A garage is almost always a hugely under-utilised space within the home. A large, almost empty room that can take on any role you wish from a safe place to keep your car, to a workshop for your DIY projects, a home studio for arts and crafts, or even a personal workout space/gym. More often than not, though, our garages just end up filled with all the random stuff we don't know what else to do with. We take a valuable piece of real estate and turn it into a dumping ground filled with things that only see the light of day one a decade, and even then usually when moving them to get to something else.
To help you tidy up your garage space and make the best use of it, here are our four strategies for keeping it organised.
Clearing Out Your Junk
Junk invariably builds up in a garage space. It's an unfortunate fact of life; when something is no longer being used or when we're clearing out other rooms in the house, it all gets dumped in the garage. Having a regular clear out of all the junk that you no longer need is the first step in organising and keeping your garage clean.
With every item, you come across asking yourself both if you have used it in the last six months, and if you had even noticed it was missing. Bring the kids on board to help clear out their old toys too — just be careful they don't get carried away playing with things! If there is too much-unwanted junk you may want to consider hiring a rubbish removal company.
Hang Your Tools on Your Wall
The garage is the natural home of tools and DIY supplies. But those supplies aren't much use if they can't be accessed easily when you need them. Creating easy-to-access and neat storage solutions for your tools and supplies not only makes life easier but will free up space for other things.
Pegboards are a wonderful way to have all your tools out on display, and therefore easily accessible, without them taking up large amounts of space. They are available in a range of sizes from most hardware stores and only take 30 minutes to fit.
Utilise Your Ceiling Space
Floor and wall space aren’t the only space available in your garage. An often-forgetting space that can be utilised is the ceiling. Many garages have open rafters where you can fit wooden boards to create hidden storage space.
One garage organizing trick is to install wooden ceiling racks. You can declutter all the small items and free up valuable garage space on the floor.
Construction isn’t too difficult. Place some corner braces in the corners for added reinforcement, and use additional corner braces to mount the entire rack to the ceiling.
Even if your garage doesn't have exposed rafters and roof space, you can benefit from some clever suspended and ceiling-based storage solutions. Hooks and pulleys are especially useful for lifting items such as bikes and lawnmowers out the way.
Buy a Stackable Tub for Each Person
Whatever size your family is, the garage is almost certainly a host to a pile of each person's stuff. From sentimental keepsakes to favourite toys, and useful (but rarely used) accessories, things can get out of control quickly.
Individual, stackable tubs for each person allows everybody to keep their stuff in an easy to find a place while minimising the amount of space taken up. A whole wall of shelving can be condensed into a single corner of neatly stackable boxes.
Install Open Shelves Instead of Cupboards
Shelves are less expensive, easier to access (you don't need additional clearance to swing the doors open) and let you easily scan what you've stored. Cabinets with doors give you an excuse to stay disorganized because you can hide the evidence, so they can quickly become messy.
Use them sparingly—like when the things you're storing need to be protected from airborne dust and dirt.
Use a Fold-Up Workbench
Every garage needs a workbench, but finding a space for it can be tricky. To save floor space, consider installing a foldable workbench on the wall and when you need to do work in the garage, you can take your car out to make room.
You can either look at building one yourself or there are plenty of prebuilt options you can purchase.
Organise Your Fishing Rods
Fishing fans… we all know how our gear can take up valuable space in our garages. From storing the rods, the bait box to our nets, the gear can end up taking a lot of room on the garage floor.
To save space, install PVC pipes along the wall to have the fishing rods held upright. Furthermore, install ceiling shelves along the top to put your bait box instead of leaving it on the ground to declutter the floor.
Safety First
If little ones will be using the garage it's important to find safe ways of storing hazardous items. Lockable heavy-duty cabinets are perfect for storing chemicals and tools that are potentially dangerous. With a minimalist finish, they're a go-to storage choice for garages that are also used as rumpus or games rooms, helping to create a seamless transition between house and garage.
Christina is a proud wife, mother, entrepreneur, author and world traveller. Previously a successful businesswoman who gave it all up to raise children, Christina spent a lot of her free time during those years flipping through books and learning about a plethora of topics.