This week, I wanted to share another simple fix that has had a big impact in our lives
My garage has been driving me nuts.
No matter what I have tried, it always seems like shoes and helmets and other miscellaneous kid things are littering the main pathway through the garage and into our kitchen.
I have tried various repurposed organizational systems to try to deal with the shoes and other items.
But none of them seem to help.
My most recent attempt utilized an old side table, a Sterilite three-drawer plastic rolling cart, and a wire shoe rack I had found on the side of the road some time ago.
The shoe rack kind of worked (when the kids actually managed to put their shoes ON it), but the drawers were hard to open and the little shelving unit/end table stood mostly empty. I found that the drawers ended up being a dumping ground and a hiding place.
When I pulled these out from the garage wall, I found random K’nex pieces, a granola bar wrapper, an old metal pail, and some other miscellany inside. And the ground beneath was littered with a shoe insert, dirt, and a random stick.
We had an old pail in the corner with a croquet set and some other miscellaneous yard toys, but it was buried and hard to access too.
I decided to ditch this entire system and swap it out for open top crates that the kids could literally toss their shoes into.
I swept out the area before setting up the new system…
And after several weeks, I can honestly say that this is working much better.
It is easier for the kids to put their shoes away (though they still need 25 reminders per day), and they can more easily access the hooks I had previously hung on the wall pegboard to put away their helmets and hard hats.
One of the previously implemented “fixes” that has remained is the old rug you see on the garage floor. This walk-off mat does a great job absorbing the puddles of water from wet boots and helps catch some of the sand and dirt that would otherwise end up inside our house.
It’s simple enough to sweep it off or shake it out, and it was a great use for a slightly curling mat that would otherwise have been tossed. (We replaced this with a newer version after it got snagged a few times and the edges remained permanently curled. In its prior home inside the kitchen door, it was a major trip hazard).
Sometimes, it takes three or four…or five tries to find the solution, but simple, inexpensive or no-cost fixes truly can make a big difference.
I’d love to hear about a simple fix you’ve found. Leave us a comment below!