Garages across the country are used to store everything- from tool, stools, junk, and trunks- except for cars.
The vast majority of Americans, nine out of 10 to be exact, use their garage as a workshop, tool shed, or recreational area, according to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.
The multi-purpose situation often results in a "hodgepodge of disorganized items" ranging from gardening tools, sports equipment to bikes, half-empty paint cans, old furniture, and even moldy magazines, according to a press release issued by The Lehigh Group.
Around 70 percent of Americans use the garage to store potentially dangerous equipment as well, like power tools and saws, while 60 percent store flammable liquids, like oil, propane, kerosene, and gasoline, along with other dangerous chemicals including lawn care products like pesticides in their garages.
Just 27 percent of Americans feel confident that their garage is "very" organized, meaning most of them are cluttered, inconvenient, and potentially dangerous.
In order to help educate Americans about garage safety and organization, The Lehigh Group, maker of Crawford-branded garage and home workshop organization products, declared "National Clean Out Your Garage Day."
The annual event, which is now in its sixth year, will be held across the country on Sept. 6, according to the release.
"We established 'National Clean Out Your Garage Day' to occur on the first weekend after Labor Day, a time when much of America moves from summer to fall, and items such as bikes, outdoor toys, sports and camping gear, lawnmowers and garden tools are put away for the season," said Deborah Hanson, director of external affairs for The Lehigh Group, in a statement. "This is a great time to take stock of the safety of your garage, and to de-clutter and re-organize as needed to make this space safer and more functional."
The survey showed that the garage is often the most disorganized area or room of the home, and by a wide margin. Approximately 42 percent of U.S. citizens admit to never cleaning their garage or to only cleaning it once a year or less.
Click here to read Lehigh's basic guidelines to cleaning out your garage.
Lehigh's guidelines includes sorting your mess into categories like auto supplies, lawn tools, holiday decorations and then donate or sell the items you no longer use. After deciding what stays, separate the garage into zones for storing each item and identify the most appropriate storage method.
Among Lehigh's guidelines includes how to store hazardous items.
"Always remember to follow all manufacturer instructions regarding weight limits when using wall hooks, rails and shelving," said Hanson.
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