How to Organize Your Garage

We are almost done de-cluttering around here, and this weekend, we finally got around to cleaning up the garage.

It was so easy to open up the door and toss all of the bags and boxes slated for charity out into the garage, until I had to deal with them–and everything else that has piled up over the past year {ahem, years}.

Here are a few more decluttering tips:

To start, sort everything into piles.  Make a keep, donate/sell, and trash pile.  Be selective about the “keep pile”.  If you haven’t used in three years, it’s out of there.  {The exception might be mementos–like the kids’ artwork, baby clothes, etc. that  you are holding onto for sentimental value.}  Immediately load the donate pile into the car and take it, or arrange for pick-up.  Getting that whole pile actually out of the garage clears up space for the stuff that is going to stay.  If you are going to have a garage sale with all of your left-overs, you may have to live with the pile taking up the space your car might have gotten for a little while longer.

I like to use large bins to store all of my holiday stuff, etc.  They are easy to label, they keep everything a little more protected than cardboard boxes {cardboard is susceptible to rodents, water damage, and denting/destruction}.  You can go the clear bin route, so that you can see everything you’re loading into them, or you can label them well.  Either way, if you have something that is worth actually keeping, then it’s probably best to treat it that way.

I think shelves are pretty much a must in garage organization.  If you or your spouse are handy, you can make them, otherwise, consider purchasing some sort of shelving system.  Home Depot carries tons of options, with huge ranges in price.  If you rent, they even have heavy-duty mobile options with wheels that can come with you from house to house–making the investment a little more worth while.

Like all organization, group like with like.  If you have different paint colors throughout your house and keep the leftover paint cans for touch-ups, keep all of the paint together.  Label the cans with a sharpie {i.e. The Girl’s Room} so that you can quickly grab it if you need it.

If there is a workbench in your garage, consider getting bins and organizers to keep everything sorted and easy to find.  Pegboards are great for frequently used tools, while less frequently used tools are best kept in a tool box, out of the way.

If you keep shovels, brooms, etc. in the garage, consider getting a wall-mounted or freestanding organizer.  It will keep them all together and prevent them from falling over and cluttering the garage.  I’ve even seen some pretty cool and simple pallet organizers too.

If everyone in your family has a bike, consider hanging them from either the ceiling or wall of the garage during the winter months.  It will keep them from cluttering up your garage during the time of year that they don’t get used frequently.

Once your de-cluttered, de-trashed, and placed everything in its new home, pull your car into the garage, so it can proudly reclaim its space.

Feels good, right?

~Mavis