Your garage called. It wants to be a garage again. This checklist is the same process our crew uses on garage cleanouts all over Las Vegas. Print it out and work top to bottom.
Las Vegas tip: in summer, start at sunrise. Garages hit 120 degrees by the afternoon.
Before you start
- Pick a day and block off 4–6 hours
- Set up three zones on the driveway: KEEP, DONATE, TOSS
- Grab heavy-duty trash bags, gloves, a marker and a broom
- Book a junk pickup for the end of the day so the TOSS pile doesn't sit
Sort it
- Pull everything off the floor first, starting nearest the door
- Open every box. If you haven't opened it in two years, it's probably DONATE or TOSS
- Test tools, bikes and appliances. Broken goes to TOSS
- Check holiday decorations: keep what you used last year
- Kids' stuff they've outgrown goes to DONATE
- Old paint, oil and chemicals get their own pile (see below)
Handle the hazardous stuff
These can't go in your trash can or on a junk truck. Clark County runs household hazardous waste drop-off events and sites.
- Old paint and stains
- Motor oil, antifreeze and fuel
- Pool chemicals and pesticides
- Propane tanks
- Batteries and fluorescent bulbs
Put it back better
- Sweep and hose down the floor
- Install wall shelving or ceiling racks to get things off the ground
- Use clear, labeled bins
- Keep everyday items near the door, seasonal items up high
- Mark a parking outline on the floor so the clutter doesn't creep back
Haul it away
- Drop off DONATE items or schedule a charity pickup
- Have a junk crew haul the TOSS pile. Get the price upfront
- Recycle cardboard
