Garage Organization 101

October 10, 2010, By Steve Thompson 0 comments

Garage organization is one of the most neglected aspects of home management. Important items are stored in the garage—items you might need on short notice—so organization can improve the safety of your home and family. Plus, a clean space to work or tinker will increase your enjoyment of the garage.

To bring this about, you need a plan. The easiest way to do this is to grab a big piece of paper and draw a floor plan of the garage which, let's face it, usually entails nothing more complicated than a big square. From there, you can designate portions of the garage for specific purposes.

For example, you might want to have areas dedicated to:

Cars. If you want to be able to fit your car in the garage, you'll want to block off an area large enough for this purpose. Just keep in mind that this will significantly reduce storage and work space.

Tools. It might be a pegboard on the wall where you hang everything, which makes good use of vertical space, or it could be a big set of shelves with labeled drawers or bins. Whatever the case, create an organized area for all your tools, as well as supplies, such as nails, screws, drill bits, etc.

Equipment. Lawn mower, leaf blower, etc. These pieces of equipment take up space, so you'll need to create room for them. An alternative is to build a storage shed for your backyard, which will free up room for the garage.

Storage. Wedding gifts you hate but don't want to throw out, old tax records, your kids' report cards, the collection of comic books your wife refuses to keep in the house. All of these things and more might need space in the garage or another outdoor area.

Once you've created a plan, you'll be able to follow it piece by piece.

Weed out the Junk

Garage organization means being willing to part with those items you will never use again. Sort the gems from the junk and make two piles: one for donations and the other for trash. And don't be skimpy with either.

Break Out the Label Maker

You knew that gift from your father-in-law was good for something! And if you don't have a label maker, you can pick one up at Wal-Mart for under $20. Use it to label all the drawers, cabinets, bins and other storage areas of your garage so you can find things easily.

My favorite storage implements are plastic tubs from Wal-Mart or Target. They are heavy-duty and easy to use, and they automatically make garage organization look more pleasing because all the little tools and pieces of equipment are completely hidden from view. Slap a label on each and you won't have trouble finding that hammer again.

Unfortunately—and I can hear the groans now—these garage organization ideas are not a one-shot deal. You have to commit to keeping your space organized or the system will fall apart. This means putting things back when you are finished with them and continually weeding out the junk as it accumulates. If you run out of space, it might be time to start the whole process over again.