A survey showed that 55% of Americans spend one to two hours weekly doing hobbies and other activities in their garages. This means that the garage is an important space in the house; often, it’s the only haven you have away from the hustle and bustle of your household.
It’s easy to throw things around when you don’t have time to store them. And before you know it, you have an avalanche of junk.
This is no way to live, and it’s not fantastic use of your space. So read on for the best tips for an organized garage to eliminate all the mess!
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Declutter First
In most cases, starting over with a clean slate is the best thing to do. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take advantage of every square inch. Plus, you just might find that wrench you’ve been missing for years, and you might discover that some extra furry roommates have moved in too.
While you’re decluttering, create separate piles for your items. You’ll want to trash, donate, sell, or keep these things. It might be helpful to put them in the driveway so you can clear out the garage properly.
If you’re on the fence about tossing or keeping something, ask yourself this: when was the last time you used it? If you can’t remember, it most likely needs to be tossed.
Once you’ve sorted out everything, it’ll be a lot easier to organize your garage since you’ve gotten rid of things that no longer need to be there.
Do a Deep Clean
Now that every inch is uncovered, it’s time for a deep clean.
Sweep up the ground, vacuum up the dust and cobwebs, dust the surfaces, and use a degreasing cleaner to mop the floor.
After this initial deep clean, it’s vital that you keep up with cleaning. Pencil-in light cleaning every week or month, depending on how often you use your garage and what activities you do. If you make it a regular thing, it’ll be easier to maintain the cleanliness and order in there.
Divide Your Garage Into Zones
There’s so much free space now, but don’t fall back into your old habits by putting your belongings wherever you wish. While it’s quick to throw things in haphazardly, you’ll be kicking yourself later when you can’t find a thing.
When there’s no rhyme or reason as to where your items are, you may accidentally buy doubles since you think you don’t think you have it. Or you waste time and get frustrated spending precious time rummaging through every drawer.
Do yourself a favor and divide your garage into separate zones before beginning your organizational journey. It’s up to you how you do it, as what makes sense will depend on your lifestyle and garage layout. For example, one corner can be for your sports equipment, another for your tools, and another for your car and supplies.
If you find that you have extra space, then break down these main zones into subzones. Make sure to consider what items will go there, including the ones you’ve kept and the ones you’ll need to buy.
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Decide What Garage Storage You Want
Keeping everything out in the open isn’t smart. Not only does it look messy, but it’ll also get dirty easily. In addition, it doesn’t utilize space wisely.
You’ll want to look into garage storage solutions. These don’t just put things away neatly; they also take advantage of your vertical space.
Here are some ideas if you need inspiration.
Matching Containers With Labels
Run out to the shop and bulk buy matching containers that look nice. After all, you’ll be staring at these when you go into the garage, so they should be visually appealing.
It’s best if you get opaque containers; when you can see what’s inside, the space will still look messy and cluttered. The only issue is if you can’t see what’s inside, how will you know which to get into?
You can solve this issue by labeling each container. You can get creative and write on them with Sharpies or paint. Or you can get a label printer to save time.
For belongings you need quick access to regularly, grab some open plastic bins you can stack next to each other on your workbench.
Shelving Units
Those containers need to go somewhere, and even if you stack them orderly, they can be unsightly. Not to mention, it can be inconvenient, as you’ll need to haul off several containers to get to the ones on the bottom.
A few plain yet effective shelving units will work well if you place them along the walls. These will be out of the way, and because they hug the walls, your garage will still feel spacious.
Many homeowners like to use metal shelving units for garage storage. They don’t cost a fortune, have simple designs, and have high weight limits.
Floating Shelves
You can use floating shelves in addition to or in place of shelving units. They work in a similar fashion; floating shelves allow you to categorize your items and keep them off the ground.
The one caveat is that floating shelves can’t hold as much weight as shelving units, as they’re nailed into your walls. However, they’re excellent for organizing your smaller things, such as laundry detergent, shoes, towels, sports equipment, etc.
Another option is to hang metal shelves from the ceiling. Again, these won’t be able to hold as much weight, but you can keep rarely used belongings out of sight and out of mind. This is useful if you don’t have a loft in your garage already.
Pegboards
Where you don’t have shelving units or floating shelves, put up pegboards. For example, you can install one on top of your workbench where there’s half a wall of space.
Pegboards are handy because you can reconfigure them whenever you want by moving the pegs around. This ensures that you can hang all your tools and accessories, without having to scratch your head.
The pegboards also let you put all necessary items within eyesight and reach. You can work on your projects without interruption. Plus, you can show off all your gadgets when your buddies come over.
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Hooks
Are you short on space and can’t put up any more pegboards or floating shelves? Then squeeze a little more out of your walls by installing hooks.
These may be small, but they’re mighty. You can put up smaller items on the hooks to keep them out of the way. For instance, you can hang up your hats, coats, keys, bags, aprons, etc.
In addition, you can place these in the small space between a workbench and the cabinets on top. If you’re using it as a repotting station, then hanging your shears and shovels here is a good idea.
Bike Racks
Keeping your bicycles in the garage is an outstanding way to keep them from weathering or being stolen. But they end up competing for space with your cars. And if you’re not careful, they might ding your vehicles too.
Nail some bike racks to your garage walls to keep them out of the way when not in use. If you find them hard to reach, then you can also install a pulley system that brings the bikes up and down from hooks on the ceiling joints.
Remember those hooks from the previous section? Nail some next to the bike racks so you can place your helmets, bike pumps, and other biking necessities within reach.
Create an Organized Garage With These Tips
Having an organized garage will make a world of difference, especially if you spend a lot of time in there. And if you follow our advice, not only will it be a stress-free process, but you can keep your garage tidy as well.
So if you’ve been putting off organizing your garage because it’s complete chaos, it’s about time you got started. Once you take the first step, it’ll be smooth sailing. Before you know it, you’ll have a space you’re proud of!
If you enjoyed these garage ideas, then keep finding great organizational tips by browsing the rest of our blog page.
