How to Organize Garage Space

Organize garage space and transform it into a great storage space, work space, or even a spot to park your car again. Here we provide some tips on how to organize your garage.

Do you simply want to park your car again in the garage?

Are you tripping over bikes and clutter that sit in the doorway?

Has your garage become the family closet?

If the clutter in your garage is reaching mountainous proportions then it is time to organize.

These easy steps on how to organize your garage give your car its rightful home and you may find that old football that has been missing for the last 6 months!

When you organize garage space you increase home storage and reclaim the valuable real estate of your garage.

You will be surprised what a difference organizing your garage with a few shelves, storage containers, and hooks makes.

Have a plan for your garage

The garage is valuable real estate, in some cases accounting for 10-20% of your home storage space.

What do you want to do with the garage space when you organize it?

Having a vision gives you some ideas about how you are going to use your reclaimed space!

If you like to do mechanical work on cars and bikes then you may want to set up your garage to do those types of things.

But woodworkers DIYers may want to do something different with their garage.

Having a vision of what your garage is going to look like and how you are going to use it does two things:

1. it is a motivating force to declutter your garage
2. it makes it more likely that the reclaimed space from organizing your garage won't fill up with clutter again.

Sort your garage goods into different piles

Does the prospect of organizing your garage sound daunting?

Have you tried to organize your garage before but things just didn't work?

Organizing your garage can be overwhelming but here are a few ideas to get started.

The first thing with any organizing project is that you want to break down your organizing into small chunks.

This 'divide and conquer' strategy is a great way to get started on organizing your garage.

Dividing and conquering your tasks means that it is not so overwhelming and you are more likely to get the task done.

So, the first step is to sort your stuff.

Are there things that you no longer use or want?

Label one of the boxes "trash", another "donations" and the other "to keep".

It is time to roll up your sleeves and systematically go through your garage and decide the items that go in each of the boxes.

For example, empty cans of paint may go into the trash box. However, unused toys or old bikes could be your chance to make some extra money with a garage sale!

Define your zones for garage storage

You have sorted your things - you now need to define different zones in your garage for each of your categories.

These different zones may be tools, sporting items, camping equipment, or general household items.

Determine the locations of the different zones in your garage and ensure that the items go into their respective zones.

To organize garage space it is important that you place like with like.

By placing tools with tools, or general household items with general household items, you ensure that you are more likely to find the items when you come looking for them.

In most cases you may want the organized garage as a storage space with easy access for items that you use often, such as general household items.

However, the camping equipment that you may use only once a year can be stored in harder-to-access areas.

Think of your garage storage as real estate - and you want your prime real estate to be for those things that you use often!

One rule of thumb to organize garage storage is to have daily items at eye level and in easy-to-reach locations.

Take advantage of your garage wall space.

The garage is valuable real estate!

To reclaim the garage floor it is useful to 'go to the wall' to use your garage space more effectively.

Often home improvement stores or professional organizers give you advice.

One tip that is often used by professional organizers is to clear the floor space by hanging bikes on hooks and putting other items on shelves.

Hooks and cabinets are great options for utilizing garage space effectively.

Look at the items that you want to store in your garage - tools, household items - can these be stored in shelves or on hooks?

For hazardous items, consider using a lockable cabinet, and for heavy items consider supported shelves.

Here you need to think and plan according to your needs.

Maintaining your organized garage

We have provided you with a guide on how to organize garage space.

Defining zones makes it easier to find and put away items.

By having a zone for different categories and a home for each of your items, the trick to maintaining your garage organization is to ensure you put your items back in their home spots.

These tips to organize garage space give you peace of mind and create that extra storage or work space that you badly need.

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How to Organize Your Desk: Tips to Keep A Clean and Organized Desk