Your car is not happy. For quite a while now, he has been relegated to the curb, continually exposed to the heat and cold, the rain and snow, and random baseballs from little neighborhood kids who don’t yet have a good throwing arm. He sits there envious of all the various “stuff” living in the space that was originally created for him – the garage. He was willing to share the space at first, but eventually, the “stuff”multiplied and spread, where finally, sharing wasn’t an option anymore – and he was kicked out to accommodate the never-ending mess. But it’s just not your car that wishes for space in the garage, but you as well. Each time you enter it, you are lost in a sea of unorganized piles, and it takes either hours to find the item you are searching for, or you just never find it at all.
Organizing your garage may seem like a daunting task, but if you dedicate just one day to it, the time you will ultimately save looking for things will be extremely rewarding, and much less stressful. Before the big organization day, it is highly recommended you purchase some shelving units, hooks of various sizes, baskets and bins, as well as a label gun or permanent marker. Then, on the day you begin your new garage storage task, the very first thing you need to do is completely empty out the space, so you have a clean slate to begin your garage storage experience. Once all items are out in the front yard, it’s time to make piles. These piles should be organized as this:
· Things to be thrown away.
· Things to donate to thrift stores and charity, or to sell.
· Seasonal items, such as holiday decorations, wrapping paper, boxes, etc.
· Sporting equipment
· Gardening and landscaping supplies
· Tools
· Kids toys, bikes
· Beach or camping equipment
· Any other appropriate categories you feel necessary
Creating an Optimal Garage Storage Space
After deciding on items you no longer need or use, discard them appropriately, either in the trash or donating them. Keep in mind that any high-priced items you no longer use can be placed on eBay or Craigslist, or sold at a garage sale, and the money you make from these sales can be used to start a vacation fund, or for any other reason. Next, use those bins and baskets to place loose items, by category, such as a bin filled with Christmas items, one for sporting equipment such as baseball gloves, balls, Frisbees and skateboard pads. Or if you prefer, you can choose to organize allequipment categorized byits sport, such as one bin for all basketball equipment, one for all football equipment, etc. Do this with all the small items you have, and be sure to label each bin as to what it contains.
Hang as many shelves and hooks as you can. These will be useful for the items you frequently use and need quick access to. Hooks are perfect for hanging tools, sporting helmets, ladders, shovels, rakes, skis and even bicycles. It’s important to keep all items the children frequently use on the lowest shelves and hooks, so they can access these items by themselves. Place any toxic or dangerous items, such as paint and pesticides, as well as items you do not use often, on the highest shelves. The trick is to make your garage storageas easy to retrieve the things you need as possible. With this careful structure, looking for a screwdriver, or the beach pails and shovels, will take no time, or anxiety at all.
Many organizational stores offer garage storage packages, which feature shelving units, wire baskets, drawers and cabinets. If this is something your budget allows, it can be quite worthwhile to invest in one of these. These packages come in many sizes, and can be tailored to your needs, and are quite similar to closet organizers, just on a larger scale. Perhaps the money you make selling all the items that have been sitting in your garage unused for years will offset the price of one of these garage storage units.
At the end of the day, your garage will be expertly organized, with every item in its place. It’s critical that for it to stay this way, each and every time you use an item, you place it back exactly where it belongs. You will not only be delighted seeing all your items organized and out of the way, but thrilled with all the new space available. And what could you possibly do with all this new space? There’s a car who has been feeling a little neglected lately parked out front that would just love being “garaged” once again, and he doesn’t mind at all sharing all this nice, new clean space!
Organizing your garage may seem like a daunting task, but if you dedicate just one day to it, the time you will ultimately save looking for things will be extremely rewarding, and much less stressful. Before the big organization day, it is highly recommended you purchase some shelving units, hooks of various sizes, baskets and bins, as well as a label gun or permanent marker. Then, on the day you begin your new garage storage task, the very first thing you need to do is completely empty out the space, so you have a clean slate to begin your garage storage experience. Once all items are out in the front yard, it’s time to make piles. These piles should be organized as this:
· Things to be thrown away.
· Things to donate to thrift stores and charity, or to sell.
· Seasonal items, such as holiday decorations, wrapping paper, boxes, etc.
· Sporting equipment
· Gardening and landscaping supplies
· Tools
· Kids toys, bikes
· Beach or camping equipment
· Any other appropriate categories you feel necessary
Creating an Optimal Garage Storage Space
After deciding on items you no longer need or use, discard them appropriately, either in the trash or donating them. Keep in mind that any high-priced items you no longer use can be placed on eBay or Craigslist, or sold at a garage sale, and the money you make from these sales can be used to start a vacation fund, or for any other reason. Next, use those bins and baskets to place loose items, by category, such as a bin filled with Christmas items, one for sporting equipment such as baseball gloves, balls, Frisbees and skateboard pads. Or if you prefer, you can choose to organize allequipment categorized byits sport, such as one bin for all basketball equipment, one for all football equipment, etc. Do this with all the small items you have, and be sure to label each bin as to what it contains.
Hang as many shelves and hooks as you can. These will be useful for the items you frequently use and need quick access to. Hooks are perfect for hanging tools, sporting helmets, ladders, shovels, rakes, skis and even bicycles. It’s important to keep all items the children frequently use on the lowest shelves and hooks, so they can access these items by themselves. Place any toxic or dangerous items, such as paint and pesticides, as well as items you do not use often, on the highest shelves. The trick is to make your garage storageas easy to retrieve the things you need as possible. With this careful structure, looking for a screwdriver, or the beach pails and shovels, will take no time, or anxiety at all.
Many organizational stores offer garage storage packages, which feature shelving units, wire baskets, drawers and cabinets. If this is something your budget allows, it can be quite worthwhile to invest in one of these. These packages come in many sizes, and can be tailored to your needs, and are quite similar to closet organizers, just on a larger scale. Perhaps the money you make selling all the items that have been sitting in your garage unused for years will offset the price of one of these garage storage units.
At the end of the day, your garage will be expertly organized, with every item in its place. It’s critical that for it to stay this way, each and every time you use an item, you place it back exactly where it belongs. You will not only be delighted seeing all your items organized and out of the way, but thrilled with all the new space available. And what could you possibly do with all this new space? There’s a car who has been feeling a little neglected lately parked out front that would just love being “garaged” once again, and he doesn’t mind at all sharing all this nice, new clean space!
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