At Big Rocks Organizing, we fully admit we think every day is the perfect day to organize. But the truth is, autumn is a great season to clean out two important spaces: the garage and playroom. The garage is cool but not cold this time of year. And the kiddos are playing indoors more now, so what better time to get their playroom in shape? So, let’s dive in!
Confession: I can’t fit one car in my two- (or three-) car garage
If I posted a photo of our garage here, you’d wonder what on earth makes me think I’m qualified to write about garage organizing. Our garage is a hot mess, so you’re not alone!
Start with the big cleanse
Ideally, you would use several vacation days,* take everything out of your garage, dump it in your driveway, sort it all, then put back what’s left. But in reality, you’ll probably have to do the job over a few weekends. So, move the car(s) out, and start small, with one wall or section at a time. Set up tables to sort things. Go through everything and make piles according to where stuff is going: Keep, donate, recycle, repair, sell, or trash.
If possible, declutter the whole garage before you start to organize (it’s easier to organize efficiently if you know how much you have left). If that’s not practical, clear out one section, organize it as best you can, then move on to another section.
Making those decisions (i.e., piles) is the hardest part, so yay, you!
*Yes, the people at Big Rocks would gladly use vacation days to organize our garages. We are weird like that.
Make molehills out of mountains
Next, deal with the piles …
- Community Warehouse and Second Edition Resale are great places to donate gently used household goods. Check their websites for lists of items they’ll accept.
- If you have unexpired food that you know won’t be consumed (I am notorious for overzealous Costco runs), contact your local food pantry to see if they need it.
- Another great alternative for food donations is Rose Haven, which serves over 400 meals per day.
- Neighborhood House is also a great local non-profit serving over 18,000 folks in the greater Portland area, many of them children and seniors experiencing food insecurity.
- Habitat for Humanity welcomes household goods, sporting goods, furniture, tools, and gardening implements.
- Recycle leftover paint at MetroPaint (through 12/31/25), Habitat ReStore, or your local Sherwin-Williams store. If there’s only a little left in the can, you can let it dry out and put it in the regular trash. For more on recycling paint, check out Paintcare.org.
- Have old electronics or a spaghetti factory of cords and cables? Goodwill recycles e-waste for free.
- Recycling rules for the Portland metro area changed recently. See what’s new.
- If you have construction materials to get rid of, check the updates for dumping and recycling at Metro South Transfer Station.
- If you can’t haul your trash yourself, there are many hauling services in the Portland metro area.
- Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups are great resources to sell (Marketplace) and give away items (Buy Nothing).
You finished the hard part, woot woot!
Now that you’ve decluttered, it’s time to put the rest back where it belongs. But where does it belong? Create zones for each category of stuff. Zones can be anything: sports equipment, tools, gardening supplies, camping equipment, holiday decorations, big-box store items, recycling/trash, and, in our case, stuff our grown kids can’t fit in their apartments. (We are their free storage unit.)
Also, your most-used zones should be in your most accessible places, like near the door to your house.
Need storage products?
If you need shelves, pegboards, or other storage solutions, now’s the time to measure and buy. Stores such as Home Depot and The Container Store have plenty of options. Costco also carries storage shelves and overhead racks.
The final step: putting it back
This is the fun part, putting all your things back neatly in their respective zones. Wipe down shelves and surfaces. Next, label all shelves and containers as you fill them, because you will not remember what’s in the bin on that top shelf. Pro tip: Use clear bins so you can see what’s in them. Once you’re done, step back and realize that you finally know where everything is. Ta-da!
Now onto the playroom!
A universal truth: Every parent has walked into a cluttered playroom, silently (or not so silently) cursed the Lego they just stepped on barefoot, and wondered how they’re ever going to clean up this horrendous mess. Here’s how:
- Kids have a reputation for playing with something for two minutes, getting bored, and moving on to something else without putting the first thing back. As a result, your playroom probably turns into one big pile of random toys/books/mess on a regular basis. So, start with the pile. Organize toys by their use: art supplies, stuffed animals, building materials, books, board games, dolls, dinosaurs, and so on. (I know you know this, but I still have to say it.)
- Don’t make your categories too narrow or sorting will take forever. Realistically, one big box of markers, crayons, and pencils is probably sorted enough.
- As you’re sorting, make a pile of toys that your kids have outgrown that can be donated or given to friends.
- Set aside broken toys to go into the trash. Remove any batteries first. Find out where to safely dispose of dead batteries (and other things) here.
- Allegedly, some kids can help put toys away. My kids would help by seeing how many Barbie heads could be put away in the sink drain.
- Once you have piles sorted by type, you’ll have a good idea of what storage you’ll need. If you don’t already have the right bins, boxes, and shelves, buy what you need, or repurpose storage from other parts of your house.
- Clear bins make it easier for kids to see their toys. They also make the room look more cluttered. It’s your call.
- You can find affordable storage at various school supply sites.
- IKEA has affordable and adaptable storage cubbies. Make sure you anchor shelving to the wall for safety.
- When my kids were little, I was a fan of cotton rope baskets like these rather than plastic tubs.
- Consider the best way to actually use the room. Try dividing your playroom into quadrants in your mind. For instance, you could have a reading nook with pillows, a corner with a table for art and board games, a building zone, and a space to play with dolls and stuffies.
- Think about how your kids will access their toys; toddlers are notoriously short and uncoordinated, so put things on lower shelves and in open bins for them. Older kids can use higher shelves and closed containers.
- Label every container, either with words or pictures!
- Make good use of vertical storage; wall shelves, hooks, and so on, to use less floor space.
- With everything neatly put away, go around the room and remove about one-fifth of your kids’ toys, games, and books, and hide them in a closet somewhere. Rotate them out every three months or so. The toys that were in hiding will feel brand new to your kids. It’ll also keep your playroom about one-fifth less cluttered. Win-win.
Now that the playroom is beautifully organized, keep it that way by locking the door and telling your kids to go play in their rooms. (Just kidding. They’re going to love their space as much as you do!)
Want some help cleaning out those hard-to-organize spaces? We would be honored to assist you. Schedule a free exploratory call with us!
Big Rocks Organizing does not earn a commission on any products or services we recommend, nor are we affiliated with any retailers or online sellers.
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Watch the replay of our “Garages and Playrooms” workshop here!
About Andrea Thompson
Andrea was an advertising copywriter/creative director for 40 years before retiring, then unretiring to start a new career in organizing, then retiring again to travel the world with her husband, John. She fully admits her home is not 100% organized.