7 Tips To Help Organize Your Garage

Oh, the garage! I let my husband handle this area of our house. It is the one room he actually loves to organize!  But I do put my two sense in and jump in when necessary!  I hope these tips will help you organize your garage.

Is it a dream of yours to pull your car into a clean, organized garage at the end of a long day? You can make that dream a reality with a little organizing and maybe a lot of tossing. If you currently cannot fit your vehicle in the garage, you probably have too much stuff. Consider tossing, selling or storing extras you must keep in a separate storage shed.

The obvious functions of your garage are parking and storage for garden supplies, outdoor toys, sports equipment, and pet accessories. But if your garage is organized and open, you’ll also have a covered area for outdoor parties at your home, a place to work on your vehicle and a play area for your children during bad weather.

1. Empty your garage of all its contents.

You may want to get a few storage containers to house items outside when you empty your garage. As you remove items, sort them into these general piles:

- Trash (broken items, rusty objects, etc.)

- Belongs In The Garage

- Doesn’t Belong In The Garage

- Sell/Donate

- Borrowed From Someone Else, and needs to be returned.

2. Place all of the trash in waste containers.

3. Move the "borrowed" and "doesn’t belong" categories to a holding area outside of the garage.

You’ll deal with them later so do not get sidetracked by these piles.

4. Now go through your "keep" pile and decide the best home for each item.

Find a specific place within your home for each of these items.

5. Contact the owners of any items you borrowed and arrange a time to return the items.

Make arrangements to get your donated items to the proper charity. You also can sit large, weather-resistant items out in your yard with a “free” sign and see if anyone picks them up. If it’s not gone within a week, make other arrangements.

6. Maximize storage space with proper shelving.

Normally in a garage, there is not a lot of extra space to use so you really need to maximize any available height.  Shelving is the best way to do this.  Do not waste your money on plastic shelves that will not hold up over time.  Also, using shelves on wheels is a great way to be able to move the shelves when you need to clean behind them.  Garages get dirty quickly!

7. Choose the right storage bins.

With all of that dust floating around in a garage it is important to place small, loose items in a storage bin.  But, any old storage bin will not do.  First, you need a clear bin and second, you need one with a lid that locks on.  I have seen too many bins warp from the weight of other items and eventually, the lid will not work.  Always buy bins that have the lids that lock on firmly.  Personally, I like these bins:

Tips To Help You Keep The Garage Organized

- Use open shelves to store everyday items and cabinets to keep less attractive items out of sight.

- Every garage needs some sort of workbench so you have an area to work on home improvements and basic fix-its. If your garage is small, consider a drop-down or fold-down bench.

- Store flammable liquids such as gasoline, paint thinner, turpentine and cleaning supplies in metal containers with tight caps.

- Place all chemicals and dangerous items on high shelves so that children and pets cannot get to them.

- Store children’s toys close to the ground so they can reach them on their own. Consider giving your kids their own area in the garage to store their items so they know where to find them.

- Label all containers, especially if they are not clear containers, so you know the contents at a glance. Color code when necessary based on category or family member.

- To increase the lighting in your garage, paint the ceiling with light-colored, high gloss paint.

Are you interested in finally getting organized & don't even know where to start? Book a discovery call & let's uncover what could be standing in your way.