Storage Tips for Organizing your Garage

Have you been dreaming of an organized garage? It can be hard to keep up with. The garage makes a great hiding place for things that need to be stored or kept out of sight. It doesn't take long before you can't park your car in there or find what you're looking for. Getting your garage organized doesn't have to be expensive. It's important to have a usable workspace as well as plenty of options for storing seldom used items. Use these tips for getting garaged organized and making the most of your storage space. You'll be parking your car in there in no time.

1) The first step is usually to pull everything out and get the space clean. Choose a day when the weather is nice so that you don't risk having everything rained on. Pull out everything that you can. Use large cardboard boxes to organize the things that you're pulling out. You'll probably need a couple for trash and maybe a couple more for separating things that you want to use in your workspace and things that can be stored long-term. Once everything is out, clean the area so that you're not encouraging bugs or rodents to take up residence in your garage.

2) Determine how much room you'll need for storage by separating your storage items into bins, buckets and containers with lids. Label everything so that you don't have trouble finding what you need when you need it. Using lids is recommended because stored items tend to get extremely dusty and can harbor spiders and other insects. Wire or wood shelving is great for making storage space. Sometimes you can use an overhead storage rack for items that are flatter. Boats, bikes, fishing rods and other big items can be hung from the ceiling as well. Utilizing the space on the ceiling will free up more areas in the garage and keep things off the floor.

3) Organize your workspace. Peg boards are useful for keeping things that you use often handy. You can easily build some shelves for smaller items, like motor oil, paper towels, paint supplies, and tools, simply by using a few 6" wide boards. Most people lean tall items like brooms, mops, rakes, oars, and shovels in a corner. Using hooks designed to hold these items flat against the wall can inexpensively save you space and keep things more organized. Try not to over-organize things like washers, nuts and bolts until you have time to do so. Concentrate on the larger items at first and work your way down.

4) Storing clothing around your tools and chemicals isn't always recommended. However, if you're storing things that aren't heat sensitive, you can do so. Use cedar products in with your clothes and seal them off in air-tight containers. Clothes that need to be stored on clothes hangers can be hung on a rolling garment rack and then sealed in a garment rack bag. This keeps out moisture, dust and pests, protecting the clothes that are hanging on hangers. Suits and coats can keep their shape in non-temperature controlled environments if you use wooden hangers that are designed especially for coats and suits. Carefully choosing your clothing hangers and following manufacturer directions can help you to safely store clothing in your garage.