By Amber Katz
For many Rye families, the garage is the great unfinished project: It starts with a stroller here, a set of ski boots there, or a bin of sports equipment that belongs to a child who’s now in college.
Then one day you realize the car hasn’t actually been inside in years.
Three local organizers know this story well, and they have helped enough Rye households rewrite the ending to have strong opinions on where to begin.
Start With the Overwhelm
Christine Brady of Creative Organizing by Christine describes the typical client as stressed and frustrated.
“The space feels out of control,” she said. “They can’t easily find things, and that’s what finally pushes them to call.”
Her first step: a consultation followed by a plan tailored to the family’s needs. That’s before anything is touched.
Marla Alt of 1,2,3 Organize finds the garage to be a seasonally timed job.
“It’s weather-related,” she says. “You’re ready to make the leap, and then it’s like, well, it’s not the right time of year.”
Christina Canizales of A Simple Reset adds that electric vehicles have created a new urgency in Rye. More families need to actually fit a car in their garage so it can charge overnight.
A Framework for Keeping Versus Tossing
Categorizing the contents of your garage is key to a better space.
Alt recommends pulling everything out and sorting in the driveway by category: sporting equipment, household items, seasonal gear.
“When you can actually see how many bats you’ve collected over the years, it becomes much easier to let things go,” she said.
Brady uses two quick tests to cut through the indecision. Will you use it in the next 12 months? Have you used it in the last two years? If you haven’t, it goes — unless it’s seasonal. Then ask yourself: Will you use it from the garage? Is it safe to store there?
“When everything is sorted into similar items, clients can actually see what they have,” she said. “Then it’s much easier to decide what gets donated, purged, or kept.”
Canizales spends the first half of a session sorting without the client, then brings them in to review the piles.
“They see everything grouped together and say, ‘Oh, I really don’t need that much.’ Then they start purging.”
The Systems That Actually Work
It may be tempting to buy storage items before you even start, but Brady urges patience.
“That’s the biggest mistake people make when they try to DIY it,” she said. “They buy storage before deciding what’s staying and where it’s going.” Her preferred systems include racks, shelving, and wall tracks for bikes, rakes, and shovels.
Alt agrees on maximizing vertical space. “Anything that can be hung should be hung,” she said, noting that wall systems have become far more affordable as competition from Amazon, Target, and Wayfair has grown.
Canizales prefers steel industrial shelving with clear bins and is skeptical of elaborate wall systems.
“You sort of marry yourself to a wall system,” she said. “Things change, families change.”
But all three are unanimous on one point: Clear bins over opaque, every time.
Making It Stick
The hardest part isn’t the organizing. It’s the maintenance.
Brady’s formula is straightforward: zones of like items, everything contained and labeled so the system works for every member of the family.
“When everything has a home, it’s easy to do a quick reset.”
Canizales offers monthly maintenance visits for clients who want ongoing support.
“It takes two extra minutes to put it back in the bin,” she said. “You just need to follow through.”
Alt’s advice: bring in backup.
“Get the motivators with you,” she says. A supportive friend or family member, even a five-year-old who loves to help, can make the difference between a project that gets done and one that stalls out. “Don’t drag in someone who doesn’t want to be there. It just makes everyone anxious.”
And pick your season wisely. Spring and early fall are prime.
The garage will wait, but it won’t clean itself.
