Garage Organizing Challenge: Organize Your Space

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Do you have a messy garage (affiliate)? Does it need order and functionality? This garage (affiliate) organizing challenge is for you! We have done this recently, and I found that many areas in our small garage (affiliate) needed redesigning and reorganizing. While the systems were in place, it was set up many years ago when the children were small, and now the garage (affiliate) has become a storage space for my husband's and my sports equipment. As you take on this organizing challenge, rest assured that I've taken these steps too.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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Key Takeaways
Your Garage Organizing Challenge
Should I ask others for help when doing this garage organizing challenge?
How long will it take me to organize the garage?
Areas of the Garage:
What areas should I work on first?
Reassemble the kept items last.
FAQs for this garage organization challenge

Key Takeaways

Participate in the garage (affiliate) organizing challenge to declutter and create a functional garage (affiliate).
Ask for help to make the process easier and ensure everyone understands the new organization system.
Dedicate time to the task; it may take a weekend or more, depending on the clutter and helpers available.
Begin by clearing out cabinets and reorganizing items on tables to see what fits into the available space.
Use vertical storage solutions and keep frequently used items at eye level to optimize garage (affiliate) space.

Your Garage Organizing Challenge

Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to clear out the clutter and mess in your garage (affiliate) while streamlining the workspaces. I know the garage (affiliate) is not fun. Set a goal to motivate yourself, like parking at least one car in your garage (affiliate). This way, you get a reward after the project is done. Come on; you can do it. I know you can.

Should I ask others for help when doing this garage organizing challenge?

It is probably a good idea to get help when organizing the garage (affiliate). You may need to move lots of heavy items. Pick those people who will be using the area with you. If you want the area to stay organized, let them add their two cents. The more people know your new system, the more likely it is to stay organized.

In my garage (affiliate) organizing, I found that since my husband uses the garage more than I do, getting ideas on where things should be stored was very helpful.

How long will it take me to organize the garage?

It could take an entire weekend or more, depending on how much you need to declutter and reorganize, as well as how many people you have to help you.

Areas of the Garage:

Let's first assign areas in your garage. Examine how your garage is laid out. Some garages are wide enough to store things on all three sides. Other garages only have one storage area. Some garages have high ceilings, allowing for ample storage, while others have narrow spaces that require strategic item placement. Keeping these areas in mind when organizing your things will help you use the space as much as possible.

In my situation, my garage is a one-car narrow garage. The sides only allow about 18 inches when the car is inside the garage, so keeping the wall storage as narrow as possible was necessary. We only had the opportunity to use the area closest to the door going into the house for extra storage. We were able to use the sides, though, for shallow things. Some items we hung on the narrow, small garage sides were:

What areas should I work on first?

Think of this area like a jigsaw puzzle. You will need to rearrange items and replace others to see what works seamlessly in the space. Since you'll likely need to rearrange items to make organizing and purging easier, working in a specific order may be more effective, especially if you have a smaller garage.

Start by going through cabinets and cardboard boxes (affiliate); reorganizing what's inside is key (affiliate) to seeing what room you have for new items that don't have a home. Set up a table to store the items you are keeping. A table gives you two levels to organize your things: the top of the table and the floor below it.

Making a to-do list will help you see the order easily.

Try using Post-its and writing one task on each, then rearranging them in order of completion. This way, you can see which areas need decluttering first, making the process less jumbled and frustrating.

Garage Organization Task Examples

You may have several tasks to complete to declutter your garage. Below are examples you may need to do to declutter your garage.

Clear out the garage of any items that need to go to charity and bring them directly to the charity of your choice. Check out our Charitable Locations page if you do not know where to donate your things. It includes local and national charities.
Get rid of hazardous materials you no longer use. Check out our post, where I update the hazardous waste material events in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area yearly.
Go through your children's summer play toys.
Declutter the kids' bikes and sports equipment. Check out our extensive post!
Clear out and defrost your freezer and clean out the fridge.
Go through shoes (affiliate) and boots stored in your garage.
Clear out the cobwebs on the walls.
Patch holes in your walls, then paint them.
Patch up and paint the concrete floor.
Organize small things on pegboards and drawers.
Return the bikes to their home on the bike racks.
Return all sports equipment to their homes.
Sweep out the garage.
Organize and clean garden equipment and tools (affiliate).
Get rid of old golf clubs.
Reducing holiday decorations to a manageable size.
Review and purge items with sentimental value.
Reorganize the hazardous items into a locked cabinet.

Reassemble the kept items last.

If you are updating your storage equipment, you must measure to figure out what fits in the available space. I'll share these steps in my DIY Fridays post coming soon.

Remember, the items at eye level should be the ones you use most. Utilizing the vertical space in a garage is key (affiliate) to getting things off the floor and making room for the cars.

Here are some examples of products to buy to help clear the clutter. The links below are from Amazon (affiliate). If you click through and buy something on Amazon (affiliate), I will receive a small referral commission at no extra cost to you.

Garage Storage & Organization Products - list

FAQs for this garage organization challenge

How long does it take to organize a garage?

It really depends on how much clutter you have and how many hands are helping. A small one-car garage like mine can take a full weekend, while a larger or more cluttered space might stretch into two.

Break it into sessions if you need to tackle cabinets one day and wall storage the next, rather than trying to power through in one shot.

Where should I start when organizing a garage?

Start with cabinets and cardboard boxes first. Going through what's already stored away shows you how much space you actually have before you bring in new bins or shelving.

From there, set up a table to create a "keep" zone with two levels-tabletop and floor so you can sort items as you go.

Should I organize my garage alone or ask for help?

Get help if you can, especially for heavy lifting. More importantly, include the people who actually use the garage.

When everyone has a say in where things live, they're far more likely to put items back where they belong, which is what keeps a garage organized long-term.

What's the best way to use limited garage space?

Go vertical. Wall-mounted racks, pegboards, and ceiling storage free up your floor for the cars, which is usually the whole point.

Keep the items you use most often at eye level, and reserve higher or harder-to-reach spots for things like seasonal decorations you only grab once or twice a year.

How do I keep my garage organized after the big declutter?

Give everything a designated "home" and stick to it; that's the real key. Also build in a quick seasonal check-in (even 15-20 minutes) to catch clutter creep before it snowballs, and keep donation bags or a hazardous-waste list handy so purging stays easy instead of becoming its own project.

Garage organizing gives you easy access to everything in the garage resulting in a more calm home. You will know where things need to be placed and what needs a new home. It will not be a dumping ground for anything and everything. Remember to take the time and observe the available space you created. Good luck with your process.

How did the project go? Were you able to fit your car in your garage? Leave a comment below.

Below are garage organizing tips you can visit for more inspiration.

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