How's your garage? Do you have a large garage or a small one? Do you store tools in your garage? Do 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 mess since floor space is limited. There are many ways to organize a garage determining the best system in up to the user of the area.
So, here are 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 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.
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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 Ceiling hangers systems for larger storage bins.
Like in the picture, these lift systems are really neat. It works excellent with garages with high ceilings. You can store seasonal bins and then crank them up so that they are out of the way.
Tracking systems work great on garage walls.
There are lots of track systems available Some are complete wall systems (from top to bottom). Others are only tracking horizontal and vertical tracks like the image below. These systems can hold shelves, tools, pots, and other supplies.
If you are storing your tools in the garage, create a pegboard wall 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. Tip: 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.
Using just a few of these options in your garage can make a difference. Pick the best one that works for your home.
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.
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Susan cooper
Hi Sabrina, boy do I need this! We definitely make use of our garage for storage and need a better system. Love your ideas for best use of space.
Sabrina
I'm glad it inspired you to get the garage organized. =) Thanks for commenting.
Sarah Soboleski
We had a Money Bars rep present at our NAPO-CT meeting today and he echoed your sentiment- a place for everything and everything in its place!
Liana George
Great post Sabrina! So many wonderful tips - many of which I've used with my clients and in my own closet 🙂 Love that you listed vertical storage first because in a garage, where floor space really needs to be left for the cars, that is where most things can be stored to allow you to fit everything in.
Sabrina
I totally agree. Thanks for commenting.
Jamie Steele
Great post! I do estimates for an garage organization company and you highlighted most of the products we use! Love it! Monkey Bars storage is so functional in the garage. Love it!
Linda Samuels
Garages are my least favorite place to be in...aside from attics and basements. But when they're organized (and you've given some great tips and photos) it makes all the difference.
In the picture you showed of your garage and the shoe organizing, what does the inside of those black and white stacked cabinets look like? How many shoes does each unit hold? It's a clever solution.
Sabrina
Good question, Linda. The cabinet tilts forward and you would slide (usually toe first) at least 2 pairs of shoes. But, in actuality, depending on the size of the shoe and the type, I have been able to put up to 6 pairs of shoes in one unit. If the shoes are sandals, I can fit 6 pairs for example. If they are kids shoes, you can stack them and fit this many in one unit. It holds many pairs of shoes in the three rows we have. Here are some more pictures from IKEA on using these bins. Thanks for commenting.
Seana Turner
We had a rep from Monkey Bars at our Vendor fair (for NAPO-CT) today. I just love this product... it really uses the space well.
Jill Robson
Great post Sabrina, the garage is a large sticking point with many people. I agree with the vertical space, like most places in the house itself this real estate is over looked.
Ellen Delap
You are so right about using vertical storage. Getting things off the floor, having shelving and using over head tracks can get you to use your storage more effectively.
Phoenicia
Houses in America are far bigger than those in the UK. Most people living in London do not even own garages let alone large ones as pictured. I like that you can enter a garage from inside your home - again another American tradition!
Thank you for sharing.
Sabrina
Yes, I figured it wouldn't apply to people outside the US and Canada as much. But, many of the tips are also great for entryways and where people store their outside equipment. Thanks for commenting, Phoenicia!