If you are lucky enough to live in a house with a garage – then give it the respect it deserves! Our garage is always a dumping ground for anything and everything. The garage can often be the neglected room of a house. A place where clutter builds up and cobwebs take over. With that said, a well-organised garage can be a safe haven for all of your beloved tools, outdoor gear and a car, maybe even two.
Whether you are moving into a new home, or you cringe every time you walk through piles of boxes and garden tools just to reach your car door, then this article is for you. Read on for 6 top tips on getting or keeping your garage under control.
1) Sort and Store
The first step in organising your garage is to invest in some heavy duty storage solutions. High-quality storage options will ensure your belongings will be protected from the elements, in addition to the occasional mouse or rat that sneaks in. Sort your gear into themes such as Winter and Summer gear, lawn care, Christmas decorations etc.
Label bins clearly and make them easily accessible in a logical organised way.
For example, store your Winter gear, such as snow shoes or winter fly fishing gear, next to Christmas gear. Use only what you need for the season and keep the rest neatly tucked away.
2) Don’t Wait
The best case scenario is to organise your garage right when you move into a new house. This is far easier than sorting through piles of gear thrown into piles over the years. Organising your wardrobe and getting the inside of the house sorted is crucial of course, but don’t neglect that garage.
3) Add Shelves
Often, garages are a blank slate, which is exciting for someone ready to design the perfectly organised space! Adding a couple of shelves along one whole wall is a great way to double or triple storage capacity. The shelves can house the durable storage containers making them easily seen and accessible.
4) Rack Them Up
Install a wall-mounted rack for stand up tools. This rack can serve as a station for tools such as shovels, rakes, brooms, weed whackers and anything else that is a taller tool needing to be stored upright.
5) Don’t Forget the Small Guys
While used a place to neatly store gear and tools, garages are often used as a workshop. In addition to larger items, you need to take into consideration some tidy places for smaller items as well. Some sort of cubby hole system works well to house screws, nails, glues and other bits and bobs.
6) Forget the Food
The garage can be a great place to store a variety of items. There are, however, a few things that should find a home elsewhere. A second fridge is often housed in the garage. What homeowners don’t realise is how much energy it takes to keep the fridge cool in the varying temperatures of a garage. Another is pet food. Storing food of any kind in your garage is an open invite to pests that will not only help themselves to that food, but will try to get into all your expensive camping gear as well!
We have all been driving down the road and had a quick glimpse into a perfectly organised garage. That rush of envy washes over you, and it is easy to think that level of tidy, clutter-free living is not attainable. This, however, is not true.
With the right storage solutions, some time dedicated to sorting through what you really need, and discipline about keeping things organised you too could be the envy of the neighbourhood.
