Last spring, I made a mistake I don’t want to make again.
I opened the garage on the first warm day to bring out the patio things.
The cushions I had stored in a plastic bag smelled like a wet basement. Two clay pots had cracked right down the side. And the hose was in a stiff, tangled knot that took my husband half an hour to straighten out.
Worst of all, I was carrying things back out that I didn’t even want.
A faded umbrella. A sprinkler that leaked. A stack of thin plastic pots from flowers I bought years ago.
I had spent the fall storing things I should have let go.
So this year, I’m doing it differently. Before anything goes into the garage for winter, it has to earn its spot. Here’s how I’m putting the patio and garden things away, what I keep, and what goes.
Why I Sort Before I Store
Putting things away for winter is the perfect time to declutter outside.
Everything is already out where I can see it. I’m already touching every chair and pot. It only takes a few extra seconds to ask, “Do I want to see this again in April?”
It also saves room. Our garage is my husband’s space, an