Organising your Garage

A house’s garage has a tendency to become cluttered and disorganised, especially if it is only being used to store things, and not a car. The garage can be made better use of by organising it properly. Sorting out the garage can be troublesome, especially if junk has been accumulating in it for years, so once it is organised it is easier to keep on top of. Organising the garage will require everything in it to have a place, and for those things being stored there to be easily accessible, especially those items that are used regularly. Here is a five step process for organising the garage.

Sort the Contents

Firstly sort through everything in the garage and add them to categories. Some suggested categories are sporting equipment and tools. Items can then be assigned to sub-categories if desired. Tools can be separated into power tools and hand tools. Once the amount of stuff is seen it can then be sorted out and stored in the correct place. Anything that is in the garage that shouldn’t be should be removed and placed in its correct place. Place items in the house, in areas such as the loft or cellar, if that is their proper place. In addition, sort out anything that should be sold or disposed of, being sure to recycle anything that is thrown out.

Sort through Seasonal Items

Some of the items stored in the garage will not be used all year round. Lawn maintenance items such as a lawn mower should be stored together on their own rack so that they can be easily reached when needed yet not be in the way. Winter items such as snow shovels, grit, ice scrapers and winter leisure items such as sleds should also be stored together. Do this with the items needed for every season. If there is the space, at the beginning of each season rotate the items used in the previous season to the ones needed for the current one, so that the items now needed are the most accessible. Make storage such as shelves and cupboards for any sporting equipment. Some garden furniture may not be suitable for being left outside all year round, and will also need storing.

Add More Storage

Should you find that you need more storage, consider adding shelves, cupboards and drawers to the garage. Store items in such a way that those items that are used the most are the easiest to reach. If you can make these yourself, do so; if you can’t then hire a joiner or handyman to add them for you. Adding the storage may need to be done before other steps can be finished; otherwise there may not be enough storage to organise things away.

Add a Working Area

Should the garage be used as a workshop, it can make sense to add a workbench or table. Store your tools in tool chests or use a pegboard to hang them on the wall near the work area where they can be to hand when needed.

Rubbish and Recycling Bins

Having some rubbish or recycling bins stored near the garage can help keep on top of junk. If the bins are close by, it can help stop rubbish being kept instead of being disposed of.