"Our Two-Car Garage Couldn't Fit Even One Car"
 Before (PHOTO: FRANCES JANISCH)

The problem: Donna and Garry Duncan's garage in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, was jammed with boxes of kids' toys; automotive, gardening and carpentry equipment; furniture inherited from parents �? and junk left by the previous owner. "When we moved in, we just piled our stuff right on top of it," admits Donna, 38.
Prioritize like a pro: After a morning throwing away anything that was clearly trash, with help from Philadelphia-based professional organizer Jennifer Donohue, Donna spent the rest of the day sorting out what to keep or toss. "I'm an out-of-sight-out-of-mind person, and that's how I treated the garage," says Donna. "I knew I had a rake somewhere, but I wouldn't see a rake, so I'd buy one. When we cleaned out the garage, I had six rakes!"

Donohue is a firm believer in organizing a space according to each person's real life and habits, so she and Donna mapped out a new plan for the garage based on the family's top priorities: a section for kids' stuff, one for yard equipment and other tools, plus a space for one of Donna's favorite hobbies, gardening �? oh, and space for the cars, of course.

Stay-neat solutions: The principle of "put everyday things within reach and store seasonal things away" worked like a charm for the Duncans. Donohue suggested storing the family's lightweight patio furniture on industrial hooks up on the rafters. (Donna agreed: "We need to access that stuff only twice a year.") Bikes were also hung on hooks, but lower down, within easy reach. Things in regular use �? e.g., yard equipment, ladders, basic tools �? went on pegboards. "And at less than $5 for a two-by-four-foot sheet, it's cheap," she says.

A big organizing task like this can be daunting, Donohue acknowledges. "To be successful, stay in one area and sort through everything until it's done; don't get distracted by messes elsewhere," she advises. A common mistake people make, she says, is "scatter organizing" �? doing a little of this area, a little of that one. "Then you don't see any progress, and you're more likely to throw up your hands and abandon the project."

Organizing must-have: Donna says buying a labeler was key to organizing her clutter. "Now I don't have to search through boxes to find something, because each tub is labeled: 'bubbles, chalk, jump rope,' 'outdoor lights and extension cords.' This also makes it easier to put everything back where it belongs."

Lightbulb moment: Inspired by her immaculate garage, Donna is now employing Donohue's system to clean up her home office. "I have decluttered and recluttered that room many times, yet it never occurred to me that the bills need a separate place from our health-care information, which needs a separate home from my coupons, etc.," she says. "Now I know that you need to identify storage spaces so things are always where you can find them �? and put them away again."