How To Make An Effective Garage Organization

How does your garage look right now?  Do you have a large garage or a small one?  Do you store tools in your garage? Would you like to park in your garage? The garage is a handy storage area, but if it is not well organized, it can quickly turn into a pile of mess. There are many ways to make for a well-organized garage by determining the best system for you. This post shares the garage organization areas you will need to visit for a better usable space.

Jump to:

• Always use Vertical Space:
• Use Many Different Hooks
• If you have an attached garage, the area near the door to the house is a vital one.
• Have a locked door cabinet for toxic or poisonous products:
• Use the outer perimeter of the garage for outdoor equipment:
• Flooring coverage is optional but a great idea if you plan on using the garage often.
• Use Overhead Garage Storage systems for larger storage bins.
• A Track system works great on garage walls.
• Tips
• If you are struggling to get started, try this challenge.

First, let's talk about some signs that your garage needs an overhaul. I talked about this in my 11 Signs Your Garage Needs Purging post.

• Piles of stuff around the garage that take up at least 5 feet of floor space.
• Several half-bags of fertilizer and seeds are on the floor.
• Bicycles do not have a home, so they are lying on the floor.
• There is lots of available wall space, but it is not being utilized.

If you want to know more, feel free to visit the complete post.

Have you decided if your garage needs to be organized? If it does, read on to learn tips to help make an effective garage organization system.

Always use Vertical Space:

Vertical space is when you use the entire wall for storage. Wall-mounted shelving and cabinets work great to maximize the room on the wall. This will give you three walls to utilize.

Use Many Different Hooks

Use lots of different sizes of hooks and create a place to store shoes and other seasonal items:

You can use hooks in various ways on the wall.  Some things you can hang from hooks are hoses, jackets, shoes, racks, brooms, sports and equipment bags. Winter shoes and other seasonal items can be stored in the garage.  If your winters are frigid or summers are sweltering, you may want to be conservative when it comes to what you store in the garage.

If you have an attached garage, the area near the door to the house is a vital one.

It can hold shoes and other items that are most needed in the home. We like to store our freezer and our shoe storage unit near the garage door for quick access when we need it.  Here's an image of my shoe organization system near my garage door. If you want to see how we made this, here is the post. Looks cute, right?  I love it.  It holds the shoes for the family.

Tip: I have many clients that have a shelf like this next to their door to the house.  It's OK, but having a system in place is even better; a labeled shelving system will make this unit even more useful. Otherwise, it will become a catch-all area that never looks organized or put together.

Have a locked door cabinet for toxic or poisonous products:

I wrote a post about this a few years ago, but it still applies. Keep all these items away from children and animals.

Use the outer perimeter of the garage for outdoor equipment:

The cars are in the center of the garage, so it's understandable to always use the outer edge of the garage.  In a large garage, I had clients create a row of free-standing shelving in one of the three-car garage areas.  It works but can look quite cluttered. So, if possible, just store items on the outer perimeter.

Flooring coverage is optional but a great idea if you plan on using the garage often.

Floor coverings can be padded or hard plastic.  I added the padded floor covering to my garage and love that in the winter, my feet don't freeze.

Use Overhead Garage Storage systems for larger storage bins.

Like in the picture, these lift systems are really neat.  It works excellently with garages with high ceilings. You can store seasonal bins and then crank them up so that they are out of the way.

A Track system works great on garage walls.

There are lots of track systems available. Some are complete wall systems (from top to bottom). Others only have horizontal and vertical tracks, like the image below. These systems can hold shelves, tools, pots, and other supplies. And are easy to install.

If you are storing your tools in the garage, create a pegboard wall organizer for individual tools. The pegboard wall is a very affordable option for people. By buying hooks of all different sizes, you can easily hang anything you have.  

Tips

Trace your tools on your peg board.

Trace the tool with a large jumbo marker while it is hanging.  It will help others know where it needs to go when they use it.

Clear out the garage on a clear day.

It's easier to organize when you have space. So, move the cars away from the garage opening and organize your stuff in your driveway before you place them in the garage.

Use Overhead Organizers only if you can.

Only use overhead organizers if your ceiling in the garage is over 12 feet. It will not work on garage ceilings that are 9 feet high. These organizers are at least 4 feet in height.

Garage totes need to be sturdy

The garage totes you purchase should be sturdy. They also help keep critters from making new homes in your storage bins. Here are a few I found on Amazon (affiliate).

Using just a few of these options in your garage can make a difference.  Pick the best one that works for your home.

If you are struggling to get started, try this challenge.

While taking on this project may seem overwhelming, you can do it. However, if you need a little more guidance to do the garage organization, you can try the challenge below.

In this challenge, we show you steps on what to do first, second, third, etc... to help you find the right solutions for you. Feel free to visit this post for details. GARAGE ORGANIZING CHALLENGE

You can also visit my 15 garage items to toss for a stress-free place post that will give you some guidance.

If you want other inspiration, you can check out what we did in my DIY SMALL GARAGE ORGANIZATION PROJECT. I share the products used and the steps to set up the space, and you can see the video of the entire process.

Well, that's it for now; I hope this inspired you to get your garage organized. Let's continue the conversation: what areas of the garage do you struggle with?  Please leave a comment below. 

Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.