Is your garage cluttered and disorganized? If you are one of the 50% of American homeowners that feels that their garage is the messiest part of the house, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, garages tend to become overflow storage spaces.
The good news is that there are ways to organize your garage for good. These garage storage ideas will help you take your garage from chaos to organized in no time.
Block Off Some Time
Garage organization isn’t usually a job you can complete in an hour or two. Your garage is filled to the brim with personal belongings, yard tools, automobile parts, and supplies. To avoid an incomplete organizing project and unnecessary stress, block off an entire weekend to complete your project.
Gather Your Supplies
Prepare yourself before you start organizing your garage. Not only do you need sufficient time, you need the right supplies to get the job done. Here are a few things to gather before you start your project:
- A notepad and pen for taking down storage ideas or creating a shopping list
- Trash cans and heavy-duty trash bags
- Boxes for donations
- Cleaning supplies
- Hand and power tools (wrenches, screws, nails, a drill, hammer, etc.)
If you know you have a lot of items to dispose of, you may want to invest in renting a dumpster or hiring a professional to take away bulk trash.
Declutter Like a Pro
Before you attempt to start organizing your garage, you need to sort through everything that is currently being stored in it. Decluttering is an overwhelming task, but it can be accomplished with a solid plan in place. Here are a few tips to make decluttering your garage less intimidating
Find Help
Enlist the help of family and friends to help declutter your garage. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask for help. The more hands available to help out, the faster you can declutter.
Divide and Conquer
Divide the space of your garage into sections instead of taking on the whole garage at once. Smaller areas are less overwhelming, and you will be able to focus on the task at hand. As you sort through your items, decide whether keep them, toss them, or give them away.
Some rules to consider:
- If it’s broken, torn, or ruined, throw it out
- If you love and use an item regularly, and it’s not defective, keep it
- If you haven’t used an item for over a year, and it’s not defective, donate it
Sort Items Into Categories
Once you have decided which items stay and which items go, you can sort the things you are keeping into specific categories. For instance, put all the sports gear in one pile, tools in another, and other household items into another. Place furniture and mattresses in a separate area.
The Power of Bins
Now that you’ve decluttered your garage and sorted your belongings, it’s time to start organizing. Bins provide a safe place to store like items and keep moisture, dust, and insects out of your things. They are easy to stack and can be labeled.
There are different types of bins for different purposes. An all-purpose tote bin with a lid is suitable for storing more oversized items like sports equipment and gardening supplies. Toolboxes can be used to organize tools into “kits,” whereas divided storage boxes are suitable for organizing smaller things, like nails, screws, and hooks.
Also, keeping a couple of bins near the garage door for the kids to drop their soccer and basketballs into when they are done using them may not hurt.
Vertical Garage Storage Ideas
Storing items vertically maximizes your floor space. There are several easy and cost-effective ways to add vertical storage to your garage.
Vertical Shelving Units
You can choose to build your own vertical shelving or purchase metal shelving units from a home improvement store. Vertical shelving units make it easy to store bins, keep items off the floor, and create an open garage space.
Peg Boards
Create workspaces and hang smaller hand and garden tools using a peg board and hooks. Some people also outline their tools with paint to help them remember where each tool goes.
Track Systems
Track systems come in hand for storing those items that don’t fit well on shelves. You can store rakes, shovels, shop brooms, and weed trimmers with a track system. These items no longer have to lean awkwardly in the corner of your garage.
Wall Hooks
Using wall hooks is another way to store bulky items. Hang bikes, hockey sticks, nets, or scooters on the wall instead of allowing them to take up precious floor space.
Look Up
Do you own a lot of camping and fishing gear? Don’t forget about the ceiling of your garage. You can hang storage racks from the ceiling to store items like fishing poles, kayaks, or camping gear. Your gear remains accessible, and you make the most of your garage space.
Need More Storage?
Consider a portable storage box as a storage option if you have furniture and other items you just can’t part with but have nowhere to store them. Unlike a self-storage unit, a portable storage box can be delivered to your home and kept on your property for additional storage and convenience.
Reclaim Your Garage
No longer do you have to use your garage as a storage unit. Try out these garage storage ideas, reclaim your garage as a useable space for hobbies, and finally park your car inside out of the elements.
If you need additional garage storage options, contact Blue Box Storage to find the right portable storage solution for you.