Tips for Easy Garage Organizing

If you are like most of us, you no doubt need more storage space in your garage, or do you just need to re-organize what you do have to utilize the space you have?  Either way, the first step is to get everything out in the open so you can see what you have.  Needless to say, if you haven’t used it in the past year or so, chances are you don’t even remember that you still have it and therefore, probably don’t need it.

So now that everything is outside and clearly visible, start by sorting everything into categories to make them easier to find.  Maybe now would be a good time to think about perhaps having a garage sale and making a few extra dollars so you can purchase some shelving, hooks and plastic totes with lids to store your remaining items in.  If you don’t like the idea of a garage sale, maybe you could just donate your unwanted items to some charitable organizations who could use them.

Now that you have a system going and everything is in it’s category, start by putting those items that are not used as often in plastic containers and be sure and label the container as to what in inside.  It is good to keep a running inventory of what is in each container for easy access.  You can either put these containers up on a shelf out of the way or you can just easily stack them up against the wall out of the way.  If an item is too big for the container, make a special spot for it on a shelf and label the shelf as to what goes there so after it has been used you will know exactly where it goes when you put it back.

If you have lawn and or garden tools such as a shovel, rake, hoe or broom, etc.,  it is a good idea to put them on hooks on the wall near the exit to the outside where they will be used.  You can even outline them on the wall with a marker if you like so you know exactly where each one goes and if something is missing you know it by just looking at the picture on the wall.

We all know that bicycles take up a lot of room, so why not invest in some large rubber coated hooks that are make specifically for this and hang them from the ceiling.  You will be amazed at the space that this will leave you.  If you have small children with small bikes,  it may be easier to leave them down on ground level, but go ahead and hang the adults bikes.

If you have a large collection of nails, different kinds of screws, nut and bolts, a simple solution to this problem is to put them in glass jars with lids and label what is in each jar.   A good sized jar to use is baby food jars, so if you have any friends or neighbors with babies, just ask them for a few jars and I’m sure they will be glad to share with you.  You can actually get a piece of plywood and screw or nail the lids to each of the jars on it and then hang the plywood on the garage near the rest of your tools and then you can fill each jar with whatever you want in it and then just screw the jar to the appropriate lid for easy access.