Tips For Organizing The Garage
If your garage is so cluttered that you can’t walk through it, let alone park a car in it, it may be time to consider re-organizing your space to make the garage a usable part of your home again. Garage organization can give you the space you need not only to store your seldom-used belongings, but also to set up a workshop, a small office, playroom, or even a TV room.
Stop procrastinating. Now is the time for action, so grab your calendar and set aside a specific day for this task.
Get your family involved too, it could prove to be a good, fun day for all of you!
Be smart, plan on having a garage sale the day after you clean so you can get rid of some of the things you won’t be keeping. Remember one man’s junk is another man’s treasure! You might be surprised at the money you bring in.
Alright, have you set the date? Then let’s get ready to organize the garage.
Clearing Out the Garage
Take everything out of the garage, make sure to move it away from the door where it won’t be in the way when washing down the garage floor, maybe the front yard would be a good spot, and sort everything into four piles:
• Keep
• Trash
• Giveaway
• Sell
If you are trying to determine if you should keep something or give it away, a good rule of thumb is: if you haven’t used an item for 2 years or longer, let it go, there is someone out there who could use it.
Memorabilia Items
I’m sure we all have memorabilia and keepsakes but most often they are displayed in the house. If you have yours stored in the garage, take a good look at what you want to keep and if there are things that just aren’t for you, see if other family members would like to have them.
Cleaning the Garage Floor
Once your garage floor is cleared, you might notice it needs some TLC.
First sweep the floor, using the garden hose, spray out the garage. Start at the back of the garage and work your way out through the garage door, if it looks like the garage floor needs a good scrubbing, uses a mixture of 1 cup detergent to 2 gallons hot water, scrubs the garage floor using a stiff brush with a long handle. Rinse the floor completely, Sweep out any excess water with a broom.
Once the floor is clean and dry reload the garage with any items you are keeping.
Garage Organizing Tips
Make a floor plan for storing items in the garage. This can really help in the organization process when you’re putting things back.
Take a lookup in the garage and if there is room, think about storing things overhead, to help keep as much off the floor as possible.
Organize with Shelves and Cabinets
Organizing with shelves and cabinets is smart and they don’t take up a lot of room. You can get things up off the floor and out of the way.
Many different types of hooks, baskets, shelves, and hangers are available; for use on Slatwall, on drywall, or from the ceiling. While many hooks and racks are useful for hanging bicycles on the walls, they are also good for hanging a number of other objects, like tools, folding chairs, skis, and all kinds of other sporting equipment. These easy-to-install hooks will make the walls of your garage a versatile space that can hold any number of items.
Storage Options
Things you seldom use but don’t want to get rid of can go on high shelves or onto ceiling storage units. If you rarely use these items, then it won’t be so hard for you to pull out the ladder to get them the one or two times a year you need them.
Good luck with your garage organizing!