A garage is a convenient place to park the car, store off-season items, and maintain a workspace. Getting your garage organized makes it easier to find things and gives you more useable storage space. Let’s look at some tips you can use to organize your garage.
Organize Your Garage Like a Pro
1. To Get Started, Remove Everything from the Garage
It’s best to start with a clean slate. Take everything out of the garage so you can more easily sort through items and organize the space. This also allows you to see the garage empty and you’ll be more deliberate in where you choose to store things.
If you can’t do it all at once, remove items from one section at a time. You will need to move things around as you tackle each section. The upside is that you can organize at your own pace, over a few days, with this option.
2. Clean the Space
As you take items off shelves and out of the garage, thoroughly clean the area. Use a broom to knock down cobwebs. Wipe off shelves and doors. Sweep and mop the floor. If you have drywall, paint it a fresh color. If you want to upgrade the floor, add a coat of epoxy. It’s easiest to make upgrades when everything is removed from the space.
3. Get Rid of Trash and Unneeded Items
One of the benefits of organizing your garage is that you’ll get rid of things that you no longer need. If it can’t be reused or is in poor condition, put it in the trash or recycling. If an item can be used but you don’t need it, decide whether to sell, donate, or give it to a friend. Decluttering creates more usable space in your garage.
4. Create Categories to Organize Your Garage
After cleaning and decluttering, begin sorting your belongings into categories. Your lawn equipment and garden tools might be one category while sports equipment is another. You could also have categories for seasonal decorations, workbench tools, toys, and paints and household chemicals.
5. Find Space for Each Category
Once you know what your categories are, figure out where items from each category will go. You might place the yard tools by the garage door and the hand tools close to the workbench. Sports equipment can be hung from the rafters and stored overhead. Leave space for trash and recycling, if you keep those things in the garage. Save the parking area for your vehicles.
6. Add Storage as Needed to Organize Your Garage
After categorizing your belongings, put them away. You may need to add storage for items that don’t have a home. Install cabinets or open shelves and purchase a few plastic storage containers. Pegboard is great for tools, keeping them easy to see and to reach. If you have overhead space, look into DIY storage solutions to put that space to work. Bikes can hang from the ceiling or wall hooks.
7. To Organize Your Garage, Return Everything to its Place
Start storing belongings by working on one section at a time. When putting things away, place regularly used items within easy reach. Reserve the top shelves for seldom-used items and bottom shelves for heavy things. After taking the steps to organize your garage, get into the habit of return things to their places. This will help keep your organized garage space clean and usable.
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