Because they have a lot of space and you can close the door, it's easier to forget what's in a garage. "It's amazing, the number of people who move (into a home) and don't unpack boxes," Walsh says.

For those in Hawai'i who have carports or no garage, the problem area may be the laundry room or a closet. Or wherever the space is overcrowded and unorganized.

Start with the part of the job you have the least interest in doing, says professional organizer Dana Bitzer. That way, you're more likely to finish it.

Here's some strategy for the project:

• Two bags a day: If the thought of emptying the garage seems overwhelming, start small. Consider the two-bags-a-day method, Walsh says. Each day, go into the garage and fill two big plastic bags, one for trash, one for items to give away.

• PDA system: As you go through the space, think "purge, donate or adopt," says Rebecca Long, a professional organizer. Anything you decide to keep should be adopted, which means that it will have a good home and be used and loved.

• Full-scale attack: Consider completely emptying the space. Then start triage, sending items to the trash, giveaway pile, or back into the area in its proper place. Don't be surprised if you decide to get rid of 70 percent of what you pull out. This is a good time to hold a garage sale, Walsh says.

• Get vertical: When time comes to design, build or buy storage, go as high as possible in the garage. There's plenty of valuable space close to the ceiling. If the garage has rafters, you can create shelving by placing 3/4-inch plywood panels between them. Or use a hanging system. No matter which system you use, make sure that it's not too difficult to get to everything. Try not to stack more than three items high, Bitzer says. Besides being impractical, it is often hard on the containers.

• Hang 'em high: There are products sold for hanging just about any piece of sports equipment, such as bikes, canoes, skis and surfboards. Sports shops and organizing stores have many of these systems.

• Create zones: Organize things by activity zones. Keep gardening tools in one corner and craft supplies in another. You can even paint the walls different colors to remind you where things go.