Spring Cleaning 2016 – The Good, The Bad & The Donations

This past Saturday I opened the garage door to clean out a winter’s worth of empty cardboard, returnable bottles and random recyclables.  After a full dump run I was not happy to see that I had only scratched the surface on things that needed to be stowed or discarded.  I wish I were one of those people who did not let things pile up but that is not the case. What I was left with were a ton of items: some easy to know what to do with and some that brought up questions.

Tools: most are keepers, organize those and toss broken ones that cannot be fixed.

Golf Clubs: No problem, I put them up in the rafters and tell myself I will play more this year.

Softball Equipment: After every season I stuff my glove and cleats in the corner telling myself that it is the last year I will play, but it never is.  I can’t wait for the first game and a cold beer with the guys.  So that means I clean and air out the coolers and get those back on the shelf.

Tennis Racquets: Who am I kidding?  Thanks to an injury from volleyball this year, the tennis racquets will be going to Goodwill along with the stack of books and coffee table.

Empty Paint Cans: A bit more complicated. Check your town’s website for information for information and dates for a special disposal at the dump. Do the same for spray paint and other aerosol cans.

Empty Engine Oil Cans: Another special disposal. Must be discarded properly at the dump.

Garden Supplies: Confusing.  Is potting soil good from year to year?   A quick look on the internet and I have the answer: In the bag yes, but I cannot use the same pot of soil from year to year to grow the same thing. The half a bag of grass seed is garbage because it is only good for the season one year.  Because I kept it dry and it did not clump or break down, my fertilizer is good for next year.  I am going to dispose of weed killer at the dump just to be sure.  The one product that I know for sure that is good to go is Bobbex Deer Repellent.  Even if I did not work for the company, I could call the 800 number on the bottle and find out that Bobbex will still keep the deer and small animals away from my landscape.  I know that there is no concern about it being safe and effective for multiple seasons.

The good news is my garage is looking great and my car can be parked in the garage, the bad news is next weekend it is the basement’s turn.