Are you one of those people who keeps their garage looking like the image above? If so, congratulations! We applaud you and you can move on past this blog post. However, if you are like the majority of us who keeps our garage looking… less than organized… then you have come to the right place! In this article, we will go over a few simple tips for optimizing the storage areas in your garage. No more tools and boxes everywhere! You are going to love these great garage organization tips!
If it’s possible to hang it on the wall, then go for it! There are many different ways to hang tools and other items on your garage wall. For starters, you can use pegboard. These holey pieces are great for easily attaching hooks. You can hang all sorts of lighter items with hooks on a pegboard backing. A slatwall panel system is also a great option for hanging your heavier items. If you don’t want to invest in any sort of backing to place hooks on the wall, you can always just purchase hooks from your local hardware store and hang them with screws or nails. You can hang all sorts of power tools, ladders, outdoor equipment, brooms and cleaning tools, gardening tools, bikes, extension cords… anything you want, really! You can even hang baskets and bins that can be filled with even more items!
Storage bins are a great idea for packing away your seldom used items or special occasion decor. Bins come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be stored on shelves or stacked. We recommend purchasing transparent bins if possible so you can easily see what is inside each bin. You can always label your bins as well… more on that later. Organizing your things in storage bins is great because you can fit so many items into each one. And they can easily be removed from a shelf and opened to find what you are looking for with ease.
Those storage bins we were mentioning can also be stacked! This may not always be the best scenario for you, but if you don’t have shelving, stacking can work well! Just make sure that you organize your stacked bins in a way that makes sense. For instance, you may want to put your seasonal items on the bottom that are only used once per year – aka your Christmas decorations. Or, if you have a bunch of camping gear that only gets used once every few summers, you can put it on the bottom as well. Keep the bins with things you will often use on the top and this system should work out for you! Clear bins and labels are always a plus as well.
If you have a garage with a high ceiling, then you might want to utilize the higher space for extra square footage! Adding overhead storage is an easy way to create ample space for bins, boxes, equipment, and so much more! You can build your own overhead storage out of wood or by purchasing ceiling mount storage racks such as this one. Whatever you decide to do, you will love having the extra floor space down below! Just be sure to have an easy way to get up and grab those items. Having a ladder nearby ( neatly hung on the wall!) is a great idea. You may also want to consider a platform ladder with a large platform for you to stand on so you don’t fall when grabbing the larger items.
Shelving or cabinetry are both great options for storing your items. Having shelves can help make getting items out of your storage bins much easier. Shelving is also great for stacking things such as your recycling bins, garden pots, paint cans, cleaning products, coolers, cat carriers… you name it! You can put it on a shelf! Cabinets are also wonderful because you can close the doors and make your messy items disappear! Adding cabinetry to your garage organization is a great idea if you don’t like having all of your belongings on display.
Creating storage zones is something you will definitely want to consider when organizing your garage. Like items should be placed in the same area so you can easily find each them. You can create a zone for your gardening tools, cleaning products, power tools, nails/screws, recycling and garbage, outdoor equipment… whatever you keep in your garage, there is most likely a “zone” for it to fit into. This will make your life easier when trying to remember where you put the Christmas lights!
If you don’t have clear storage bins (or just want to take your organization skills to the next level) then you might want to consider labelling your storage bins. This can make searching for your items a breeze. It is a good idea to follow the tip above and organize your bins in “zones” if possible. There may be certain special occasions or outdoor equipment that can go in the same zones. Or, everything in your bins might be completely different! Either way, it’ll be so much easier to understand where each item is when the bin has been labelled properly.
In conclusion, we hope that you were able to learn a few quick tips for optimizing your garage storage! It really doesn’t have to be a difficult task to get your items organized, the hardest part is keeping them that way! Creating a system and having the right tools will definitely help though. Hopefully, your garage won’t be a disorganized mess ever again!
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Perhaps it’s time to contact us! We would be happy to help you find a home with a double, triple or even quadruple garage if that’s what you need!
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