6 Tips That Will Help Efficiently Organize Your Garage

Spring is finally here, and that means Spring Cleaning! Here are six tips to help organize your garage.

If you followed “Tips for Cleaning Up Your Garage,” you should have already sorted through your garage contents. Now it’s time to deal with what remains. More than likely, you have a range of items from shoes to sports equipment, or gardening supplies that make it hard to find a space to keep everything neat and tidy. Let’s keep that garage organized, shall we?

Create Zones Different categories of items should be stored in different areas. For example, your gardening supplies should be kept together in one area, whereas your sports equipment should be kept separate but together in another. By creating zones, you help make it easier to find things when you’re looking for them.

Use what you have Don’t have a fully finished garage? That’s fine. You can use the space between the studs to help you store things. If you do have a finished garage, you can try using scrap pieces of wood to create a storage corral for things like yard tools, balls, and sports equipment.

Think outside the BOX Sometimes it’s easier and better on your budget to use things in new ways. For example, using metal planters as organizing stations or bins can help you keep things from cluttering up your workbench. This keeps things off your floors, AND it doesn’t cost you a ton. You can also take a tip from your kitchen and use spice containers in your garage. The petite canisters are perfect for organizing screws, nails, and washers.

Keep it off the Floor Anytime you can get things off the floor, do it! You’ll free up much more room for your car and avoid sloppy, impossible-to-sort-through piles. This also makes it easier to sweep or mop out the whole garage, which you should do a few times a year, and cuts down on the amount of dirt tracked inside. For ladders and other larger items, you can use brackets attached to the ceiling to keep them out of the way while you aren’t using them. You can also do this with plastic bins and wire baskets that hold anything from camping equipment to your Christmas Decorations. If you have open joists in your garage, you can also use wire shelving to create added storage space in your ceiling. Have a hose you need to store in the winter? Use a bucket & wrap the hose around it. You can store all your attachments in the bucket too for easy access.

Increase Your Storage Sometimes it’s hard to find space to store everything in your garage. One way to increase the amount of storage space you have is by installing slatted wall panels or pegboards. These allow you to hang things on your walls using simple hooks to keep things in place. You can also add a shoe rack to the wall near the doorway to the house to hold wet shoes & boots.

Don’t Hide It Shelves are less expensive, easier to access (you don’t need additional clearance to swing the doors open), and let you easily scan what you’ve stored. Cabinets with doors give you an excuse to stay disorganized because you can hide the evidence, so they can quickly become messy. Use them sparingly—like when the things you’re storing need to be protected from airborne dust and dirt, or small children and pets. As you can see, there are plenty of ways to get your garage organized without spending tons of money; you just have to be creative. 

We hope these money-saving tips help you make your garage an efficient space that helps you enjoy your home. Where will you be starting? Please free to comment and share, and until then – Keep It Simple!