When you think of a garage, the first words that will probably come into mind are ‘messy’, ‘cluttered’, or ‘boring’. Understandable, because you can’t do away with a garage being a little disorganized, especially when you don’t spend much of your time there except for parking your car. But what if I tell you that with a little bit of garage organization, you can view your car storage as new space in your home you can love?

Garage

Without further ado, here are a few of the best garage organization tips that you can try to give yourself a little peace of mind:

The Best Organization Tips for Your Garage

1. Don’t dump everything in your garage

I used to view my own two-car garage as a large open dumping ground for things I don’t want inside the house. The old table that you can’t bring yourself to fix? Boxes that never got unpacked? Those childhood memorabilia that you can’t throw away?

Garage

If you’re a hoarder, it’s time to stop hoarding stuff that you don’t need. The attic may be a good place to store it, not the garage. Because your garage can be a potential workplace or a heaven for organized storage; not a dumping ground. So, if you have an old refrigerator or a few boxes of clothes laying on your garage floor, maybe it’s time to donate them or put them on the curb.

If you’ve thrown away everything you don’t need, you can start storing the things that you do need the right way. Shelving can get you a long way when it comes to storing boxes, tools, and all the odds and ends. If you don’t want to install custom shelves for your garage, why not go for industrial shelves or utilizing the shelves that you already have?

The trick is to organize, not dump. Take the time to put similar items together so you won’t have a hard time finding them later. Your future self will thank you, trust me.

2. Adjust the layout of your garage

Layout of Garage

In a kitchen, your sink, refrigerator, and stove need to be in a triangle formation. It’s the most efficient way to make your preparing and cooking easier, allowing you to move to and fro with ease. So what about a garage layout?

What you want to do is group the tools and things you always use and put them in one space, preferably next to your work table. Divide your space into sections. For example, a work area near the door, a tool area, and a storage area. Where you want to position these areas are up to you. You can place your storage area farthest from the garage door or work area, and you can place your tool area near your house, outlets, or workspace.

The most important thing you have to consider is lay outing your garage to your needs. Don’t hesitate to get a little re-arranging done, and always remember to free up the space where you frequently walk on. Clear the center of your garage and utilize the sides, or any space that your car doesn’t take up. You’ll find your clutter nowhere to be seen after that!

Tips: If you have a garage heater, arrange your space such that the heat will always reach you wherever you’re working.

It’s also wise to install a 3-way switch or 4-way switch to have your lights controlled from two points in the room. For example, one nears your garage door and one next to the door to your house.

3. Learn how to save space

Save Garage Space

Utilize your garage walls and pick up some hooks or racks. Shovels, rakes, ladders, and other large tools can go on one side of the wall, while screwdrivers, hammers, and similar bits and pieces can be mounted on a peg board above your workspace. This tip will not only allow you to save space, it’ll also let you find what you need without digging into your toolbox.

Another thing you can do is purchase space-saving drawers, stackable bins, or tool closets that will keep your things out of the way and leave your garage less cluttered. The goal here is to keep everything organized and easier to keep it that way.

It will also help if you take the time to engage in a cabinet installation project. You can dedicate one wall to multiple wall-mounted cabinets that you can use for easy storage and organization, wherein you can also label each slot for the items you’d find in there.

4. Maintain organization and cleanliness

Garage Cleanliness

Once you’ve organized and cleaned out your space for good, keep it that way. Your labeled cabinets and designated shelves can help you put things back where they belong. It’s also best to keep a set of cleaning tools in your garage so you can easily do some tidying up, especially after a messy project.

Maintaining your garage doesn’t need to be a difficult job. And in fact, making sure that there’s no clutter in your space will allow you to do more projects, and most importantly, park your car easily!

Pro tip: keep pet food, paper goods, propane, and paint in a separate area or inside your house.

5. All the small things

Tiny objects such as nails, screws, pens, pins, and anything that can get lost easily will have to be given special attention. There are a lot of ways you can keep these small objects organized and ready to use, such as using spice containers, cups on a pegboard, plastic organizers, mason jars, and so much more.

Author Bio:

Hi! I’m Emma Clark from The Art of Home Renovations, an interior designer with one true passion: home improvement. With my experience and skill, I want to help you make your home into a revolutionary & magical work of art through easy, inexpensive, and innovative ideas that you can DIY!

December 21, 2016