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How to organize your garage in five super easy steps.
If your home has a garage, consider yourself lucky. Not only is a garage a great way to protect your belongings during the harsh Canadian winter, but it’s also a way to instantly get loads of extra storage place. The flipside is that this additional space can quickly get out of control and before you know it, your garage can become so crammed with things that there’s no room to get the car in. So, here’s how to reclaim that space and organize your garage in five easy steps.
If your home has a garage, consider yourself lucky. Not only is a garage a great way to protect your belongings during the harsh Canadian winter, but it’s also a way to instantly get loads of extra storage place. The flipside is that this additional space can quickly get out of control and before you know it, your garage can become so crammed with things that there’s no room to get the car in. So, here’s how to reclaim that space and organize your garage in five easy steps.
1. Stock up on the following essentials.
• A large piece of pegboard and some hooks. You will use this to hang up tools, neatly coiled extension cords and rolls of tape so they’re accessible and in plain view. Just cut your pegboard to the size you need and attach it to a wall.
• Large stackable, see-through bins. You will use these to house groups of items like gardening tools, holiday decorations, bike helmets and small sports equipment. Label bins with a sharpie or a label maker so you can tell at a glance what they contain.
• An open shelving unit. You will use this to store paints, gardening items, cleaning supplies, windshield washer fluid and antifreeze. Note that propane tanks should be stored outdoor and not in the garage, as they are flammable.
• Clear jars for smaller items like nails, screws and nuts and bolts. Repurpose old food jars, or purchase new ones.
• Heavy-duty trash bags for things you’ll be throwing away.
2. Start emptying your garage, sorting stuff as you go.
If you’re like most people, your garage has become a dumping ground for expired cleaning supplies, toys and sports equipment the kids have outgrown or lost interest in, and things you’ve even forgotten you had. It’s time to purge. On your driveway, make “keep”, “donate/sell/give away” and “throw away” piles. Next, grab your bins and organize your “keep” pile by putting holiday decorations into one bin, gardening things into another, and so on. Find any still-usable items a new home by donating to 1-800-Got-Junk or Goodwill, sell gently loved sports equipment to Play it Again Sports or list items on Facebook Marketplace. Feeling adventurous? Hold a garage sale and try to clear your cast-offs out at once.
3. Create zones.
Think about where you want to keep your sports equipment, holiday decorations, gardening supplies, tools. Which items will go on the shelving unit, the pegboard, a hanging rack? Create a space for seasonal items closest to the door. In summer, that means putting bikes, sports equipment, the lawnmower and the hedge trimmer towards the front. Come fall, keep the leaf blower and bags here. In winter, your snowblower, shovel and salt will rotate to the front.
4. Clear the floor.
Walls make for great storage options – just make sure that nothing hung interferes with your automatic garage door opener. Get a bike rack, hang shovels, rakes, brooms, extension cords and more on a storage rack or a modular garage panel unit. Get ladders, camping gear, sports equipment off the ground and see how much emptier your garage looks!
5. Give your garage a once-over every spring.
It’s so easy to fall back on bad habits, especially when you’re “dropping and going” in a hurry. So, each spring, put things back in their place if they got moved. Check if sports equipment has been outgrown. Finally, bring the warm weather “toys” to the front of the garage.
If you find that you just don’t have room for larger items like camping equipment, boating gear, fridges and freezers and can’t bear to part with them, consider renting a secure, climate-controlled storage unit from AMJ Campbell. Units start at 25 sq ft and can be rented by the week, month and year. Visit us online for more details.