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Garage Organization Tips: It's Ok If You Car Does Not Fit In The Garage
I've never lived in a home where a car was able to fit in the garage and that was okay.
Why?
Because we had other plans for the garage. At one point it worked as an office slash workshop for writing and buildling cabinets while the cars were parked in the driveway. So it all worked out.
But no matter what you use it for, clutter can multiply and spread if not kept in check - especially in a garage. So it is always a good idea to arm yourself with some garage organization tips...
- Know the function of your garage space. Do you want to use the space for what it was originally intented? A safe place to park your vehicle. Or do you have other plans? Whatever you decide or was decided for you, think - in a perfect world, what is the vision for you optimally functional garage space that is clean and organized.
- You can start by cleaning and organizing your garage.
To start your garage beautification and organization project the first step is to actually look at what is in the garage - then decide what needs to stay or what needs to go.
- Take everything out of the garage and leave just the walls and the floor.
- If you are planning on using a garage organizer or putting in garage cabinets - overhead storage bins or shelves - this is the time to do it.
- If you are planning on freshening up the paint this is also the appropriate time to paint.
- Go through each box and get rid of all the items that you no longer need - items that are damaged - or that are unusable for any reason.
- Take a look at the items that remain and begin to sort them according to groups such as sporting goods - mechanical things - household items or other categories.
- Within each category separate the items that you use frequently from those that you use very rarely. Seasonal items may also be separated out of the various categories. Christmas decorations, lawn and garden supplies should be grouped together.
- Take a look at the storage area you have. If you currently have no shelving or cabinets and cannot afford to get any, consider clear plastic bins for some of the smaller objects.
- Plan where it makes sense to keep the various categories that you have selected. For example, lawn and garden supplies such as rakes or shovels could be stored on handle hooks or racks on the wall, rather than leaning against the wall. Lawn and garden equipment could be stored directly in front of the lawn tools.
- Large items and less frequently used items should be stored towards the back of the storage area in the garage.
- More frequently used and smaller items should be stored towards the front of shelves or cabinets. Rarely used items or seasonal items may be more easily stored in the attic or crawl space above the garage if one is available.
- Use garage cabinets for additional storage.
There are many different styles of garage cabinets available and of course there is always the option of building your own. One advantage to using commercial or pre-made garage cabinets is that you can continue to expand your storage area simply by purchasing additional cabinets, shelves, or other organizational items.
The most common style of garage cabinet is the locker style. This style often opens from the center with two large front doors. The cabinet itself may be made of metal, wood, plastic or a combination of these materials.
These locker style cabinets usually have three or more adjustable shelves, depending on their overall height. Since both doors open completely even fairly large objects can easily be stored in the cabinet. Some garage cabinets, especially the locker style, are great for storing painting supplies and other chemicals.
Not only is it easy to see what is on the shelves but also most of these cabinets have a locking mechanism that keeps children out.
The bench style garage cabinets are similar to a kitchen cabinet arrangement. A durable work surface can be added to the top of the cabinet to make the storage area double as a workbench or worktable. Drawers or actual cupboards are underneath the top to ensure that all tools and supplies are in easy reach.
The mechanics style garage cabinet is wonderful for hanging tools and keeping them organized. This flat style cabinet, similar to a very large bathroom medicine cabinet, may have shelves or hooks to allow you to place the tools where you would like them. They are often designed with a peg-board type backing that allows you to move the hooks to where ever they are needed.
- Choose the right garage organizer.
Choosing the right garage organizer will help you keep tools, sports equipment, camping gear and all the other items in your garage in a neat and orderly fashion.
These organizers are usually sold by the unit and each unit has unique features that will work with different items.
Take the time to understand what you will be storing in your garage so you will be prepared to choose the components that will be most useful.
Below are some basic components you may need for your garage -
- Overhead storage:
Usually made of durable hard plastic, wire or metal, these overhead storage bins are mounted to the wall or directly to the ceiling.
The overhead storage bins are great for those items that are not used frequently such as Christmas decorations or other seasonal items.
The bins can be different sizes from narrow and flat to deep and wide.
Overly heavy items should not be stored in overhead bins unless very secure.
- Bicycle and equipment racks:
Lightweight yet sturdy these are a great way to keep season sporting goods safe and protected without cluttering up the wall areas of your garage.
- Cabinets:
These cabinets or lockers are used to keep bottles, cans, and other objects out the way, safe and dry and free from exposure to heat.
Some cabinets are locking for safe storage of hazardous or poisonous chemicals.
Storage cabinets can be floor to ceiling size or can be only two to three feet high with a counter top or work surface on the top.
- Tool Organizers:
These attach directly to a wall or a door, and can be adjusted to hold either long or short handled garden tools, or small or large hand tools.
The racks may be square and very large or simply a single tool organizer for lawn equipment.
- Shelving:
Shelving can be very wide and oversized or can be a standard width.
The shelving units may be wood, metal, plastic or a combination of all three materials.
Generally the brackets holding the shelving will be metal and the shelves themselves will be wood or plastic.
Most garage organizers are designed to be used in a mix and match fashion. Purchasing the organizers all from the same company will ensure that size, width and depth will all match.
For additional workspace many organizers offer workbenches mounted on top of additional cabinets or cupboard areas. Consider looking around at different combinations of garage organizers to decide exactly what you need...
- Overhead storage:
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