Let’s face it, most of us have way too much stuff in our homes, and we really don’t need a majority of it. If you have a garage, chances are that it is full of all the random stuff that you simply don’t know what to do with. It’s also possible that most of the stuff that’s in there you don’t even remember that you have. So maybe it’s time to get organized and get everything in order. Here’s how to get started.
Divide & Conquer
Divide & Conquer
The most important thing you need to start with is sorting through everything and simply getting rid of anything you don’t use. Yes, this can be a challenge but it is crucial if you’re going to get everything organized. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you haven’t used something in over a year and you didn’t remember that it’s there, you should probably get rid of it. Once you’ve done that, you can categorize everything you plan on keeping into organized groups.
Put like items together, and put any loose items in a container or bin so that you don’t have things floating around. Make sure you utilize labels as often as possible so that you can easily keep track of everything you’re organizing in the bins.
Think About Positioning
Planning out where you’re going to put everything is an important next step. Using your space efficiently is an art and may take some shifting around until you figure it out, but you will be so happy that you took the time to do so. Think about how often you’ll be using each item and organize things so that the items you’ll need more often will be easy to reach. Seasonal items or rarely used items can be stored in harder to reach areas.
Use The Wall
A wonderful way to make use of your space and avoid clutter is to use your walls as storage space. Hang shelves or even hang items if you can, that way you can keep stuff off the ground. Hanging things on the wall also help with keeping things accessible and visible. In order to help with storage, you can used open shelves, pegboards, panelized systems, closed cabinets, and more.
Consider Hanging Things Up
Looking Up
For things that you don’t use so often, you can also use your ceiling as a storage spot. Hang seasonal items and ladders with clips or ceiling joints. For those who are handy, you can install hoist pulley systems to help keep things like window blinds and cords organized. Keep in mind that you want to organize things in a way that won’t interfere.
Safety First
Anytime you do work around the house, it’s important to make sure your safety comes first. This is especially the case while organizing your garage. Make sure you think everything through before storing it there. For example, keeping things like propane and gasoline in the garage is probably unwise, as one spark could cause significant damage.
Keep any hazardous items stored safely, particularly if you have children or pets in the house. Keep things like fertilizer, pesticides, and tools tucked away in an area that’s not easily accessible to curious hands. Consider locking cabinets with items such as these.
Safety First
