If you also find your garage feels more like an eyesore than well-planned storage and functional space; here are 8 organization tips to keep your garage organized, clean, safe, and as efficient a space as possible.
A well-established garage is more than just a place to park your vehicles; it houses everything that reflects your and your family’s lifestyle. From camping gear to an outdoor grill, and ggarage organizedardening tools to a welding station, you owe it to yourself to take the time to organize the space that houses the belongings you use to enjoy your life.
1. Clean And Clear It Out
First things first, dedicate time to clear out your garage for cleaning and organization as much as your space will allow. Elon Musk said about cleaning your house, “If you give yourself 30 days to clean your house, it will take you 30 days, but if you give yourself 3 hours, it will take you 3 hours”.
With that said, cleaning and organizing your garage is a hefty process and unlikely to be accomplished within a day. Therefore, depending on the size of your garage as well as how nuanced your organization preferences are, dedicate the appropriate amount of time to clear out and clean up your garage without unnecessarily dragging out the process. The goal is to work with a blank canvas.
If you can safely store your garage items outside without worrying about theft or the weather, that’s great, but you can work on organizing segments or leaving as much as you can to one corner and work your way from there.
2. Create An Organization Plan And Prepare Your Organization System
Unlike a kitchen or bathroom, where it’s easy to organize things in accordance with all things kitchen or bathroom related, a garage’s organization system isn’t as direct. From power tools to car equipment, old toys to garden fertilizer, bicycles to extension cords, where to put these items and how to organize such a myriad of things is more of a challenge.
To tackle this, we suggest that once your space has been cleared out, plan out how you’re going to organize your garage items and where before you actually put things into place.
Paired with creating an organization plan, it will also give you a good idea if you need additional organization systems to bring your organization plan to life. You definitely want your organization systems in place so that putting away your belongings goes smoothly. You don’t want to stop organizing your tools mid-way only to realize you don’t have your wall-mounted tool shelf in place.
3. Use Non-Flammable Containers
The garage is easily a fire hazard, especially if you store items like gas, lawn care products, and even paint in it. It’s essential to store these items correctly to prevent a fire from starting. Use non-flammable and air-tight containers to keep flammable items and mark them as such so that you can easily store them in an appropriate area in the garage – away from heaters, direct sunlight, and appliances.
4. Opt For Clear and Visible Storage
One of the easiest ways to keep your garage organized and less likely to pile up with clutter is by utilizing storage items and organization systems that give you a clear view of what’s inside.
Glass jars, clear plastic bins, open shelves, wire baskets, wall mounts, and open-faced tool racks are fantastic organizational tools on many levels. They allow you to see what’s available to you amidst a dozen organization zones in your garage. It’s easy to forget that you have a box of Christmas decorations next to a box of painting materials if you can’t see what’s inside when you’ve forgotten and can’t see where you’ve stored your garden spade.
5. Keep The Floor Clear And Go Vertical
The garage stores many items, from seasonal decorations to car maintenance tools, gardening supplies, and your kids’ bicycles.
Finding the right way to zone areas with an item’s purpose can become challenging and leave your garage looking cluttered despite your best efforts to organize.
You don’t want organized clutter on your garage floor, so an excellent organization option is to store things on your walls and ceilings instead of on the floor.
Store vertically instead of horizontally.
Think overhead bins, wall mounts, and stackable boxes. You’ll be surprised at how much utilizing vertical space will clear up your garage without having to get rid of anything.
6. Allocate Cleaning Items Specifically For The Garage
Set aside a dedicated cleaning supplies zone in your garage. It’s far easier to reach for a broom to sweep your garage floor if it’s already in the garage than to grab one from the kitchen.
Some essential cleaning items in your garage are a hard bristled broom, degreaser, large microfiber towels, and a power hose. Regardless of what cleaning items you house in your garage, make sure that it’s dedicated to the cleanliness of the garage. Although a seemingly simple act, removing the obstacle of having to go elsewhere for supplies to clean your garage can make all the difference in the ease of keeping it looking pristine.
7. Consider An Epoxy Floor Coating
Adding an epoxy floor coating to your garage elevates the entire space on an aesthetic and functional level. When it comes to color and design, the sky’s the limit with epoxy coatings that can transform a dirty cement garage floor into a more polished and streamlined space.
For a good reason, epoxy floor coatings are the floor finish of choice in industrial settings such as chemical plants and commercial garages.
It’s quick and easy to install, and the finish is highly durable, waterproof, moisture resistant, chemical resistant, dust resistant, and low maintenance. This means the inevitable fallen object and chemical spill will pose little to no issue on an epoxy floor as opposed to a concrete one.
Epoxy floors will make your garage space easier to keep clean and automatically make it look put together despite the many items stored. A simple microfiber mop and a broom is enough to keep an epoxy garage floor clean and unlikely to cause problems.
8. Make It Yours
Lastly, when organizing your garage, make it yours and your household’s liking and set it up in a way that works for everyone. Filter through organization tips and suggestions with the ones that resonate with you. For example, no matter how efficient a wall-mounted tool shelf is, if you prefer a magnetic tool strip instead, then go for it. After all, there’s a wealth of options to organize your garage, but it doesn’t mean you have to utilize all of them.
