Of course, a garage is a place in your home that can be used to store a vehicle, but most homeowners use it as a storage area for other items too. However, people will want to avoid throwing every old thing they have into a pile in the garage.
Keeping it neat and tidy will help create more space in the garage. By organizing your garage, you can make it look fantastic and you won’t have to spend hours looking for things you need.
Thinking of garage storage ideas can prove challenging. What should you store in the garage, and what should you avoid putting in it?
If it isn’t organized properly, you might end up hating your garage. When you notice things laying around, you might be reluctant to pick them up, and after a while, your garage will look like a complete mess. Although a messy garage might not seem like the end of the world, it could cause a fire. For you and your family’s safety, it’s of vital importance that you organize your garage properly.
Come Up With a Plan
Before spending your hard-earned money on storage items, you should come up with a plan. The garage needs to be decluttered, so roll up your sleeves and take everything out.
Although decluttering your garage might seem like a straightforward task, it can take a long time, especially if you have been living in your home for several years. You’d be surprised by the number of items that are inside your garage, so give yourself enough time to take everything out. Throw away things you no longer have use for and put them in a separate pile from the items you want to hang on to. Try to avoid throwing away things you want to keep. You should consider selling old items online or donating stuff to a charity.
Once the garage has been emptied, it’s time to start planning. Measure the area of the garage, and come up with a floor plan. If you come across things that you only use once a year, like Christmas decorations, store them in areas that are hard to reach. Stuff that you use more frequently should be stored in areas that are easy to access.
Put Up Shelves
Take advantage of empty wall space by installing shelves. Wall shelving is inexpensive, and if you are good at making things out of wood, you should have no problems making shelves yourself. Even if you don’t have old wood lying around, you can use other materials, like steel. It doesn’t even have to look good, as long as it’s practical you should be fine.
For inexpensive shelving, most online marketplaces have a wide range of shelving items readily available. Even most DIY stores stock a wide variety of shelving options that won’t break the bank. Keep an eye out for shelves that allow you to change the height of the openings. These types of shelves can prove highly beneficial.
If you plan on storing heavy items, you should avoid buying cheap plastic shelves. Although you can save money by investing in flimsy plastic shelves, they won’t be able to hold heavy items like power tools. You might be forced to replace the shelves shortly after installing them, so look for solid shelves that will be able to support almost anything you store in your garage.
To be safe, store heavier tools and other heavy items on lower shelves. Before you begin shopping for shelves, find shelves that fit the space properly by measuring the width and the height. If you are installing shelves out of reach, a small ladder will help you gain access to them.
Purchase Racks & Wall Mounts
Most homeowners store sporting equipment like bicycles in their garage. Multiple bicycles can take up a lot of space, so you should consider purchasing bike racks to help create more space.
If there are shelves on your walls and you don’t have any space for storage racks, consider buying an overhead storage rack instead. Racks can maximize the space in your garage, and keep items safe. However, if there is plenty of free space on your garage’s walls, then you should consider purchasing a hanging rack. You can decide whether you want the hanging rack on the wall or above your head. These are ideal for bicycles, but you can find other racks designed specifically for other items too, like this kayak storage rack.
Gardening tools can take up a lot of space in your garage. Leaving them lying on the ground can be dangerous, so you should consider investing in a wall mount to store these items.
A wall mount is often used to store your go-to tools, so finding them will be easy.
Sturdy Storage Boxes
There are strong plastic boxes available in different sizes. Look for boxes with lids with claps. These boxes are often waterproof, so if they get wet, the items inside will stay dry.
Consider buying boxes in different colors. For example, you can use red boxes to store children’s toys, and blue boxes to store car accessories. Different colored boxes will make finding and storing stuff a lot easier. If you need something urgently, you won’t have to look in each box, because you will know by the color what’s inside.
Clear plastic boxes are also useful. You will be able to see what is stored inside before routing through them.
Peg Board
If you are looking for a place to store all of your hand tools, then a pegboard will certainly help. It is a multi-purpose organizational tool that will come in handy when trying to organize your garage properly.
Even if you don’t own a lot of hand tools at the moment, you can expect your collection to grow over time.
Make sure you know how to hang the pegboard on the wall before you start putting it on the wall. Hanging them can prove tricky, and some hand tools are heavy, so to avoid an accident, figure out how to properly hang it first. If the pegboard isn’t sturdy, the tools and the board might fall causing harm to a person. Also, make sure it is high enough off the ground so children are unable to get their hands on the tools.
Build or Buy Cabinets for Your Garage
Another great way of creating a storage area is by installing cabinets. You can use the top of the cabinets to work on different projects and use the space inside to store stuff. Not only are cabinets used to store items, but they can help make your garage look good too. However, this doesn’t mean you have to spend a small fortune by investing in modern cabinets. You can buy inexpensive cabinets that will help store a range of different items.
Most people store tools in garage cabinets, but you should also consider storing harmful chemicals and other toxins in the cabinet. You might need fertilizers and other dangerous items for gardening. Consider buying a strong padlock and putting it on the cabinet’s door. This way, children won’t be able to open the cabinet’s door. Keep the key in a safe area, so kids are unable to open it.
