How To Make The Most Out Of An Organised Garage Space

The garage can be a great place to keep your car, work on a project or be used to store overflow from your house. But more often than not, it’s used as a dumping ground for unused things such as Christmas decorations, a relatively unused exercise bike, dusty sports equipment and those unwanted presents that you haven’t got the heart to throw out.

Don’t worry; we’ve all been there.

In this article, we’re going to guide you through tackling your messy space and the key to keeping it organised.

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What Do You Want To Use Your Garage For?

Before you even think about starting to move things, you need to decide what the purpose of your garage will be. What do you want to fill that space with, and what is the best way of achieving it?

Whether you want to use the space for your car or bike, use it for your DIY projects or just use it as extra storage for your home, an organised garage is key. Deciding on what you want to use the space for is important, as it gives you a clear view of how to organise everything. If you’re after more ideas on how to fill your garage, check out our article about ‘7 Great Alternative Uses For Garages’.

Now you’ve decided what you want to use your garage for, it’s time to look what’s currently occupying that space.

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What’s Actually In Your Garage?

One of the first things to consider when organising your garage is what have you actually got stored in there?

The garage can easily become a place to leave things “for a minute” or be somewhere to store something on a short-term basis, but this will often lead to a lot of clutter being kept. You’ll always say you’ll get round to it, but you never do. This ends now; it’s time to do something about it. Take back that wasted space!

You should make note of everything in the garage (that you can see at least) before you start trying to clear up. By doing this, you can start deciding on what you want to throw out and what you want to keep. It’s also important to really think if you even need the item; what does it do and do you really need to keep hold of it? If it doesn’t fit with the function of your garage and you can’t make space for it in your home, you probably don’t need it.

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Plan Ahead

Clearing out and organising a garage isn’t usually an easy task, so it’s best to plan ahead and set yourself goals.

Firstly, it’s probably going to take you longer than a day, depending on the amount of junk you have stored away. Don’t stress yourself out by trying to tackle this beast in a few hours; Rome wasn’t built in a day you know. Even if you only get one section done then it’s a start! We suggest that you try this on a weekend so you have the full day to make progress. This is not a job you really want to be doing after a long day at work.

Next thing to consider is what kind of stuff you think you’ll be getting rid of. You need to make sure any old chemicals or hazardous products are disposed of safely and properly. Always check the labels for information on how to safely get rid.

Will you need a skip?

If you think you’ll be throwing out a lot, a skip might be a good option. You’ll need to book a skip in advance though, so you should to plan ahead and avoid realising halfway through the job that bin bags aren’t going to cut it. You should also consider any trips to the charity shop if you have old items of clothing that are no longer needed, it’s better to donate than to throw away.

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Tackling The Clutter

We suggest that you tackle your garage in sections. Breaking it up into sections can make the job feel less daunting and will help you get through it quicker.

You’ll need to create some floor space to start with so you can have room to walk around. Push items into corners or against walls and give yourself some room to breathe. You should start by taking one section at a time and sorting things into piles. Put things you don’t want into bin bags and things you’re thinking of keeping to one side, just try and move it all out of the garage. Taking everything away will make you really have to choose what you put back in there.

Where possible, you should try and recycle any items you’re getting rid of, every little helps!

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Using Storage

Storage is essential when it comes to having an organised garage, you can’t really have a tidy space without it.

Depending on what you’ve chosen to do with your garage, there are various different types of storage you could consider. We suggest investing in large lockable cabinets to store things like tools or hazardous chemicals. This will stop children from messing with dangerous items and can also be a way of stop unwanted intruders from stealing anything. Putting in workbenches and shelves is a good idea if you’re a fan of home DIY, using hooks to hold up your tools.

Make use of all that extra wall space by mounting storage cabinets or shelves. The more you keep off the floor, the better. Having storage options on the wall can increase the amount of items held in your garage and is great for things you don’t use on a day-to-day basis. You could also try mounting things like bikes or skateboards to walls using hooks. You can find the majority of things needed for wall storage in your local hardware store.

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Keep It Clean

The most important thing now is to keep the garage clean! Don’t let your hard work slip away, stick to your organised plan and you’ll never misplace an item again.