Organize Your Garage With These Tips

Having enough storage in your home is a huge plus, but it doesn't do much good if the area is cluttered and unorganized. The garage can be a real challenge to organize. Not only do you need to leave room to park one and sometimes two cars safely, but garages tend to collect a staggering variety of items. Often the things that end up in the garage are big, irregularly shaped, or they're things we just don't know what to do with. But even though it's a big job, there's no reason to put it off. These tips for organizing your garage will help you get the job done in no time.

• Pick a time. This is a big job you'll probably need an entire day to complete. If you prefer, you could also work on it through a weekend. Dry weather is a must because you'll need to move items into the driveway.
• Get some help if you need it. Big jobs go faster when you have help. It's also useful if you get overwhelmed easily or if you have trouble throwing things out. Make sure you have a plan to keep everyone working together.
• Use the right supplies. You'll need garbage bags or cans, cleaning supplies like a broom or shop vac and gloves, and some empty boxes or containers for sorting everything out.
• Throw it away. Any garage that needs organizing undoubtedly has some things that are broken, unable to be repaired, unusable, or even downright gross. And those things all need to go. Make sure you know your city's bulk pick-up and disposal rules ahead of time.
• Categorize your belongings. Declutter what's left by making a donate or sell pile and a keep pile. Move some of the stuff out to give yourself some room to work. Here are some examples of what you might have: camping equipment, sports equipment, outdoor toys, tools, lawn care, automotive tools, or seasonal decor. Use empty boxes or containers you already have for temporary storage while you're sorting things out.
• Plan and organize your garage in a way that makes sense to you. You'll want to put like items together, but beyond that, do what makes sense for your space and lifestyle. You'll be more likely to keep things organized if it's practical for you and your family.
• Organize vertically. Garages need to store a lot of stuff, so you'll want to make sure you optimize the space. Use wall-mounted shelves or freestanding metal shelving units with bins to free up floor space. You can also utilize rack storage systems, pegboards, cabinets, and hooks to get things on the walls instead of the floor. You may even be able to stash items overhead too.
• Make sure frequently used items are easy to reach. Put lesser-used items either up higher or down lower since you won't need to get to them as often.
• Think ahead. Try to anticipate future needs and work in space for them. For example, you may need to store patio furniture or seasonal decor a few months down the road. And children often need bigger bikes every couple of years. If you can keep some additional free space, you won't have to completely reorganize everything again too soon.
• Make and stick to an organizing schedule. Whether it's seasonal, monthly, or even weekly, periodically do a run-through to make sure things stay clean and organized.

Organizing the garage can be a big job. But having a plan and using these tips to help will make it much more manageable.

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