How to Organize Your Garage like A Pro and Keep It That Way
If your garage serves as a major storage place for all sorts of stuff including sports gear, clothing and tools, then it becomes a challenge to keep it organized. But, it isn’t impossible because when you organize your garage like a pro, you will realize you even have space for your car. Organizing your garage needs a plan and preparation. You just can’t start sorting things at random. Without a plan in mind, you may just end up with a bigger mess.
Clean your garage
The first to getting your garage organized before anything else is to clean it thoroughly. Once that’s done, it’s time to categorize. Make neat piles placing items of similar nature into groups, such as sports gear, garden tools, camping gear, or Christmas decorations. If your hobby items are in your garage, then g group them as well. Doing this will speed up things knowing where you are going to store what. Organizing a garage isn’t about buying a container and dumping everything inside it. Everything needs to be separated in the proper storage area so that you won’t have to rummage around to find bolts, or a screwdriver.
A big mistake that people make when planning to organize a garage is to start without the proper storage items. The first thing you should do when cleaning the garage is to make sure you have enough trash bags, cans, cleaning supplies, empty cartons for stuff you may want to donate. Make sure you have a good number of plastic storage boxes as well.
Consider renting a dumpster
If your garage is full of clutter and you feel the trash, knick knacks and accumulated stuff is just too much to handle, the consider renting a dumpster. There are a number of junk removal companies who rent affordable dumpster precisely for such jobs. Moreover, they will also handle the debris removal for you saving you a lot of effort and time. Renting a dumpster and arranging for debris and clutter removal makes sense because it would result in a thorough clean-up job in comparison to doing it yourself.
Draft a floor plan
If you are going to organize your garage, then its best you do it like a pro. Note down the dimensions of your garage, its size and location. Take note of the windows, switchboards and outlets including the amount of space your car will need to be moved in and out without obstacles. Chalking out dimensions help you make a list of the number of shelves you may need and how high you can make them. You will also know exactly how many containers you need to purchase and where you can fit drawers if necessary. After grouping everything together you’ll know how much space each category needs.
Prioritize frequently used items
Once you sort out what you are going to place where, make sure you plan on keeping items that you use frequently in an easily accessible point such as near the door that may serve as the home entrance. Seasonal items and decorations can put be farther away such as in top shelves or bottom drawers. Avoid keeping gardening equipment and bulky items like lawnmowers in a garage. They should be placed in an outdoor storage unit or a shed.
Consider Garage Storage Systems
When you are in the process of creating a floor plan for your garage, consider installing garage storage systems if your budget permits. These are great when you want to prioritize or group your storage equipment.
You can store hazardous items in lockable cabinets which are great when you have kids around. Installing shelves won cost much and they will take up less space. With shelves you don’t have to open drawers, you can just look up and look for the item you need instantly.
Make use of wall space
Wall space is really valuable when you’re dealing with a small room like a garage. Don’t keep your shovels, hoses, and large tools on the floor. Instead keep them mounted on the wall where they can be reachable easily. Using walls for your shelves or racks makes a lot of sense because it gives you more floor room and makes your garage look organized and clutter free.
Categorize drawers
When storing things, make sure you place all your power tools and their accessories in one drawer. Hand tools, attachments and smaller tools should be placed in another. Fasteners, hardware and knick knacks should be stored in jars or reusable takeout containers. In order to maintain your budget, you can also use small takeout containers to keep nails, screws, nuts and bolts. This ensures you know exactly where to find what.
Subdivide shelves
The benefit of subdividing and installing shelves is the amount of categorized space you get for various items kept in your garage. These are especially beneficial if you are habituated to buy bulk goods for the house. Shelving allows you to check the amount of each item and when they need to be restocked. This is one of the neatest ways to organize your garage.
Protect your stuff
When storing things in a garage, you need to be careful they don’t get damaged because of the change in temperature and humidity. Holiday decorations, as well as other unused items should be placed in airtight containers. The humidity and temperature are reasons never to store delicate items like keepsakes made from paper, photograph albums etc.
Leftover paint storage
More often than not, we end up wasting a lot of paint. Leftover paint can be stored for re-use later. The best way to do this is to cut down on the cluttering of paint cans and preserve your leftover paint in glass jars. Label them neatly and use them as and when needed. You save a great deal for minor painting jobs in this way.
Designate space
To make sure your garage stays organized, allot designated spaces to family members to store their own individual items like sports goods or outdoor toys, and bikes. It would be ideal to create cubicles for each person that also has hooks for hanging stuff and benches that can be used for storing the outdoor things.
One of the best ways to organize your garage like a pro is to get rid of things you don’t need by recycling them. In 2020, it’s time to go green and a garage is one of the best places to start.
