Here’s How to Organize a Garage Properly
Is your garage overflowing to the point of no return? A good cleaning and sorting can help — here are a few helpful tips for how to organize your garage.
If your garage is so full that you can’t keep your car in there anymore, you likely already know that it’s time for a good organizing — and now is a great time to do it. For anyone who needs a little advice before tackling on a big project like this, here are a few helpful tips for every step of the process, including cleaning out your garage first and organizing your stuff, to installing the right storage units to maximize your space.
Spring Cleaning for Your Garage
For many, the garage becomes a place where random objects and stuff gets stored without a second thought. The first step in organizing your garage is figuring out what you actually need, and what can go; these tips and ideas should help make the process easier for you.
- Make sure that you set aside a huge chunk of time to get everything done, at least a day and maybe even a whole weekend, so you can finish in one sitting.
- Plan to sort everything into three areas, one for items you’ll keep, one for things you want to donate or sell, and one for the trash. In the keep pile, keep everything separated by category, like tools with other tools, which will help you put them back in later.
- Go through every single thing in there, leaving no stone unturned. You may think you already know what you want to keep in a box, but something else could be hiding in there.
- The job can be a lot to take on for just one person, so getting the help of your family or friends can be super helpful — be sure to buy or make them lunch, snacks, and drinks as a thank you!
Set Up Your Garage Properly
When you’re ready to put all your treasures back in the garage, setting up and installing the right storage units beforehand can help you maximize your space. Draft a plan for how you want to organize everything, and you should be taking advantage of as much vertical or overhead room as you possibly can, so that you have more floor space for cabinets, workbenches, and your car. Below, you’ll find a few easy-to-install ideas for making the most of your walls and ceiling.
- Pegboards are a great way to utilize vertical space affordably. They look like thin cork boards with lots of little holes which you can use for various storage purposes, like popping a nail into the holes and hanging your wrench set off them or hanging tubes from them to store pencils and pens. They’re a reasonably priced solution, but keep in mind they’re prone to wear and tear, and they aren’t as good for holding heavy tools.
- Track-based systems are a similar concept, except instead of little holes they have lined tracks, which you can attach different sized hooks onto and use them store heavy tools and accessories. They’ll be a bit more expensive than your average pegboard but make up for it in durability, strength, and a sleek appearance.
- Large plastic bins are your friend when organizing a garage but keeping them all on the floor can add up and take up your precious space. Instead, try installing a simple system that can store them overhead, using 2x2s and 1x4s screwed together and onto the ceiling to create an upside-down T-shape, that will hold the lip of the storage bins secure.
Photo credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock