1. Arm Yourself

Organizing a garage is a messy, time-consuming job. And if you're doing it right, you'll end up with a lot of things to throw away, give away, and get repaired. Before plunging in, gather heavy-duty 33-gallon plastic garbage bags, 6 to 10 large cardboard boxes (but not so large that you won't be able to move them when they're full), a marking pen to label boxes, a roll of packing tape to seal boxes, a box cutter to cut down any old boxes you empty as you organize, and a ball of twine to tie up newspapers, magazines, and cut-down boxes.