For most of us, a garage is much more than a place to park the car, and many cases, the car cannot even fit in the garage at all. In addition to the car, the garage is used to store bikes, gardening tools, sporting equipment and so much more. It is a catch-all space for all of the items in your house that you simply don’t know what to do with, and can often times turn into a disorganized mess. With a little planning and the right organizational tools a garage can be transformed into one of the most useful parts of your home.
Clear It Out
The first step to garage organization is to empty out all of the contents and decide what is needed and what can be discarded. There is probably a lot of stuff in the garage that you have not seen or even thought about for a long time, and by simply throwing items away, you will be able to actually see how much space you have for the things you want to keep and store in the garage.
Designate Zones
You should plan your garage with the same level of thought as you would with other rooms in your home because serves many purposes and houses so many things. They key to an organized a garage begins with the planning and setting different zones of how and what you want to keep there. These zones could be gardening, trash, storage, seasonal items, tools and more. It is up to what you and your family need.
Add Storage
Garages are really just an empty cubes with the sole purpose for storage, and yet they aren’t set up with any cabinets, drawers or cubbies, like kitchens and bathrooms. For garage storage, you should think vertical instead of the floor space. There are many wall and ceiling storage options for garages that can get you on the road to better organization.
- Cabinets And Storage Units
The first thing you will need to add is some type of cabinets or storage units. Just as storage in your home, these cabinets can be customized and adjust to fit specific needs. There are many different style and finishes to choose from, and they can be open or closed, wood, metal, or wire racks depending upon your needs. - Open Shelving
Heavy duty shelving units have the strength and versatility to house heavier items, storage bins and other items you want off the floor. Add bins and boxes to house seasonal items, car equipment, gardening tools and more. The key is to label each bin to easily find what you need each time. - Tool Bench
If you are handy and have a lot of tools, a garage tool bench can be added to have a designated go-to place for all your needs. A peg board over the work area to be used to hang smaller items and supplies. - Hanging Storage Systems
There are many different hanging storage systems that can be added to the garage for rakes, brooms and shovels so they don’t end up piled in a corner or leaning against a wall ready to fall. A wall-mounted system will click these items into place, out of the way, and easily available for future use. Wall storage systems can also be used to hang sports equipment, as well as beach umbrellas and chairs. - Bicycle Hangers
The family’s bikes can take up a lot of room and be hard to navigate around when they are sitting on the floor of the garage. This can be easily remedied by installing a bike system to hang the bikes on the wall or along the ceiling. - Overhead Storage
A garage often has high ceilings that are valuable asset to place additional shelving. These highly-placed shelves add another area of storage in the garage for items you don’t need to use very often and can place out of the way.
Utilizing these organizational and storage tips will help you make the most out of your garage. The space will be functional, useful and easy so your time can be better spent doing things you enjoy.