Declutter Your Life: How to Organize a Garage
Clutter? Controlled.
Don’t let your garage be a catchall for your home’s odds and ends. Here are some tips on how to organize your garage so you can make the most out of this space.
1. Start With a Clean Slate
Before you begin organizing your garage, it’s helpful to start with a clean slate. We recommend grabbing a step ladder, trash bags, trash bins, empty boxes, and cleaning supplies to help you clean. If you plan to throw out a lot, you may want to consider contacting your local town hall to rent a dumpster for the project.
Clear out your storage cabinets, shelves, and bins so you can wipe down all the corners and evaluate what you have. Create a “keep” and “discard” pile as you go through the items – opting to throw out or donate the things you no longer use.
Tip!
While you clean out your garage, keep in mind that items that are prone to mold, need ventilation, or can attract wildlife should not be stored here. Consider gathering any paint, paper plates, bedding, books, pet food, and propane tanks and moving them elsewhere.
2. Group Items Into Categories
Once you’ve narrowed down your items and discarded the unused ones, divide the things you’re keeping into categories such as sport equipment, home improvement, gardening supplies, camping gear, pool accessories, car supplies, seasonal decor, etc. Evaluate your current storage options and consider investing in new storage accessories to keep your tools grouped together by category.
Tip!
Not all garage storage solutions are created equal. Find the one that suits your organizational needs by reading our guide on How to Choose the Right Garage Storage System.
Freestanding storage racks are an easy way to get organized. Open shelves are simple and accessible – making it easy to find what you’re looking for. Use bins and baskets to organize your things and to protect them from the elements. These storage racks are easy to assemble and come with a number of features including NSF certification and adjustable shelves.
Tip!
As a bonus organizational tip, consider color-coding your storage bins on open shelving to help you find what you’re looking for at a glance.
Cabinets are an important element of an organized garage. You can store and conceal items that are unsightly, vulnerable to the elements, or may be dangerous to children. When placing items in cabinets, consider what you use frequently. The most-used items should be placed in middle shelves, while less-used items can go on bottom and top shelves. Make sure you have enough floor space for your cabinet by measuring the square footage left over when your car is parked; it must be enough space for you to open the cabinet’s doors. You should also anchor your cabinets to garage walls for stability.
Out of sight, out of mind! Ceiling-mounted storage racks make use of every inch of space in your garage. Keep items you don’t often need access to in a ceiling rack, such as home improvement tools, seasonal items, and larger items such as kayaks. Before you make your purchase, check the rack’s weight capacity to be sure that it suits your storage needs.
Is your garage too small for a freestanding rack, but too low for a ceiling-mounted rack? Wall-mounted storage racks may be your solution. Wall-mounted racks don’t take up as much floor space as freestanding racks and are more accessible than ceiling-mounted racks, but still provide ample storage space for an organized garage.
Frequently used sports equipment such as balls, bats, helmets, and cleats should be placed close to the garage door for easy access. Racks meant for bikes, skis, snowboards, kayaks, surfboards, and fishing gear can help maximize your space if you have large items. You can pick a floor, wall, or ceiling sports rack depending on the layout and space available in your garage.
Pegboards are perfect for storing tools and other small items. Organizing your tools vertically makes them easier to find and saves floor space in your garage. Pegboards tend to be the cheapest vertical storage option and allow you to easily customize your organizational system.
Slatwall panels are similar to pegboards, but are usually made of metal for a more durable structure. You can use a section of slatwall for a small tool collection, or you could cover an entire wall for maximum storage. Slatwall accessories will help you store specific items from large brooms and ladders to tiny screws and nails.
Tool racks take up less space than a pegboard or slatwall, and are great for storing larger tools such as shovels and rakes that you would like to keep separate from hardware. Tool racks come in various sizes and designs, and you can also buy tool racks meant for hardware tools.
Tool cabinets give you a compact and portable option for storing tools. With many drawers of varying sizes, you can organize your tools exactly as you like. Most tool cabinets have wheels, locks, and multiple drawers for convenient storage anywhere in your garage.
Tip!
Read our guide How to Organize Tools for more helpful tips on keeping your garage clutter-free.
12. Designate a Workspace
Consider buying a workbench if you plan on working on projects in the garage. Workbenches come in many sizes, from smaller tables suitable for crafting projects to larger tables for woodworking and other heavy-duty activities. Some workbenches come with adjustable legs so you can change the height, and you can choose from a range of materials including wood, plastic, steel, and stainless steel to suit your durability requirements.
