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Your Garage – What To Toss And How To Toss It

What to Toss and How to Toss ItEarlier this month, I posted some tips on how to bring your Spring cleaning efforts out to the garage. While people put off cleaning and organizing for any number of reasons – it seems like too big a job, they don’t have time, they enjoy the process only slightly more than having root canal – when it comes to the garage, some people avoid getting organized because they don’t know how to deal with what’s out there.

When clearing out accumulated clutter in the garage, it is important to find out the best way to dispose of hazardous materials, rather than just tossing them out with the regular trash. Much of what we store in the garage can be very dangerous to our environment, health, and safety if it isn’t handled properly. Fuel-burning machinery from your car to your lawnmower rely on some highly toxic, flammable, and environmentally hazardous chemical that can cause tremendous damage unless proper precautions are taken.

To prevent toxic fumes from collecting, it is important to store potential pollutants in well-ventilated areas, preferably in a structure that is completely detached from your house or living space. Off-gassing can occur from everything from paint to pesticides, from fertilizers to organic solvents, and exposure to these common compounds can pose serious health risks. It is important to read the product labels for instructions on how and where to safely store these items.

When it comes to disposal, however, you may need to do a bit more research than just checking the label. Check out the Household Product Manufacturer Directory from Home-Air-Purifier-Expert.com for detailed information on 6,000 products from 354 manufacturers in North America. If you are interested in protecting yourself and your family from the dangers that you may not know are already present in your home, then check out their page on common household hazards.

Methods of disposal vary by county, and you can usually receive instructions on how to handle various substances from your local recycling center. You can find out how to dispose of chemicals and solvents, old batteries, computers and other potentially dangerous items, and also learn about proper usage and storage, to reduce the impact these substances have on the environment.

If the collection of chemical clutter in your garage has you confounded as to how you should get your Spring cleaning underway, a simple Google search will lead you to your county’s hazardous waste and collection guidelines. In Washington D.C. or the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia, check these links for your local waste disposal information: Montgomery County, Maryland, Prince Georges, Maryland, Washington D.C., Alexandria County, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia, and Fairfax County, Virginia.

Have you been avoiding your garage garbage year after year? Comment below and tell us one thing you plan to take care of this Spring to make your garage a cleaner and safer environment once and for all. Or, simply give us a call and we’ll make it happen for you!

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Certified Professional Organizer®, Scott Roewer is founder of The Organizing Agency, a professional organization and productivity company devoted to teaching residential and business clients how to increase productivity, save money, and how to live a more organized and abundant life.

An award winning company, in 2013, The Organizing Agency was once again awarded the Angie’s List Super Service award, in 2012 the National Association of Professional Organizers recognized Scott with its top honor, the Founders’ Award, and later the same year, the U.S. Air Force commended his volunteerism, naming him Joint Base Andrews “Hometown Hero.” For more information on Scott’s team and how they can help you, contact the office online or call us directly at 202-249-8330.

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