When you become a homeowner, there are a whole wealth of things to consider.

Before you even get in, you’ll rush off to pick out wallpaper samples and tester paints. On moving day, you probably plan to rush through the unpacking and get decorating before you’ve spent your first night in the space. Ahh, the joys of moving into your first property.

The trouble is, our priorities here often involve the rooms we intend to use most. You may already have a mood board for your new bedroom. There’s a chance you know how you want that living room to look. But, when it comes to areas like our garages, we spare less thought. After all, we assume no one’s going to see them for a while.

On the surface of things, that assumption would be correct.

Your garage should come last on your list of decor. But, neglecting the space at this stage could fast see it becoming a junk room before you’re settled. If that happens, you could fall into bad habits before you know. If you put spare stuff and boxes here on moving day, it could become a wasted space in the blink of an eye. With that in mind, it’s worth following these pointers to keep your garage clear and fit for purpose from day one.

Know what you want you want with your garage.

To give yourself the incentive to keep this space clear, bear in mind what you want to use your garage for. If you want it for your cars, make sure to avoid all junk, and look into floor coatings like those found on http://kwikkerbofsd.com as soon as you can. If you want to use it as a home gym, start looking into planning permission. Remember not to let any spare boxes stray into the space. The possibilities are endless, but none of them will work if you don’t stop your moving junk from straying into this territory.

Make sure everything has a home.

A fantastic way to avoid garage junk is to make sure that everything has a home. As you’re packing to move, get rid of anything you don’t think you’ll need. Give it away to friends or sell it online. Either way, make sure that everything you keep has a home in your new property. Then, write rooms on your boxes to ensure none end up in the garage ‘just for now’.

Recycle your moving boxes.

Even after finding a set home for every item, many of us make the mistake of sticking our moving boxes in the garage. You may convince yourself they would be useful to keep, or that you’ll sort them later. Still, you can bet this is a mistake. Don’t do it. Instead, either recycle your boxes using centers like those listed on search.earth911.com, or pass them all along to someone else. It really doesn’t matter, so long as they don’t end up clogging your garage space and leaving you unable to use it!