How To Organize Your Garage
Your garage serves to protect your car from weather and keep it clean, but it’s also the perfect place for storing all of the things you don’t have room for inside. If you enjoy doing projects around the house, the garage can serve as a workshop, too.
Juggling your car, holiday decorations, a workshop, yard tools, kids toys, workout equipment, and everything else that eventually makes its way into the garage likely means that this space can easily become cluttered.
A messy garage can burden you with stress every time you look at it. Here are the best tips for keeping your garage organized.
Deep Clean Your Garage
Before you start organizing, clean your garage. Start fresh. Give yourself a clear mind and a clear space to imagine where things should go. This step can be boring and tedious, but it’s a great way to start.
Things you’ll need as you clean your garage may include the following:
- Heavy-duty trash bags
- Broom
- Strong vacuum cleaner or a shop vacuum
- Masks to wear if it’s quite dusty
- Bins for bags for sorting items as you clean
Give your garage a deep cleaning. Clean up oil or chemical stains and cobwebs. Pick up loose bits that have fallen on the floor, such as nails or screws.
It’s recommended that you reserve a full weekend or two to tackle this project. It can be a large undertaking and be labor-intensive.
Organizing Your Garage Belongings
Make several categories for your possessions to go into.
- Keep
- Donate
- Trash
This part can be tough. There may be items that you never use but aren’t ready to give up. Here, you must be honest with yourself. Do I still use this item? Is it worth holding onto?
Organize Your Garage By Zones
Your garage holds so many different items. It can be where you store your car supplies, sports equipment, tools, and holiday decorations. Break up your garage into zones. Each section of your garage can be a zone for sports equipment, tools, decorations, camping gear, yard tools, etc. This will improve the flow of the garage and give every item a specific destination.
Use Verticality When Organizing Your Garage
Shelving units are great for organizing and saving space. There are several ways to organize your things, including the following:
Pegboards
These are easily available and quick to set up. Customize it yourself by painting or fitting it to size. They’re great for hanging hooks, shelves, and organizers.
Wall Shelves
These can be bought premade or you can make yourself for a weekend DIY project. They’re popular for their sturdiness and wide variety of styles.
Wall Hooks
These are a simple yet effective way to hang up your items. Easily attachable to any surface, they can hold anything from a bicycle to a lawn rake, depending on their strength.
Overhead Storage Hooks or Racks
These are attached to the ceiling and provide you with more wall space. Store crates, bikes, ladders, and other items above you by handing them from from the ceiling. However, be careful not to interfere with your garage door’s operation. Also, make sure there’s enough clearance to avoid scraping your car.
Avoid Cabinets
For storing items, go with open shelving units over cabinets. According to This Old House, closed cabinets are easier to hide unorganized items and typically lead to more clutter.
Keeping It Organized
After you’ve organized your garage, maintaining it can be difficult. But now you have a system for organizing. Each item has a place where it belongs. It takes self-control to put them back where they go. Take the time each season and go through your garage. Clean and reorganize the space to keep it decluttered all the time. By creating a routine, you’re able to properly maintain your hard work.
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