The garage is one of the areas in the home most prone to clutter. In addition to parking our car and other vehicles like bicycles and skateboards, we tend to use it to store various items, such as tools, paint cans and supplies, yard equipment, old furniture, or even food. In fact, it’s not uncommon for it to end up becoming a sort of storage room or pantry, where we put things we simply don’t know where to put in the rest of the house.
However, a garage is a part of the house that, if it has enough space, can be put to good use for repairs, crafts, or even work. The key is to keep it organized enough so that we can move around comfortably and make the most of every corner.
So, in this article, we’ve put together several ideas that we hope will help you organize your garage. Try putting them into practice and see for yourself just how many possibilities they can offer!
Ideas for Organizing Your Garage
Don’t let things you won’t need pile up
It’s easy for old things, like parts or tools, to pile up in the garage. And even if we don’t use them, months and years can go by without us getting rid of them, because it’s a place where they hardly get in the way.
However, all of this takes up space and attracts dirt. So, as we’ve already mentioned, try not to let your garage turn into a storage room. To do this, when you plan to put these ideas into practice to organize your garage, give it a thorough cleaning and throw away anything you don’t need. You’ll gain a lot of space and turn this area into one of the most practical rooms in your home.
What are you going to use your garage for?
In addition to parking your vehicles, you’ll probably want to put your garage to other uses, especially if it’s spacious. For example, if you set up a table there, you can spend part of your free time doing DIY projects, working, studying, or even putting together a puzzle. Or you can use a corner to set up a chair and an easel and paint. There are also some people use it as a pantry because of its low humidity and cool temperatures, or to keep products that might be toxic or dangerous out of reach of the youngest members of the family.
Whatever uses you have in mind for your space, keep them firmly in mind before you start organizing it. If you do, you’ll be able to plan the space properly, arrange the furniture, and even define different areas.
Create storage areas to suit your needs
The option we’re suggesting depends on the size of your garage, because if it’s small, you probably won’t even be able to consider creating specific areas for storage. But if it’s spacious enough, try to arrange everything in the most convenient way possible.
Let us explain: it might be a great idea to have a shelf next to where you park your car to store everything related to it—spare tires, a tire pressure gauge, a hydraulic jack, etc. Or you could have a handy toolboard on your workbench, if you have one. Not to mention a handy cabinet near the exit where you can store your sports gear, like the gear you use when you go out for a bike ride.
In short, think from the start about whether you can group everything in your garage by category or need, and try to assign each item its own space so that everything stays neat and accessible.
Make sure your garage is well lit
Garages usually don’t have windows, so in these cases, artificial lighting is essential not only to make the most of the space but also to see well enough to park our vehicles and keep everything organized.
In these cases, it’s common to install fluorescent lights, because they provide bright, clean light that’s usually more than enough to illuminate the entire space. LED lights can also work very well, because they’re an efficient and very quiet option.
Also, be sure to install the lights wherever you’ll need them most, such as : above the garage door, on the wall where you have your tool rack or hang things, on the workbench, or in the area where you have any electrical appliances set up.
Shelving is essential for keeping the garage organized
Shelving is an essential piece of furniture in any self-respecting home garage. It allows you to organize and arrange your belongings perfectly, with the added benefit of letting you access what you need quickly and easily.
Keep in mind that dirt and dust tend to accumulate more easily in the garage, so look for a shelving unit that’s more durable and functional than it is attractive. Our recommendation is that go with a metal one, as it will ensure durability and strength.
Use the closets for your most delicate items and the ones you use the least
In addition to shelves, you can also opt for cabinets to organize your garage. These offer more privacy because they hide what’s inside. So choose them to store items that look cluttered, such as bags or cables, as well as anything you don’t use often or that needs to be stored more carefully.
You might even consider installing custom cabinets that fit well into the space you have available and offer optimal storage for everything you need: paint cans, boxes, cleaning supplies, papers, tools, etc.
Use clear plastic boxes so you can see what’s inside them
For items you rarely use or tend to store away, you can use boxes. It’s a good idea to choose boxes made of sturdy material (such as metal, wood, or plastic) if you plan to store a lot of items in them. You might also consider using clear boxes so you can see what’s inside at a glance. Otherwise, be sure to label them properly.
And when it comes to storing them, try to put them in a suitable place based on how often you’ll need to use their contents. In other words, if the box is going to be used to store something you’ll hardly use in the coming months or years, you can put it in a hard-to-reach spot, such as on the top shelf. And for the ones you need to keep close at hand, make sure they’re in a convenient spot.
In this regard, you can try to make use of any available space you see, such as under a staircase or in a drop in the ceiling. And if you place it on a shelf, remember not to overload it with more weight than it can support. Some boxes can end up being very heavy and cause the whole setup to collapse!
If you have several bikes, try storing them upright
In households with two or more people living together, it’s common for bicycles to pile up in the garage. And because they take up so much space, they can end up occupying more room than we’d like, thereby greatly limiting the garage’s functionality.
However, bicycles can stop being a problem if we think vertically. What do we mean by that? We mean using the garage walls to mount brackets that allow us to hang them there, or even installing a vertical bar screwed from floor to ceiling that, with the aforementioned brackets, lets us hang a couple of bikes.
Or, if you prefer, you can also install a horizontal bar on the wall at the right height and use extenders that allow you to hang them vertically rather than horizontally. This option even lets you add a shelf at the top so you can store other items there too, like helmets or a bike pump!
Set aside some time to clean the garage
Oil, grease, dust, dirt… because of what we store there and its proximity to the outdoors, the garage can get dirty very quickly. So it’s a good idea to give cleaning the attention it deserves, especially if we want to use this area of our home to spend some of our free time.
A good way to keep your garage clean and tidy at all times is to set aside a space to store everything you need for cleaning: a broom and dustpan, a bucket and mop, cleaning and disinfecting products, brushes, trash and recycling bins, rags, a dustpan, etc.
Organize your garage to turn it into another room in your home
Ultimately, your garage can be much more than just a place to park your car, motorcycle, or scooter. It can also be a useful room in your home, where you spend part of your free time, work, or study. You just need to make good use of the space, and these 9 ideas for organizing your garage can be a big help in achieving that. Put them into practice and see for yourself!
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