Is your garage so full of stuff that there’s no room for your car or cars? Here are 5 tips to clear clutter and organize your garage so that you can store what you want to keep and have room for your car. After all the purpose of having a garage is to have a place for your car out of the sun, rain, snow and ice.
1. Sort the Stuff
The first step in every organizing project is to sort the stuff. Figure out exactly what you are storing in your garage. It may have been a long time since you explored every inch of the garage. Once you know what you have, then you can decide what you want to keep and what you want to release. The next step is to decide how you want to keep your things so that the garage stays organized.
2. Make use of vertical space
Use the wall space to organize your garage. This does not have to be an expensive proposition. These shelves pictured below add lots of storage space, are heavy duty, and are not too expensive.
Use one or two of the shelves to store extra bulky household items like paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies.
You may also want to store archival files (like back taxes and their supporting documents) on the top shelf. Store these files in plastic boxes so that if, by chance, water gets into the garage the files will not be damaged.
3. Hang Bikes
Save floor space and organize your garage by hanging your bikes. The Container Store has a variety of hooks and hangers that can either be installed directly onto the wall or added into an Elfa storage system.
4. Sports Equipment
If you and/or your children are involved in many different sports the garage can get cluttered by sports gear. Organize the sports equipment in the garage and group it by type. All tennis racquets can hang on hooks. Put baseball bats in a tall garbage can so they stay together and don’t fall all over the place. If you have a hockey player in the family, the hockey sticks can also go in a tall garbage can.
There are also ways to hang skis, snowboards, kayaks, and paddle boards either on the wall or from the ceiling.
Use a basket to corral baseballs, tennis balls, soccer balls, and hockey pucks. This way everyone will know where they are, and you won’t risk a fall by stepping on one of them.
5. Install a Peg Board
Peg boards and hooks are not just for sporting equipment. Hang garden tools as well as household maintenance tools from these useful devices. Pegboards are wonderful because you can move the hooks around to accommodate different size tools. Each tool hangs individually so you can easily see where the tool you are looking for is on the peg board.
When you use the available wall space in this way and get as many things as possible up off of the floor you make room for your car or cars. The benefits are endless. You can see what you have. The sports equipment is contained and easy for those who use it to find the equipment they need when they want it. Time isn’t wasted hunting for the missing skate, knee, elbow pad, or helmet, tennis racquet or tennis balls. You will be on time for the different sporting events. The garage will stay organized as long as everyone in the family helps and puts their things where they belong.
Are you looking for more tips on how to clear your home of clutter? Check out our virtual clutter support group.
Diane N. Quintana is a Certified Professional Organizer®, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®, Master Trainer, co-owner of Release●Repurpose●Reorganize and owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia. Diane teaches busy people how to become organized and provides them with strategies and solutions for maintaining order in their lives. She specializes in residential and home-office organizing and in working with people affected by ADD, Hoarding, and chronic disorganization.