These are some garage items you shouldn’t be keeping in yours anymore! 

Are you the lucky owner of a quite large garage to keep your vehicle and some other stuff near it? That’s great because every little storage space is useful, especially if you have a big family and each of you owns a lot of things. But remember that your garage is not designed to hold everything.

It’s time to stop allowing household items, obsolete equipment, empty boxes, and other similar items to build up in your garage. You’ve probably delayed the decluttering task for a while now, but it’s time to do it this year! So here are some garage items that you must throw away as soon as possible:

1. Outdated electronics you even forgot about

Among the first garage items that you’re still keeping somewhere, forgotten in a box, are outdated electronics. Because technology is always changing, you likely have a ton of old devices in the garage that you hardly ever use.

You probably thought they’d be useful at some point, right? But let me tell you something: instead of cluttering the space with them, check them and see if they’re still functional, and if not, recycle them properly. Just make sure before getting rid of them to delete the hard disks or completely remove them!

2. Broken tools

If you’re anything like us, you’ll probably keep all the tools that are inherited from your parents and grandparents because you “never know when they’re going to be useful for the household.” Before you decide to throw away all the tools, make a selection of what’s still functional and put them aside.

The broken ones—get them out of your garage, please! If you plan to get some brand-new ones and donate the old ones, that’s still a good idea! Throwing away these garage items you no longer use will make room for the ones that are actually handy! Make the most out of your space.

3. Cans with leftover paint

This is probably one of those common garage items everybody stores somewhere in a dark corner to use sometime later. But guess what? That never happened, and that leftover paint is now as hard as a rock, so you won’t be able to use it anymore.

However, paint is not something that can be thrown in the trash, like a lot of other things. It’s most likely going to need to be brought to a hazardous trash collection event. It’s better to look up and see what the locations are in your town where you can dispose of these cans.

4. Old clothes and shoes

Over the years, we’ve all “collected” too many clothes, and because not everybody has the necessary space for all of them in the closet, some of the garments we don’t use anymore end up in the garage. But this needs to stop now! All the shoes and clothing stored there are vulnerable to infestation or mold growth.

I am not saying you should throw away everything, but it might be a good idea to start sorting them. Give away anything that you no longer fit into or that you don’t think you’ll wear soon. You may still donate the clothing to underprivileged individuals or sell it on eBay if it’s in good condition.

5. Paperwork

I used to store all the paperwork, especially old documents, in cardboard boxes somewhere in the garage. Little did I know, because that was a big mistake! You really do not want to take a chance on losing crucial papers to pests, moisture, or heat.

Stop hoarding unnecessary items! Instead, take the time to sort through your belongings and identify what is truly important. Get rid of anything that no longer serves a purpose and keep only what is essential.

If you still have to keep stuff in your garage because of a lack of attic space or otherwise, it’s crucial to clear the clutter and keep everything organized. I bought this plastic storage bin organizer with folding storage boxes from Amazon for just $29.99, and it did help me a lot.

I wrote on the side of each bin to indicate what was inside, making it easier to locate items without having to search through everything.

6. Workout equipment

Back in the day, you thought about moving all your gym equipment into the garage. And even if it seemed like a great idea, now you realize that all those barbells, dumbbells, and other stuff occupied most of the floor space. Dang! If you still want to use them, it’s better to store them somewhere else, or at least organize them a bit.

This also applies to another group of items: long-forgotten sporting goods. Do you remember that time when you used to go to golf clubs? Or when you used to play tennis with your friends? If these memories sound like they belong to the past because you no longer feel the need to re-do these activities, it might be time to part ways with them.

Give them to a friend or your grandkids, utilize an app like OfferUp, or take them to a secondhand shop like Play it Again Sports to make room for something you will use. All these garage items are taking up too much of your space that you could use for other stuff or to make more room for your vehicle.

7. Construction debris

You replaced your old bathroom vanity, rebuilt your kitchen, or changed all of your carpeting for a purpose, so why do you still keep all that construction debris in your garage? You’ll be able to appreciate your newly renovated area even more when they go away. I doubt you will need any of those leftover supplies, so do your garage a favor and move them to the attic or an alternative storage spot.

8. Food and beverages

Indeed, your garage isn’t the best place to store your excess food and drink supplies; you shouldn’t utilize it as a glorified pantry. It may be too warm, too humid, or even too chilly in the garage to store your food supplies. Except for canned products! If your kitchen cupboards or pantry are too small for those, you may store them safely in the garage.

9. Obsolete holiday decor

Last year, you decided to replace the old faux Christmas tree with a live one. While this is nice, you haven’t thrown away the box yet, and it ended up in the garage, of course. A couple of multi-colored lights are also somewhere in a dark corner, collecting as much dust as possible. Not even the giant inflatable reindeer serves a decorative purpose anymore.

Therefore, why are these things still in your garage? Since spring is just around the corner, organize a garage sale and start sorting everything. You will be surprised by how many people are looking to buy old holiday decor. Happy customer, happy seller. Plus, some extra money in your pocket won’t hurt, right?

What are any other garage items you must throw away but always postpone? Tell me in the comments.

Are you looking for advice on home decor, decluttering, and creating a cozy space? You’re in the right place! Here at the American House, we have everything you need, including a super cool e-book! You may also like How to Keep Your White Furniture White.