Oh the garage. A room with endless purpose that can so easily transform into a catch all for clutter; a space where we tend to put everything that we don’t have a dedicated home for. As a result, our garages can easily become the space we are most overwhelmed by, feeling like an insurmountable task that we’ll never be able to tackle so why even start. Your garage shouldn’t, and doesn’t have to, feel like a mountain that you can never quite get over. Once you find a organization solution that works for you, your garage can easily become one of the most manageable spaces in your home.

This first step to getting your garage organized is pulling everything out and taking a complete inventory of what is actually in there. Chances are, once you have everything laid out in front of you, you’ll notice how much you’ve been hanging on to simply because “out of sight, out of mind”. Snow boots the kids have out grown may be lingering on top of a cabinet, old paint hiding in a corner, you get the gist. We recommend pulling everything out, yes EVERYTHING, and sorting things into “Keep”, “Donate” and “Trash” piles. Once you’ve taken a physical inventory of everything you’ve been harboring in your garage you can get a feel for what storage solution will work best for you. While your individual needs may vary, there are a few common elements that you can incorporate-

Shelving

If you Google “Garage Shelving” you’ll be hit with no shortage of options, brands and DIY tutorials on how you can make your own. No matter how you slice it, adding shelving can be a great addition to any garage to help you get organized. Paired with a handful or two of large totes or bins and a permanent marker, you’ll be organized in no time.

Cabinets

If you are lacking in usable square footage, you can always entertain the idea of adding cabinets to your garage and mounting them higher up to avoid eating up floor space. Cabinets are also an excellent idea if you are looking to store dry goods like paper towels, toilet paper and the like in the garage since they provide an element of protection from the elements aka DUST. Cabinets may seem like an expensive endeavor, and they definitely can be, but you can also check out places like your local Habitat for Humanity Restore and score a set for cheap(er). Mounting them is probably going to be the hardest part but don’t worry- we can pair you up with a handyman that will have it done in a jiff.

Hooks

Hooks are a great option for storing things like lawn equipment, snow shovels and other miscellaneous items that may not fit in cabinets or on shelves. A few heavy duty hooks can go a long way in helping you get and keep your garage organized.

Ceiling Racks

Working with less space than you consider to be ideal? Mountable ceiling racks may be the best option for you. Costco offers these great overhead storage racks that will allow you to maximize the space in your garage from top to bottom. Depending on the height of your ceiling in your garage, you can also opt to mount storage racks above your garage door, truly maximizing the square footage of your garage.

 

How do you keep your garage organized? Have you found any unique solutions that help keep things decluttered? We’d love to hear about them!