All too often your garage can turn from a place to store a vehicle and tools, into a warehouse where all your home’s unwanted junk gets stored. But if you can see past the clutter, there is a lot more available storage space in your garage than you may realize. By utilizing the wall and roof space in your garage, perhaps by installing additional shelving and cabinets from somewhere like The Smarter Garage, you can quickly clear up the occupied area on the ground. Ultimately, allowing you to use the space for what it was originally intended.
To help with organizing your garage, follow these 4 steps and reclaim that space!
1. Planning is key
Allocating enough time to achieve this task is the first step. It is best to set aside a full day or weekend to properly go through the garage and get it organized. Arm yourself with a friend, or other family members, and all the necessary motivation and tools required to get the space sorted out. You will likely need gloves, labels and a permanent marker, a vacuum cleaner and coffee (lots of it).
Furthermore, think about how you intend to use this space once it has been cleared up. Will you be using the garage for general tinkering or crafts? Then an area for a table needs to be cleared to do so. Which items will you be using most frequently? Is it the bicycles, or the surfboards or the camping stuff? These should be placed in front or in order of use.
2. Stop hoarding and start organizing
More often than not, the things causing the clutter have been dumped or hoarded rather than neatly sorted through and packed. This quickly turns what was intended for parking a vehicle in, into a messy, difficult-to-navigate space where things go to get lost in. Old toys, boxfuls of cutlery, clothing and pet food all get thrown down into the garage. And half these things will never be used again!
I like to call this clutter, “things we’ll get around to sorting through and selling one day, but never do”. As more and more boxes are piled against the wall, you find yourself staring at a tower of unlabelled and claustrophobic-inducing chaos. The thought of tackling such a mammoth pile is off-putting and results in further neglect and build up. Don’t let this happen. Get rid of it.
3. Leave nothing on the floor
The floor space of a garage should be reserved for parking a vehicle on and moving around in. When you allow bags of clothes and boxes of discarded appliances to litter the floor you are left with little workspace. And soon you find yourself with a storeroom or warehouse rather than a garage.
How do we avoid this? Essential Home and Garden recommends smart storage solutions such as cupboards, ceiling storage and garage wall shelves. These simple storage methods maximize ground space whilst organizing items more effectively than discarded boxes or bags. Consider installing a row of cabinets along the side of the garage wall. Each cabinet or shelf can then be categorized and neatly packed. With the doors closed the items are concealed, and the garage looks tidy.
Shelves that are installed along the face of each wall offer an easy way to file and locate items. Open shelves are useful for objects that may need to be reached more regularly, like automobile cleaning products, household detergents and power tools.
Shelving is one of the cheapest ways to add storage space. You can find a qualified handyman online or opt to do it yourself. Simply purchase a set of shelf brackets, wooden planks and some screws and get to work. Whilst you at it, why not put up a pegboard or a row of PVC tubes to slot equipment onto or hand tools into.
4. Think ahead
There is an endless number of easy DIY storage hacks at your disposable. When it comes to storage – you can pick and choose a method that matches your budget and requirements. Map out where each group of items is placed and categorize it according to your usage habits. Get rid of things that are old, broken or serve no purpose, as they purely create clutter. Prepare the garage ahead of time for future circumstances, like the coming season, a bigger car or new hobby.
A clean, accessible garage shouldn’t be something that is short-lived. With good planning, smart storage, and making organizing a habit, you can keep the space looking tidy, functional and something worth showing off.