Help, pack rat husband has stuffed garage yet again..?

Question

When we first got married I had the energy and know how to just dive in and clean up the garage. Now as years go by I thought I had just given up and thrown in the towel but no, for some strange reason I want to clean the garage. Where in the world should I start??? Should I do little jobs everyday or dig in and try and get it done in a weekend. Its realllllly bad. I have to throw things out behind his back or I get yelled at...not yelled at but questioned.."where is it, what'd you do with it, I needed that really bad" any advice would be appreciated...I am over whelmed!

I appreciate all the help regarding my husband but I wasnt asking about him, just how to clean a messy garage. I will deal with him when the time comes...it probably wont ever get here but in the mean time I want to put up my total gym in the garage and let my sons get a weight set and maybe a ping pong table! Sounds fun doesnt it?

Answer 1

You married my father? Wait, you're not my mother!
ok, lol...
Yes, you have to throw it out when he's not looking, but you have to also remove it from the property entirely, or he will go save it.
By the way...are you ready for the argument? Just wondering...
As to how to tackle it, like any project...go out there one morning early, preferably after he has left, but before the garbage men come, with your coffee in one hand and a protective glove on the other. Bring the boom box, you're gonna need music.
Look among all the junk for a flame thrower...oops, kidding!
Open the garage door and just start hauling it to the curb. Big useless items first, small things to be sorted through shove in a box for later, (if ever).
You'll know when you've had enough for one day. Don't be discouraged though...that's why I say remove big useless items first, you get to see instant progress.
Make a pathway. A path is crucial to progress!
If you can get it done in a weekend, then do it that way. You don't need all that junk hanging over your head. Make the kids help if they want to use the ping-pong table and weights, they should be more than willing.
Good riddance to bad rubbish!

Answer 2

What is at the root of this pack rat mentality? If there is some underlying cause for wanting to keep things and have the clutter, no amount of organizing, tossing and hounding is going to help keep your garage clean. There are all kinds of reasons for wanting to hold onto items and it is important to understand why people do it.

Have you taken some time to talk directly with your husband about the collection of clutter? Has the clutter affected your using the garage for cars and other traditional garage items? If so, talk about how that impacts the other people in the house. Can he find something in particular if challenged to describe where it might be? Are there storage boxes, and if so, can he describe the contents without looking inside or reading the outside label? If not, might be time to weed through everything with his help.

If you are able to come to some agreement on the clutter situation, you’ll want to jot down some garage “rules” like limit to the space available for clutter – ideally less than is currently being utilized.

I also like the nothing added into the house for a certain period of time. Could be thirty days or as much as six-months. Also use the one new item comes in, one old item goes out. This is a great time to look at things as “need” or “want” items. That usually helps with deciding if it should come to your home in the first place.

When we tackled a friend’s garage, we started in one space and then worked clockwise around the space. This gave us a goal and a system that kept everyone on task and moving forward. The key is to be patient and as non-judgmental as possible when sorting. Things that have absolutely no meaning to you might have some HUGE emotional tie for your husband. If you have some “clutter buddies” that will help you in exchange for you helping them, the time can go much more quickly.

Once you decide something is going away from your space, pack it up and immediately put it in a vehicle to take to the local donation drop off spot. If you are throwing items away, put them in black garbage bags so no one can see what is inside and be tempted to pull them back out again.

Once you have sorted, purged, tossed and donated, define a space that will hold the items remaining. Sometimes having an area mapped out that shows the “boundaries” is helpful to containing the space. Remember that well anchored shelving can allow for great storage without spreading all over the garage space.

Consistent work from everyone involved and regularly purging and donating items is a great way to begin your new habit of staying better organized

Answer 3

Pack rats are awfully hard to live with. I like the tarp idea for sorting, but I would also buy 10 large clear stackable totes and put the valuable stuff in there. Then make an easy to read list of the items to put in each tote, letting it show out one side. If hubby can't help--hire two energetic teens.
Every item kept would have to be used up within a set number of months, or really be a replacement part for stuff you actually own now.
Post a reminder sign that says:
"Anything coming into garage has to have a definite use within 90 days, or it is trash".
If it is metal stuff--have him haul it to the scrap yard and get paid for it. Wish you the best!

Answer 4

My mom is like that too. If it were me, I would rent a garbage bin (tip, to you guys across the pond) and do it all in one day. The bin could be dropped-off, filled, and picked-up within 24 hours, if you were able to get it all done that fast.

