Are you overcome with anxiety every time you need to search for something in your garage? Do you hold back screams of frustration when whatever you are looking for is not where you left it? Trust me, I know the feeling. Luckily, the dream of having a well-organized garage is more obtainable than you think.
If you want to tackle your messy garage but don’t know where to start, look no further. We spoke with homeowners who have successfully turned a cluttered disarray into an orderly workshop. Check out these ideas for tips and products that may help you.
1. Pegboard Walls
The quickest and oldest way to clear up clutter and maximize space is to install pegboards on the garage wall. You have most likely seen this done on most garages and workstations because it’s an amazing idea that always works to declutter.
Pegboards allow you to attach hooks and supports to hang your hand tools on. You can also use them to make little shelves for various pieces of hardware and containers. Stop losing your tools to the clutter of one of your drawers. Keep them at eye level with a proper home. That way, you can rest assured you won’t misplace something.
2. Re-Use Old Jars
You’ll be kicking yourself for not thinking of this simple hack a long time ago. One of the many genius renovation ideas I remember from my grandpa’s garage was his second-hand use of old jars. Instead of random drawers filled with screws, nails, and other bolts, he labeled the jars to stay organized and find the right tool at the right time.
The next time you finish that jar of pickles, jelly, or baby food, wash it out and use it in your garage instead of tossing it into the recycle bin.
3. Shelving on Walls
These shelves can be cheap and easy to install. For less than ten dollars, you can add a couple of shelves to hold your miscellaneous bottles, containers, sprayers, and paper products.
I like to mount these by the door for easy access to cleaning items. By storing these in the garage, you keep dangerous chemicals away from kids, and keeping them on a shelf next to the door avoids venturing into the cold garage every time there is a little spill.
4. Put Bulky Items on Wheels
One of the mainstays of a working garage is a proper workbench. While these benches are vital to completing essential projects, they also take up valuable space and can be a burden when organizing the rest of the garage. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this conundrum: wheels!
It’s as easy as that. Mount some heavy-duty casters to the bottom of your table so you can move it around the space and park a car when not in use. Be sure to get locking wheels to avoid movement and keep the workbench in place.
5. Magnetic Tool Strip
Don’t you hate it when you’re looking for a specific tool to finish a job? It’s always buried at the bottom of a drawer, or tucked away in a bin that you haven’t looked through in years. If only there was a way to keep your tools visible, and within arms reach.
Luckily there is, and DIYers are sharing their quick fix to this common problem. Mounting a magnetic strip to your workspace wall is a fantastic way to keep your tools together at eye level. These items cost under $20 and can be installed in munites. What a game-changer!
6. Garage Corner Shelves
Corner space in the garage is often overlooked and left unused. If you are trying to maximize your workspace, you need to get creative, and that is when these vacant corners can come in handy with some extra shelving.
All you need is a sheet of plywood, a support beam, and some screws, and you’re set! This is a perfect spot to keep smaller car cleaning products, landscape spray, or chemical bottles you want to keep off the ground or separated from other bulky containers.
7. Utilize Space Above the Garage
If your garage is triangle-shaped, you have a ton of unused space where the garage starts to angle. This place is ideal for stashing away seasonal decorations like Christmas trees, lights, lawn decorations, and other random items. It’s almost like installing an attic in your home without the work.
For a make-do attic, all you need to do is grab some plywood from your local hardware store and slide it on your rafters. Now, you can keep those holiday flares stowed away safely each year while making everyday items easier to grab.
8. Bike Racks
Speaking of utilizing space above the floor, installing bike hooks on the roof rafter or the walls clears the area bikes take up. Plus, getting them up off the ground is a great way to deter onlookers and thieves from an easy jackpot.
You have multiple options when it comes to these hooks. You can buy the basic ones that screw into the beams and hold onto the frames. Or, many bike shops sell fancy racks that lock into place for added security. Either way, both options will get the job done.
9. Ceiling-Mounted Shelves
If you haven’t noticed, this article has a growing trend. Floor space in a garage is prime real estate. That is why we need to maximize our air zone for proper functionality. What better way to do this than with a set of ceiling-mounted shelves.
These storage shelves look like hammocks hanging from your rafters. They adjust to different levels depending on the room, can hold up to 500 pounds, and are open on each end so you can see exactly what you have tucked away.
You can also use your DIY skills to build a replica product using PVC pipe as an alternative to the store-bought product.
10. Long-Handled Tool Rack
Long-handled tools like mops, brooms, rakes, and shovels can be hard to organize and store in a crowded garage. Gravity can get the best of them, and the next thing you know, they have tipped over, carrying them and anything in their way behind your tool bench. What a pain!
Stop this headache with a mounted wall rack. These can be purchased pre-made at any hardware store or, with a bit of creativity, built with some basic shelving. The bottom line is that the rack wall keeps the tools flush with the wall and allows easy access when needed.
11. Vertical Stacked Bins
Once again, we are addressing ways to avoid cluttering up valuable ground space. Big box hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes sell adjustable shelves that can hold your Rubbermaid storage containers vertically, making use of the wall space in your garage.
You could just stack the bins on top of each other, but that becomes a hassle when you need something from the bottom bin. These bins allow you to slide the bin in and out for easy access, whether they are on the top or bottom. Plus, they can be mounted to the wall for some added safety and security.
12. Canvas Storage Bags For Decorations
If you’re the type of person who goes all out with the decorations during the holiday season, these canvas storage bags are just what you need for the rest of the year.
They come in many shapes and sizes, depending on whether you are stowing away a tree, ornaments, statues, or lights. Made of a durable plastic exterior, they keep dust, insects, and other critters away from your precious heirlooms. And they zip up into a sleek, compact form so you can tuck them away in the rafters or a garage closet.
13. Garage Storage Cabinets
Installing storage cabinets might be the most labor-intensive endeavor on this list, but they are also the most effective when it comes to organization. Several companies let you choose the size and number of cabinets you need to customize the exact floorplan of your garage. Just think about how nice it would be to have a cabinet dedicated to something specific. One could be for gardening tools, car parts, kids’ toys, and whatever else you need.