Are you overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in your garage? Do you feel like it’s impossible to get it organized? Do you even have a place to park your car? We know how hard it can be to organize the garage. It’s one of those spaces that end up as a catch-all. However, with a bit of planning and effort, you can get your garage looking tidy in no time. Here are five manageable steps to get your garage organized for good.
Step One: Clean Out the Clutter
The first step to getting your garage organized is to clear out the clutter. You can do this in two passes through the garage.
During your first pass, grab anything that can immediately be thrown out or donated. In fact, set up a donation pickup through one of your local agencies and start setting those items aside immediately.
Step Two: Sort Items Into Categories
Second, take everything out of the garage, and start grouping like items together. If you see duplicates of any item, consider adding it to the donation pile.
As you are emptying the garage, consider what categories those items belong to. These categories have to make sense for how you use your garage, but we do have suggestions.
Your categories could include tools, sports equipment, toys, garden supplies, automotive supplies, and seasonal items. Even within those categories, you might sort by person. For example, this is all the sporting equipment that belongs to one child, and this is the equipment for another child.
Be specific, but don’t overdo it. You can get more granular when you’re putting items away.
Step Three: Clean the Garage
Give the garage a good cleaning before you organize. A clean slate will make the organizing process much easier.
Vacuum any dust or dirt that has accumulated and wipe down shelves and other surfaces with a damp cloth. Sweep and hose down the floor.
Consider hiring a professional painter to paint the floor if you have time. Yes, your items may sit outside of the garage, but with an empty garage, it’s a great time to get a paint job done.
Step Four: Find a Storage Solution for Each Category
Once you have sorted all the items into categories, it’s time to find a storage solution for each of them. Depending on the items, there are various types of storage solutions available, from shelves and boxes to wall racks and cabinets.
Consider how you want to organize each item to make the best use of your space and to keep your items accessible. If you want to keep frequently used items close at hand, opt for drawers or wall-mounted racks.
For bulky items or seasonal items that don’t get used very often, consider using clear stackable plastic bins or other larger containers. Don’t forget to label each container or shelf so you know where everything is located.
Use vertical space. Make use of any vertical space you have available in the garage by adding wall or ceiling-mounted shelves. Add hooks on pegboards for tools, bikes, and other items.
Step Five: Put Everything Away
Begin by storing items in the same category together. For example, if you store seasonal decorations, put them all in the same area of your garage. If you’re sorting sports equipment by person, you’ll still have those items in the same general area. You can also use labels or drawers to further organize your items within each category.
If you are using shelving or other large storage solutions, place heavier items at the bottom and lighter items at the top. This will help the stability of your shelves and reduce the risk of anything falling over.
Leave a bit of room between each item to make it easier to find things when you need them.
Finally, if you have any items that you don’t use often, consider storing them in an area of your garage that is more difficult to access. This will help to keep your main storage areas free from clutter.
Local Professional Organizer
If you’re still overwhelmed by tackling your garage organization, Totally Organized is here to help. Totally Organized home organization services can get your garage efficiently set up for day-to-day life. Our Dallas area professional home organizers tackle all kinds of projects from big to small.