Your garage could either be a cluttered, disorganized mess that makes it hard to find anything that you’re looking for, or it could be an efficient, functional location where you can easily find things you need. Taking a few steps to organize your garage can create a space where you enjoy spending time working on car maintenance, home improvement projects, or creative pursuits.
How functional is your garage?
De-cluttering and organizing your garage doesn’t have to be difficult. Keep reading for some simple organizational tips that will easily turn your garage into a functional and enjoyable space.
Be Liberal With Labeling
You want to bring out the Christmas decorations, but every box you open holds old baby clothes or tools instead. A fuse blows out in the living room, but while you try to reset it, you accidentally turn off the power to the kitchen instead. What simple solution can solve both of these problems and more? Labels.
Labeling your fuse box switches, bins, boxes, and other mystery containers in the garage is a quick way to bring more organization to the space. Use colored stickers to designate the different switches in your fuse box. Use stick-on blackboard labels on large plastic bins – you can write your label in chalk so that it’s easy to change if you empty out and reuse the box. For cardboard containers, just write on the box directly in sharpie, or use a piece of masking tape as a label if you think you might want to reuse the box for something else later.
Look Upward For More Storage Space
If you find that your garage is too crowded, downsizing should be your first line of action. Start by cleaning out unwanted items or holding a garage sale. If you still don’t have a walkway or enough free floor space you may need to seek storage space up above.
The garage ceiling is often overlooked as a place to store items, but using it is a great way to free up your floor. Hang bikes or scooters from the ceiling with some simple hooks or a ceiling-mounted bike rack. Install some tracks on the ceiling to store sliding storage bins – this space is especially useful for storing holiday decorations and other items that you rarely need access to.
Make Space For Safety
For a garage to be functional it also needs to be safe. Designate a spot in your garage for needed safety items. For example, you probably store fuel for your lawnmower in the garage, so you’ll need a fire extinguisher, just in case. Look for one that’s ABC rated for use on wood, oil, and electrical fires and mount it on the wall for easy access.
Nearby, you should have a first-aid kit, and you may want to consider an eyewash station as well, especially if you frequently work with chemicals or paint in your garage. This is also a good area to store a carbon monoxide detector.
These steps are a great start toward creating a garage space that’s functional and suits your needs. For more great garage organization ideas, schedule your free design consultation
