Sort phase · 5S Method
Garage Declutter Checklist
The Sort phase is the first — and most important — step of the 5S method. Remove everything that doesn't belong before you organise anything. This checklist walks you through the garage Sort systematically.
The Sort rule
For every item: Is this item necessary in this room? If yes, it stays. If no, it leaves — to another room, to donation, or to the bin. If you're unsure: red-tag it (or use a box). If you haven't retrieved it in 30 days, it goes.
Do the sort in a single session. Stopping halfway leaves the room in worse shape than before you started.
Your Garage Sort checklist
SORT · 整理 🚗 Garage
- ○ Pull everything out of the garage completely — sort in the driveway
- ○ Remove anything that hasn't been used in a year (donate, sell, or bin)
- ○ Toss broken tools, paint tins that have skinned over, and empty containers
- ○ Remove anything that belongs in the house but drifted to the garage
- ○ Separate: keep in garage, donate, sell, bin, return to house
- ○ Be especially ruthless with "might need it someday" items
Build your custom checklist →
The interactive version lets you select multiple rooms, add your name, and print a formatted card.
What Sort is — and isn't
Sort is
- Removing items that don't belong in the room
- Tossing expired, broken, and worn-out items
- Consolidating duplicates
- Returning items to their correct room
- Deciding — not rearranging
Sort is not
- Organising — that's Set in Order (phase 2)
- Cleaning — that's Shine (phase 3)
- Moving items around within the room
- Buying storage
- Making the room look tidy temporarily