If your garage is ruffling your feathers (and embarrassing you in front of neighbors when the door opens and closes!) you’re not alone. According to a survey from Sparefoot, 47% of people surveyed admitted to not being able to park in their garage. And it’s easy to understand! Garages are out of sight, out of mind spaces that we don’t have to show to our guests when they visit, and they so easily become a catch-all for “one of these days” and “project in progress” items. But if you’re ready to make the most of your square footage with a garage that houses what it needs to and maybe even allows for parking, here are our best tips:
Step 1: Start With a Clean Slate
You’re not going to like this, but the truth is that things often have to get worse before they get better, and garage organization is certainly one of those times. Move your cars off the driveway so that you’ve got room to pull every single item out, and move on to Step 2.
Step 2: Assess Like a Pro
Chances are, not everything that has been tossed into your garage over time needs to stay, so keep your garage goals in mind. Home gym? Park 2 cars? Personal dance studio? The world is your oyster!
Now’s the time to get analytical about what makes the cut. Bring items, one by one, out of your garage and put them on your driveway/yard into one of 4 categories:'
A) Donate - items that are in good shape and that can still serve someone else, but that realistically you haven’t used in a long while (or maybe ever) and won’t truly miss.
B) Trash - if it’s ripped, torn, stained, rusted, expired, or super rumpled it’s not in condition to donate, and it needs to be tossed.
C) Elsewhere Items - these are things you know for sure you do want to keep and you definitely will use, but they don’t belong in the garage. Be wary of adding much to this category so that you’re not overwhelming the rest of your home by solving problems in your garage. If you’re on the fence, do like Elsa…Let It Go!
D) Keepers - As you bring out items you know you want to keep, be sure to pile like items with like items. All lawncare items together, all tools, all sports equipment, etc. If it looks like you’re having a yard sale, you’re doing it right! Now you’re in a position to “shop” through your own belongings and look for redundancies. Do you really need 5 yard rakes, or could you live happily with one or two? Now’s the time to really whittle down what makes the cut to come back inside.
Step 3: Time for a Clean Sweep - literally
Inevitably, garages are dusty, grimy spaces that spiders, bugs, and woodland creatures seem to love. Take this opportunity while the space is empty to sweep your whole garage, starting with the ceilings and walls, then move on to the floors - and don’t forget the corners and surfaces of any shelving you already have in place. Now you’re ready to begin organizing.
Step 4: Create Zones
Think through your space and the different piles that are currently on your driveway. You want to have an obvious section for each collection of items. Your zones may include departments such as:
Sports Equipment
Lawn and Garden
Tools and Hardware
Automotive Supplies
Holiday Decor
Ensuring that everything is in its proper zone will let you shop your garage like a store, so that you can see at a glance what you own, easily access it for use, and return it to its home with no sweat.
Step 5: Go Vertical
Now that you’ve thought through which Zones you’ll put where, be sure that you have the bones of organization in place in the form of shelves, hook systems, or pegboards. In garages especially, creating vertical storage space is key so that we avoid sprawl on the floor we need for parking (or playing poker, or Jazzercise…you do you, friend!) so be sure to ask yourself what structure is required to support the holding and organizing of all the items you want to store in that zone.
Step 6: Invest in the Right Containers for the Job
We’ve been professionally organizing garages since 2011 and take it from us, spiders…especially brown recluses…love cardboard. It’s an ideal, dry, and dark environment that mimics their natural habitat of rotting wood and bark, and since your garage is likely a humid, dark, and relatively undisturbed area, it’s perfect for nesting and hunting.
Decide that anything worth keeping is worth protecting, and invest in relatively inexpensive clear plastic bins with snap-on lids for a tight seal. Not only will these keep wildlife at bay, but they’ll also serve as a barrier between other natural elements like moisture. Be sure not to place damp items into these containers and add silica gel packets inside the bins to absorb any remaining trapped moisture.
Step 7: Label, Label, Label
Your shelves are built, your hook systems are installed, and you’ve decided on your zones where all the like items go together. Now comes the fun part! Place your items in their clear containers, the containers on the shelves, and label every one of those bad boys. Do your future self a favor by being specific with your label names. For instance, instead of having multiple bins marked “Christmas,” name them “Outdoor Christmas Lights,” “Christmas Dishes,” “Tree Skirts and Stockings,” etc.
To ensure your labels stick in a garage environment, you can purchase industrial strength labels, or adhesive label holders, but one of the most effective and low-cost methods we’ve found is to add a standard label to the bin and then cover it with Crystal Clear Gorilla Tape. It won’t yellow with age, is super thick and waterproof, and it’s built to stand the tests of time and environment.
Step 8: Schedule Seasonal Resets
Just like getting in shape requires staying in shape to really enjoy the benefits, creating organization requires refreshing it from time to time if you’re not perfect at putting things back perfectly after each use. Go to your calendar and set a date with yourself at the beginning of spring, summer, winter, and fall. A half-hour session of resetting, and maybe a good dusting and sweep-out is all it takes each season to keep things functioning wonderfully.
Step 9: Enjoy Your Space!
Did you plan to craft in your newly reclaimed garage floor space? Bust out the hot glue gun!
Was parking your goal? Pull inside and post a pic on social media showing off your great work!
Was your goal a Tae Bo space? Get out there and work up a sweat with Billy Blanks!
Whatever your garage goals, take pride in knowing that you’re making all of your square footage work for you!