Homeowners understand that the main purpose of a garage is to store their car when not in use. For some people, however, the garage becomes a convenient dumping grounds for other things and it isn’t long before they barely have room to fit a car.
The good news is that people don’t have to let clutter take over their garage. By following the steps below, any homeowner can have an organized garage with plenty of space for their vehicle and everything else they need to store.
Starting is the Hardest Part of an Organized Garage
Looking at piles of clutter in the garage can make people feel so anxious that they continue putting off organizing the space until one day that is no longer possible. Although they may dread the chore, most people feel highly motivated to complete it once they start. Here are some ideas to initiate the process of enabling an organized garage.
- Be sure to set aside enough time for the entire project. Some people only need one day while others require a full weekend.
- Anyone in the family old enough to help with the project should do so. After all, they likely have personal items stored in the garage too. Homeowners may need to invite a few friends over to help and then offer to return the favor when their friends need help.
- Make it a point to go through everything in the garage. It is not uncommon for people to have unopened boxes in their garage from when they moved in, no matter how many years they have lived in their current home. This could be the location of items that have been missing for years.
Creating separate piles for things to keep, throw away, or donate helps to ensure the garage clean-up project remains organized from the start. Homeowners should open the garage door and place three tarps on the driveway to place items from each category.
This frees up space in the garage and having less clutter to look at helps many people feel more in control as they see visual proof of their hard work.
Set Up a Tool Board for Wall Mounting
A pegboard tool board kit takes up some wall space, but it allows people to store multiple items in a single location while freeing up a lot of room in the garage. Pegboards come in a range of sizes and have small holes in them to hang hooks that hold tools or other items in place.
Homeowners may even wonder how they lived without pegboards once they see how much they help to reduce clutter in the garage. Easily accessible and organized tools are the cornerstone of an organized garage.
Take Inventory of Remaining Items and Measure Available Wall Space
After separating everything in the garage into one of three piles, it’s a good idea for the homeowner to create an inventory list of what he or she wishes to keep. Since hanging items on the wall frees up a lot of space, the next step should be to calculate the available space and begin planning for what to place there.
Set Up a Gardening Station
People who like to garden know that the equipment needed for the hobby can take up a lot of space. Between fertilizer, shovels, flowerpots, and everything else needed for planting, gardening equipment can quickly take over a garage. One simple way to keep everything organized is to devote a corner of the garage to gardening supplies. A few shelves on the wall to hold supplies and a small table should be all it takes to organize these items.
The old saying goes that a person’s home is their castle. An organized garage is part of that castle and deserves just as much care and attention as the rest of the house.
