Is your garage so cluttered that it’s borderline unusable? There are tools, art supplies, and holiday decorations littering the floor. There’s barely any room for your car, let alone any significant projects.
If this sounds like you, then your garage has a serious clutter problem. It’s time to start improving your garage storage so you can take your garage space back and make it functional again! Upgrading your storage should be part of your regular garage maintenance routine.
Not sure how you should start decluttering and reorganizing your messy garage? We want to offer some much-needed advice. Read on to learn all about revising your garage storage strategy.
1. Declutter What You Already Have
When you’re trying to improve your garage storage strategy, your first step is always going to be to declutter. Yes, it’s tempting to just find new places for everything in your garage, but you likely have many things that you never use. It’s time to get rid of them and start anew.
Gather several boxes and bags and get ready to work. You want to make sure that you’re only trying to conquer one small area at a time and that you can avoid getting distracted by misplaced items.
It’s a good idea to divide and conquer. If you have friends or family members that can help you, now’s the time to ask.
Label each box or bag. Common labels include:
- Trash
- Recycle
- Wrong Room
- Give away
- Keep
You may also want a bag for holiday items if you store them in the garage. Use as many bags or boxes as you need.
While you’re going through your section of the garage, put items in their appropriate containers. Do your best to avoid getting too sentimental. Remember the KonMari method.
Once you’ve got everything into an appropriate box, start removing the things that don’t belong. Garbage, recycling, donated items, and “wrong room” items should all go outside or in a different room so you can start working on your garage.
2. Use Vertical Space
Are you already utilizing the vertical space in your garage, or are your walls bare? You have plenty of room on those walls for tools, shelves, and more. What’s stopping you from using it?
Start with a pegboard that can support small tools and items. Pegboards are unobtrusive, useful, and easy to install.
Then, move on to hanging shelves. Hanging shelves are great for lightweight items that don’t get frequent use.
If you have room on your floor, consider adding a few floor-to-ceiling shelves and cabinets. These can sit flush against the wall and they’re sturdier than hanging shelves, so you have more options.
3. Use the Space Above Your Garage
Speaking of vertical space, is there room above your garage door? If you’re not already using it, you’re missing out on the perfect place for all of those items that you need to keep, but rarely use.
Keep in mind that not all garages are suited for this purpose, so it’s a good idea to check (or have a professional check for you) before you start placing items up there, especially heavy items.
You can buy an attic ladder for a relatively affordable price at many home improvement stores so that it’s easy to get up and down from your newfound storage area.
This is a great place for holiday items and outdoor essentials that you only use several months out of the year.
4. Organize Your Shelves
If you’re tired of having boxes stacked upon boxes, we recommend buying a large shelving unit that has enough room to store large storage containers on each shelf. You’ll still have plenty of room to stack your containers, but you’ll do so in a way that doesn’t stop you from accessing any of them.
For a truly neat and organized look, we recommend buying several of the same style of storage containers. You can use different colors to differentiate the storage containers to make them easier to find when you’re looking for a specific item.
Label each storage container as well as the shelves themselves. This way, it will be easy to find your items and put them back where they belong when you’re no longer using them.
5. Use a Storage-Friendly (or Multi-Use) Workbench
If your workbench is large and solid, you may not be making the most of your space. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a workbench at all. It just means that you need to be more strategic.
Instead of a heavy workbench alone, consider a workbench with shelves or cabinets both above and below the work surface. This will open up plenty of room for you to stack smaller items and store your tools. That extra space below can fit heavier materials or even a comfortable stool.
6. Make Sure Everything Has a “Place”
Once you have everything stored away, you’re going to need to find ways to keep your garage storage organized. Make sure that everything has a place so you never end up overwhelmed by clutter again.
This may mean that you have to make some tough decisions regarding what you can and cannot keep, but it can also mean that you simply buy more storage options.
Label everything, and when you buy something new (like a new tool, for example), get rid of the one that it’s replacing.
You’ll improve your overall garage storage if you’re intentional about the items that you store.
Improving Garage Storage Is a Breeze
Improving garage storage doesn’t have to be complicated. start by decluttering the things that you already have and go from there. With a few simple changes to your pre-existing garage storage, you’ll be well on your way to a well-organized garage.
Are you getting ready to upgrade your garage? Why not start with new flooring? Call us or find an installer near you today to learn all about our high-quality floor coating options AND explore our reliable cabinet solutions.