Your garage probably looks a little worse for wear, especially if it is being used as a dumping ground, which is unfortunately what happens in busy family homes. Your garage doesn’t have to stay a disorganized mess. There are plenty of things you can do and implement to ensure that your garage is one of the neatest and tidiest of places within your home. The great news is that once you get started organizing the contents of your garage it won’t take you too long to get on top of everything that may have just been left anywhere and everywhere.

Getting Started Organizing

A lot of the time most of the struggle to get your garage organized comes down to time and fear. Not having enough time and fearing it will take forever and a day. Well, the good news is that the sooner you start, the better. To tackle and mess you have to do a little bit at a time, this is to ensure that you do not end up feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand. To get on top of the piles of stuff you have within your garage you need to sort it all out. Ideally, create three piles. The first pile is items you have no use for, these items can be sold, or donated to goodwill. The second pile is items you know you need but just not right now, these items can be put to one side, as they will be stored in your garage just after the first pile of items. The first pile is going to be all of the things that you use regularly, and the things you need easy access to. Once you have sorted out everything within your garage, and decluttered in the process, then it is now time to start the fun part, which is organizing everything.

1. Color Coordinate Where You Can

As well as looking fantastic, color coordinating items is really very useful as well. When you group items together you have no problem finding things, and you also have no problem guiding others to where things are located, as you can simply say, it’s with the orange things, or in the green area. Of course, not everything can be color coordinated but smaller items and loose items can be stored in this manner. Keeping small things together will ensure that they stay safe and do not end up getting lost or misplaced.

2. Focus on the Ceiling

If your garage is slim, or you are struggling to find floor space for your items then worry no more, simply go up. The ceiling can hold the weight (within reason) and if you look at a system such as the E-Z Glide Tote Slide, you will see just how much you can store on the ceiling, and how little room it will take up. Storing items up on the ceiling via slides or hanging them from the ceiling using rails is ideal for those items that are not used regularly, or, every week. When you fix anything to the ceiling you need to keep two things in mind, the first being safety and the second being weight. Ensure items are safely fixed and that they are not too heavy for the ceiling especially if it is plasterboard. Always ensure you get good fixings for anything you will hang up or hang down. 

3. Box It Up

From those loose items to the small random items, box them up and label the boxes as you are going. Boxes are great for storage as they are easy to move around, and they ensure that items inside stay safe. If possible include an itinerary in each box especially if it has lots of small random fixtures and fittings in, especially if you are the only one who knows which size is which. Keeping things labeled ensures that you can find things in your garage as and when you need them.

4. Use Pegboards for Smaller Items

Pegboards are great for storing little nuts and bolts. They are also ideal as they are slim, easy to fit on walls and they never take up too much space. Quite often when you are fixing household items or even building flat-pack furniture you can end up with spare screws and bolts. Knowing what to do with these little bits is a job in itself. However, when you have a pegboard your worries disappear as you can keep them all safe, accessible, and visible, ready to use when and if you need them.

5. Foldables Can Work

On walls and tables, foldable storage solutions can work wonders in even the tightest of spaces. You will see the benefits whether you utilize foldable tool caddies, or fold down cupboards and racks that ensure your spaces stay clutter-free. When organizing your garage you must utilize as many storage ideas and solutions as you can. Variety is quite often the key to success, and different solutions can work together to provide a tidy and clean workspace that will be clutter-free both now and in the future.

6. Utilize Wall Space

Whether you use one wall or three it is important to use wall space as best as you can. From hanging up gardening tools to housing shelving units wall space is there to be used. When deciding how you will use the walls it is important to remember not to build anything that will stick out too far from the wall, this is simply so you can still use your garage to get vehicles in and out freely as and when you need to.

A well-organized garage will be functional and easy to clean, and one that you can freely walk around and find what you want and need without coming across lots of trip hazards and obstacles. Just like every room in your home your garage needs to be tidy and organized to ensure you make the most out of it. To stay on top of any future clutter you need to spend a bit of time every month sorting through any new or recent additions to your garage.