Every time we need to store something but the inside of the house seems like inappropriate storage space, we think of our garage. Over time, all kinds of junk end up in the garage and even the things we really need are placed without any order. This leads to the creation of clutter, resulting in the fact that we cannot open the car door without hitting a can of paint or some other object.
Once junk starts to pile up, it is time to start thinking about how to get rid of it in an efficient manner. If you approach the clean-up of your garage in the proper manner, the cleaning should not take days to complete. Just stick to the following guideline and you’ll have a clutter-free garage in no time!
Shelves are better than cabinets
Once all the junk is gone in a skip bin, it is time to sort out the rest of the items we really need. Many people tend to reuse old wooden cabinets for storage but this is not the best solution. All you’ll end up doing is placing clutter behind closed doors. Shelves are much more efficient because not only will you instantly know where you’ve placed the basketball, for instance, but you’ll be able to access everything with ease. Another downside to repurposing old cabinets is the fact that they need swing space but a typical garage is a constricted area.
Making use of overhead space
Since space is a real issue in any garage, you should try putting every square inch to good use. For once, acquire shelves that run from the floor to the garage’s roof. This will prevent dust from collecting on the top shelf that you will have no trouble accessing using a step ladder. In areas where such shelves are not possible like above the hood of the car, use hanging shelves. They are useful for storing large items such as wood planks as they can be secured using rope and anchored to the ceiling.
A pegboard
So far, we have discussed horizontal storage space but you can store stuff vertically as well. A pegboard is good solution when it comes to gear that can be hung, like overalls and other types of clothing. They are ideal for displaying hand tools and arranging them in an orderly manner. For instance, you can hand the drill according to their size, ascending or descending. In a garage that doesn’t offer enough room shelves, pegboards are the perfect substitute because they are narrower, leaving more room for the car to fit in with room to spare.
Cleaning the garage
Since you are going to move a lot of stuff around, many surfaces that have been covered for years will be exposed. You shouldn’t immediately place something new in their place as a thorough cleaning is necessary. Get hold of industrial cleaners to get rid of oil stains as well, so all the surfaces in the garage will be as good as new. In fact, consider throwing in a steel cleaning cupboard like the one janitors use to store all the cleaning equipment. Just because you have decluttered and cleaned the garage, it doesn’t mean that it won’t require regular cleaning afterward.
Grouping and labeling items
Another useful strategy is grouping items that belong to the same category together. For instance, a power saw will go together with other power tools, while a screwdriver can go on the same shelf or a pegboard as a hammer. This way, it would be easier to find what you are looking for, preventing you from creating a mess in the garage just because cannot find a bolt of a particular size.
Once you group everything together, it would be wise to label everything. You don’t venture into the garage that often so you might forget over time which container contains which items. Furthermore, you are probably not the only person using the garage or you might a friend to fetch you something from the garage. It’s useful to have labels for other people’s sake.
Hanging bikes
The biggest issue when it comes to storage space in a garage is bulky items. If you own a bicycle, the logical place where you want to keep it is inside the garage, protected from the elements. However, a bike takes up a lot of free space unless you disassemble it, which is something no homeowners want to do. The solution to this problem is wall pegs that will get the bike out of way, all the while making it easily accessible. Find a suitable location for the pegs on the wall and install them (usually there are two of them) to lift the bike up and out of the way of the car.
Cornering the garden tools
If you own a backyard, then you probably have a whole bunch of garden tools. The biggest of them, like rakes, buckets, and shovels can prove too tricky to store if you lack a garden shed. Again, the garage seems like a suitable storage space but you have to be economical. Get all the garden tools together, including those cumbersome water buckets, and place them in one corner of the garage. Corner shelving is totally inefficient so corners should be used for storing large tools, including the snow shovel.
Throwing out the junk in your garage is junk is easy; thinking how to prevent clutter from reappearing is hard. The tips we have provided you with should help you create a clean and well-organized space that will remain so for years to come.