I would wait until he goes away for a day or two, rent the biggest bin that you can find on short notice, clean it out yourself (its very easy to throw stuff out when you have a massive bin right in the driveway), and call the bin company to have the bin removed when you are done. That way it's all done. It would cost a few hundred dollars to rent a bin and pay the tonnage for the weight of material, but it would work very well. Your husband might not like it, but living in a pile of junk is not living.

I'm moving away from home soon and I won't let my place get like every home my family has lived in. I'm a huge fan of digging everything out (the non-useful stuff) into a bin and having done with it. My mom throws fits and it gets dramatic sometimes, so it's just best to toss stuff out when she's not here.

Answer 5

I like that really long answer up there, the one that says it is important to know why your husband is a pack rat... while I understand where you are coming from, (my step-dad is a trash-picker, and I mean that literally, he will stop and pick through people's trash and bring it home, I have no respect for people that do that, not that I am saying your husband does... just that I understand about lots of useless crap laying around.) just getting rid of his "junk" would be wrong without finding out what he wants or needs to keep first. And your addition to your question doesn't really make sense... If you didn't want advice on how to deal with your husband, why did you include it in the question to start with? And if you are throwing out things that he is actually looking for and using, maybe you don't need to be throwing them out... to quote: "not yelled at but questioned.."where is it, what'd you do with it, I needed that really bad"... " Like I said, I know all about dealing with lots of junk laying around, most of it broken, dirty, and useless, and we didn't have a garage, so it was all in the house, half of the rooms had tunnels basically that you had to walk through because there were boxes of stuff that he wouldn't let my Mom get rid of stacked to the ceiling. Now, if it is that kind of situation, where he just wants the stuff because it is his, then dig in and haul it all off in one or two days, otherwise, work on it over a few weeks, with his help, and organize it, on shelves or bins, or whatever, and minimize it however you can. I also liked the idea of buying him a shed to keep all his stuff in, and I bet he would like it too. I space for his "junk" that would be all his own, and off limits to everyone else.... That is of course, of you guys have a yard space to put it in. But anyway, my main advice is to do it over a few weeks with your husbands help. If he doesn't want to help, then do it over a weekend and haul it all off to the dump if you don't want to sort it. If you do want to sort it, then haul the trash off to the dump and the good stuff off to the donation center and the recyclables off to the recycling center, and anything you can recycle for money of to wherever you take that... Be aware that if you have any copper or AC parts in there that they are worth a considerable amount. Anyway, Good Luck!

Answer 6

Try organizing on shelves and in bins. That way he can keep all of his prized possessions and you don't feel so frustrated at the mess. Everybody wins! Home Depot and Lowes both carry lots of organizational systems, as does Wal-Mart. Try to categorize items and sort into piles for a start. Then you will know what kind and amount of storage system you will need. Good luck!

Answer 7

I told my pack rat that "if you haven't used it in 6 months it goes in the trash". There is no point in having a garage you can't park your car in. Make him do it with you. That way he knows just what got chunked.Another way is to, set out one tarp for the keep pile (Stacking is not allowed) and three for the throw pile. Make sure you schedule the debris guys to pick up the very next day or he may start digging stuff out. Don't forget to wear leather gloves as that kind of place is ideal for brown recluse spiders and those are very dangerous.

Answer 8

This is what works for me. I don't look at the "big" picture. I just do a little at a time. My Hubby is like your Hubby. So I slowly move things around that he might question, then finally I throw them out. I have a theroy if you don't use it within 6 months get rid of it. Most of the time my Hubby never misses anything.

Answer 9

i know you will catch grief for it but get him out of the house and get a dumpster or a pick up truck that you can load up and take to the dump. or you can call an 800 got junk branch to remove it for you. they haul it for you i think.
little tasks help but if you can't get a bunch out by garbage day it will seem like forever before you see a difference.
see how much you can pack up by trash day. load up heavy duty trash cans...
maybe even do a yard sale if it's worth selling...
just keep him away for a few days if you can so he won't be putting it back as you are putting it to the trash lol
can friends and family help too

Answer 10

Buy him a storage shed. Men who fix things often keep a lot of stuff. To them it's like your button box is to you. When you go buy hardware it is time consuming and expensive. He may be planning a project that you will enjoy once done. Instead of just trowing away his junk, try talking to him about it. And see if he can put it somewhere else. or limit how much he keeps. Try to work it out with him in a respectful manner. And try not to call it junk.