Do you cringe with embarrassment when you open the door to your garage, or worse yet when a friend or stranger has to enter your garage? Well, you’re not alone! Garages can be like one large junk drawer if we are not mindful of maintaining them as we go about our lives. You should set up time once a year, ideally over a weekend, to make your garage a space you can be proud of. Choose a time either in the spring or fall when all family members can participate in the garage cleaning effort. The best advice is to do it in stages and create piles for what gets kept, sold, donated or trashed.
Use Wall Storage
There is only so much floor space in your garage and usually, that is taken up by vehicles. Get creative and go vertical, using the walls for storage. Inventory what you need to store and then make a trip to your local home supply store to find the best solutions for your items and needs.
Pegboards and slat walls can be hung to hold additional storage options such as hooks, baskets, and shelves. Various sized bins can be used to hold small items such as nails and bolts, or larger items like gardening tools and sports equipment. Old furniture such as chests of drawers or desks can be placed in the garage to double as storage and work area surfaces. Or build a simple set of drawers to store items with some wall storage above for hand tools.
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All Hands On-Deck
The garage belongs to all family members and all should have a responsibility in keeping it organized. Get your kids to help! They should have all their sports, toys and belongings in a particular spot in the garage. Sports equipment is easily stored in bins or hung on the wall. When they get new bikes, get rid of the old ones if they won’t be inherited by a younger sibling. Let the kids keep money from selling any of their old items to free up much-needed space and it will be an incentive for them to help! Every family member has different stuff, so your garage organization needs to be unique.
Toxic or Combustible Materials
There are many items that are stored in garages that can potentially create health and safety hazards. From gasoline and grill storage to paints, cleaners, and sharp gardening objects all can be dangerous if not stored appropriately. Make sure any items that are hazardous to family members or pets are properly stored and out of reach. Propane tanks should not be stored with the grill in a garage but should be kept at a safe distance away from your home. In fact, there are several things that are often stored in garages that really should not be.
Key to Keeping It Organized
For a consistently organized garage, everything should have a proper place and that place should be obvious to all family members. When all items have a designated hook, bin, or shelf, they are much more likely to make their way back to that spot after each use. Every family member should have a specific area where their items are kept, further encouraging tidiness. Consider a unique storage container for kids, like an old school locker that they can paint or decorate.
