Are you frustrated with your garage because it doesn’t mean your usage needs? When so many people now use their garages for more than parking cars, that’s not surprising. A reported 62% of Americans believe they can make better use of their garage space.
Organizing your garage is critical if you want a productive place to work. Follow the six tips below when designing a garage to create a great space.
1. Start With a Clean Space
It’s hard to organize your garage when things are already a mess. You only see what you have at the moment, not what you can have in the future.
Because of that, it makes sense to start with a blank canvas. Clear out all the items in your garage to make it as clean as possible. Once you clean everything out, use cleaning products to clean up the mess.
Of course, don’t make this a one-time thing. Regularly clean your garage space over time to be sure you don’t end up with a mess again.
Once you have a clean canvas to start from, start thinking about how you currently use your garage. You can use that information to create better organizational systems tailored to your needs.
2. Create Zones
The chances are good that you have multiple uses for your garage. Even if you primarily use your space for one purpose, you probably have several other activities and projects you handle there.
Making zones in your garage makes sense in this situation. You can create spaces dedicated to different types of projects. When you do this, you can put tools and materials related to those projects in those spaces.
For instance, say you have a woodworking area for small project work. This area would contain your saws, wood screws, and other woodworking tools. Anything else for other projects will go to another area of your garage.
You can also use floor coating like Garage Force to separate these spaces. It will give you well-defined zones that are easy to keep separate.
3. Pick the Right Storage
Proper storage is critical to finding your tools and materials in a timely manner. Bins, for instance, won’t work well for stuff you need often. You want those items in an easy-to-access location that you don’t need to dig through.
However, bins will work well for items you store in bulk. All you need is to grab the stuff you need from the top, so it isn’t necessary to dig through your bins.
Bins are also great for stuff you don’t need often. As long as you label your storage containers, you’ll be able to approximate where your stuff is to avoid searching where possible.
For stuff that you use often, try putting it on open shelves. You can easily see where the tools are, so it removes the friction of opening bins and containers to find what you need.
4. Use Vertical Space
It’s a mistake to simply stack bins and shelves on top of each other. You only have so much space in your garage, so it can quickly turn into a mess if you go this route.
Use vertical space wherever possible. Do you have a table that you use to handle much of your work? Install shelving above the shelf to store your most-used items in that space.
A great option is using peg boards. A peg board can store many items and not take up space on the floor. On top of that, you can easily lay out your tools on a peg board to see everything you have.
Another way to use vertical space is magnetic strips. You can use these strips to store metal objects and keep them from taking up space on the floor.
5. Use Overhead Space
One area that often gets overlooked when organizing garage space is the overhead area. Garages have a lot of height, so there’s a ton of space above you to store things you don’t often need.
Think about installing a loft area in your garage. You can store many items up there if it doesn’t interfere with your garage door opening and has support.
Be sure to limit the stuff in your loft area to things you don’t need often. You don’t want to pull out your ladder daily to grab stuff from your loft.
6. Remove Unnecessary Items
The garage becomes a catch-all location for many people. Anything that doesn’t fit into their home gets thrown into their garage.
Unfortunately, this leads to a ton of clutter over time. Even if you clean things and create an organized space, things will turn into chaos again if you keep up that habit.
Do some work to figure out what you don’t need in your garage. Do you have multiple sets of the same screwdriver? Get rid of the ones you don’t need and make the ones you use easily accessible.
Regularly audit your garage items to remove things you don’t need. When you do, you’ll keep your space free of clutter and be able to find what matters most.
Take Organizing Your Garage Seriously
You can get a lot done in a messy garage, but you’ll always face limitations if you don’t keep things straight. It will take longer to find stuff, you’ll lose the tools you need, and you will face other issues. You’ll significantly increase your productivity if you take organizing your garage seriously.
Luckily, you don’t have to look far to find many garage ideas that will help you organize your garage. Remember the tips above when you organize your home garage to be sure you have a clean space to work.
Head back to the blog to find more tips that will help you make the most of your home.
Leave A Comment