Photo: goldlabeldoor.com
The garage tends to be the catch-all for household belongings. It’s cluttered with camping gear, skis, rakes, tools, clothes that don’t fit anymore, the broken vacuum, and boxes of Christmas decorations. The garage has so much potential to be an organized and functional area of the home once it’s cleaned and put in order. With a nice open space you’ll have more room to park your vehicle without worry, more places for storage, and a safer area for the family.
Garage Sale
Before anything else, it’s important to start getting rid of the clutter. If you haven’t used it, worn it, or it’s been in a box for over a year, you don’t need it. While you’re going through everything, put the things you want to keep in organized piles. Keep recreational belongings together, lawn care tools together, holiday decorations together, etc. This will help you to organize them in your garage later on. If you’d rather not have a garage sale you can donate your belongings instead, plus you get a tax break.
Photo: flickr.com
Hooks
One important and commonly overlooked organizational tip for your garage is to utilize vertical space. The garage should be a functional space, so adding hooks all over is perfectly okay. It should be clean and organized, but it doesn’t need to be chic by any means. Consider taking bulky items that take up valuable floor space and hanging them in your vertical space. Ceiling hooks are great to hang bikes, and vertical hooks are great for rakes, shovels, or brooms that have long handles so that you aren’t getting the ladder to reach everything you are hanging.
Wall Display
Adding a wall display is a great way to organize your tools without using bulky workbenches or toolboxes. Plus your tools will be way easier to find, replace, and notice if you are missing one. The most common way to do this is to use pegboard and hooks. They are easy to install and give you the option of moving hooks around to fit your tools. For the super organized handyman, consider outlining your tools on the pegboard. This will show others exactly where to put the tool and let you know exactly which one is missing. Make sure that the pegboard is installed at a comfortable height, lower than your vertical space hooks, but high enough to keep your tools away from children or pets.
Shelving
Yet another way to organize belongings is to add some shelving. This can be built in cupboards, standing shelves, or wire racks. Obviously everything in your garage won’t be able to sit on a wall display or hang from a hook, so you will need some shelving to organize your outdoor gear or vehicle fluids. Using built in cupboards is another great way to utilize vertical space and have deeper storage areas, but a basic shelf will still look organized and help to eliminate clutter around any sort of workspace you might have. If you’d rather not put any permanent additions in your garage, a wire rack is a great way to add shelving. They are light, Allow belongings to breathe, and have wheels.
Storage
There are a ton of other storage options, and really this is the key to keeping your garage organized. Utilizing totes, Tupperware shelving, or small storage containers will all create a clean and functional space. Place all of the belongings you organized during the garage sale into labeled totes to keep them dry, away from pests, and easily found when you need them. Nuts, bolts, or any other small pieces of hardware can be easily stored in containers. Adding a storage loft or an attic to your garage is another great way to add storage, use your vertical space, and leave a ton of room available in your garage for your vehicle.
Looking at the clutter and disarray in your garage can be an intimidating when planning an organizational tactic, but having a clear idea on what you plan to accomplish will make the work go by fast and leave you feeling gratified after all of your hard work. Your garage is guaranteed to be more functional, organized, and welcoming once you’ve implemented these organizational tips.
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Author Bio:
Chelsy is a writer from Montana who is now living in Boise, Idaho. She is happiest when cuddling with her animals, cooking comfort food, or reading a book in the shade.
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