Angie's LIST Guide to
Garage organizing

If you’re ready to tackle your mountain of junk in the garage, follow these step-by-step suggestions for clearing the clutter:

1. Inventory - Assess what stuff you have in your garage now and decide whether some of it should be gotten rid of altogether or stored in a better place.  Decide what really needs to stay in the garage.

2. Categorize - Decide what stuff should go together.  Automotive products should stay together, children’s toys should be grouped together, and lawn and yard work implements should be grouped together, etc.

3. Assess available space for biggest items - There may be only one corner where large items could go, or only one wall where shelving could go.  If you have one big object like a freezer and only one place where it fits in the garage, start there and work around the space from there.

4. Envision – For the remaining space, do you want shelving, kitchen-style cabinets, a work bench?   How can you use the wall space and even ceiling space for better storage?

5. Remove everything and clean - Haul everything out of the garage and stack it up where it will be safe and dry in case this process takes several days.  Decide what you want to throw away and/or move elsewhere and eliminate those from the mix.  Sweep, clean and paint.  Put the cars back in so you have a feel for the remaining space you can use.

6. Build stuff - Put in storage shelving, a work bench or whatever you have decided will meet your needs.  Make sure you are building something that works well with all the stuff you have sitting out in the driveway right now.

7. Back in place - Put everything back.

If you only have a one-car garage, or if you're trying to store a lot of items in your garage along with a car, you'll need some organizing products to help you make the most of tight spaces.

Ceiling Storage
Overhead storage is a great way to instantly gain space in your garage.  These storage devices consist of a wire rack that hangs from your garage ceiling.  Different sizes are available based on your needs, and most are rated to hold hundreds of pounds.

Wall Storage
Wall storage is great to store tools and loose items that would be lost on the garage floor.  You can find kits that are specifically designed for tool storage, or you could even invest in wall-bolted cabinets or wire basket storage.

When organizing, group like items together. If using boxes, be sure to label the outside so you won’t have to dig through all of them while looking for one specific item.