In our family, the subject of cleaning the garage has, at times, been a painful one. The reason has always been that we let it get out of control. Most everyone didn’t put away the things that they got out. We have moved quite a bit with my husband’s job. So we lived in several different houses with very different garage layouts. Most of the time, the garage was where our family entered and exited the house. This flow works well because there is a covered space between the inside of the house and the outside driveway where the car is parked. The problem is that everyone in the home tends to trap things on tables and shelves in the garage on their way to the house. I have found that when one thing is left out, it grows friends very quickly. 

You want to set up your children for success. Everything needs a designated place to be put where it belongs. A good thing to do is plan to have a garage cleanup day where the whole family participates. Be careful, though, because the neighbors may think you’re having a garage sale. The garage cleanup day is also a great opportunity fur spouses to hone their communication skills Because there are many decisions to be made regarding how to store and organize garage items. 

Use colored markers on tape or labels to help everyone know where things belong. This way, you can expect your elementary-aged child to know where to store balls and outside toys and have a good place to put their bikes. 

You may consider purchasing a good quality bike rack if you have more than two children riding bikes. They can easily take up an entire car size parking space in the garage if you’re not careful.