These days, garages have become more than just a place to store vehicles. In some houses, it's become a storage room for everything except their car. As a matter of fact, in some neighborhoods, the homeowner’s association (HOA) has strict rules on how long vehicles can be parked on the driveway. If you fall under that category or you simply cannot stand the mess in your garage, then keep on reading these tips to help you manage the job and lose the clutter.
The first part in organizing your garage is deciding what to keep and what to through out. Homeowners have a tendency to pack too many functions into the garage, which instantly creates a chaotic situation. Set yourself a rule to treat your garage just like any other other room in your house. Do not throw in everything that requires a storage space. Do you have old packages? Throw it out. Do you have a broken luggage that is about to fall apart? Get rid of it. The chances that you'll be using that luggage again is very slim.
If your garage has way too many important storage items that cannot be thrown out, then the best thing to do is to rent a storage room. Renting a storage unit close to your home for the items that you don’t want in the garage but still need is a great solution. It will make the organization project go much smoother and faster.
You wouldn't believe how helpful storage shelves are in achieving an organized look. They not only keep items from getting messy, but they also allow you to orientate yourself better when looking for a specific item. Luckily, many of the shelving units have adjustable shelves, so a combination of high and low shelves allows you to fit various different sized items.
One of the best ways to ensure things don't go out of place is assembling similar items in the same area. For example, store holiday decorations in one place for easy retrieval and label the bags or boxes in which you’re storing them. You could also try putting small objects, such as screws, in clear jars or small plastic boxes. Another great tip is to organize based on colored boxes. For example, decide that all stationary items are placed in the red box and all wrapping iteps (wrapping paper, ribbons, etc.) are found in the blue box.
The idea is to create a system that helps you remember where items are stored and what these items are. Use a sticker and a dark marker for labeling, so next time you look for a specific item, you'll be able to spot it out much easily.
You may notice that the biggest items in your garage, such as bicycles,take up A LOT of space. Bicycles are one of those items that must be kept in the garage, so there isn't really a “way” to get rid of the place they make up. But who said you can't store bicycles in the garage and still save a spacious area? A great solution for that are hangers! Hangers exist that let you easily hoist them up and down from the ceiling using pulleys and cables. With them, you'll be able to store your large valuables AND save yourself some space.
Tool boxes and tool kits are the easiest ways to keep the tools you use around the house organized, especially the small tools. Label the outside of the toolboxes so you know what’s inside without having to open the case each time. There is nothing more annoying (and dangerous!) than seeing screws scattered everywhere. Collect them all and place them inside the toolkit. Next time you look for a screw or a screwdriver , you'll know exactly where to find it.
Conclusion
Do you feel a little better about your messy garage now? We have that after reading this article you have gained some hope regarding organizing your garage. Organization is not an easy task, but after it is done, it makes YOUR life easier. Try implementing all, if not a few of these tips and you’ll be seeing great improvements in the overall look of your garage.
