How to Organize a Garage

The first question is where to put everything. A garage provides more wall space than floor space, so it's an easy task to systematically assign and arrange that space. The ceiling is also a valuable resource for storage space.

With the insertion of a few well-placed hooks, the garage ceiling transforms in to a litany of overhead storage space that can keep bicycles, ladders, and luggage out of the way. Overhead shelves prevent you from using too much wall space, and are great for items that are used infrequently or seasonally like sports equipment, outdoor Christmas decorations, or window screens and storm doors.

­Built-in garage shelves provide plenty of vertical space for paint cans, spray bottles, power tools, plastic bins, cleaning supplies, flower pots, and boxes and bags of all descriptions. Make sure you arrange them on the shelves by category, putting like items together.

It's helpful to utilize a system of garage storage cabinets and drawers to help house small objects of miscellaneous items that don't have a home yet. attached to the shelves or in boxes and bins that sit on the shelves.

As you sort through everything in your garage, you'll quickly realize that the best garage storage ideas are customized to serve the specific needs of your lifestyle.

Some items may require specific care, while others are awkward and difficult to store. You may want to reserve a section of valuable floor space to build a workshop or house expensive sporting equipment the requires easy access.

You can achieve a neat and tidy look, and dramatically increase the storage capacity of your home with just a couple of well-planned DIY garage organization ideas.

Have a look around your garage and assess your needs before opening boxes and stirring up dust. For the carpenter or home handyman, there are certainly a number of ways to control and regulate the tool situation. A workbench is a good way to gain some control over the equipment and the many nuts, bolts, and screws that are necessary for this hobby.

­ If you're simply looking for a place and a way to organize the tools, nails, and wrenches you use periodically a rack or portable tool box may do the trick. This can be kept in the garage or in the basement, depending on your needs and space.

­The garage often serves as the storage area for garden tools. You may need a place for repotting, sprouting, fertilizing, and seeding blossoms and greenery as well as ample storage space for potting soil, pots, sprinkling cans, and the like.

A freestanding shelving unit, or a combination of crates and bins could be used to build a tidy area that demands little floor space. Of course, little gardening actually goes on in the garage. But the hoes, rakes, spades, shovels, and water hose can be stored there for convenience.

A rack or tool strip on the garage wall can accommodate this equipment. Individual hooks in any configuration can also be used if you don't want to limit yourself to a straight-line arrangement.

­One final matter in the garage deserves your attention since it contributes greatly to clutter. Recycling bins and trash cans are often kept on the garage floor, monopolizing valuable space.

To control or reduce the amount of space these smelly bins take up, you could always move them to a secure location on the other side of the garage door. Keeping these bins outside can free up a lot of space. Failing that, consider using pre-made stackable recycling bins.

Check out the following pages to learn how you can better organize your garage space.