?

3. Prioritize: >Depending upon your needs, go through your three piles and prioritize the most important items in each group.  Pay attention to duplicates.  For example, it’s good to have an emergency blanket, but you don’t need three unless this is ait’s a family car. Also, avoid the tendency to constantly re-stock without recycling. And ask yourself those hard questions. For example, do you really need 25 CD’s in your car ? Try recycling.   With clothes, we often suggest giving away (selling or recycling) one piece of clothing for every new piece you buy.  Use the same rules with your car . When you add three new CDs, take three old ones back to your house.  Many car items such as ice scrapers and tire chains can be packed away in summer – just remember to rotate them into the car once the weather starts to turn cold again.

4. Contain: Loose objects in the car lead to disorganization and mess. They can also damage or  worse – create a real danger in the event of a sudden stop or a crash. There are many Automotive accessory shops that offer a variety of cargo containers and organizers for every part of the car – from roof rack boxes, CD storage visors and trunk bins to net pockets for the backs of passenger seats. To reduce the garbage clutter and make the car easier to clean, attach a small trash bag to the back of one of the seats. Some places to look for containers and storage products include SkyMall, West Elm and The Container Store.

Like this article? Check this out.

5. Store:  Put items you use regularly in places where you can reach them.  Make sure you keep insurance information, maps, directions and other documents in the glove box. If you drink coffee on the way to work, make sure you have a place to put your cup or thermos. Do you really need a flashlight in the driver’s side door pockets or are you just as comfortable with it tucked into the trunk?  And be creative about storing lesser-used and seasonal items – there are often nooks and crannies around trunk-located the spare tires that can hold a small first aid kit, roadside flares or a pair of work gloves.