Organizing the Garage Creates Usable Outdoor Space

Most homeowners share a common problem with their garages-- clutter.  Whether it is because the garage is often the first room entered when the family comes home, or because it is a good place to leave muddy shoes, or because the garage is often where outdoor toys and tools are stored, the garage in nearly every home collects clutter.  Eventually, the garage will become so cluttered that there is no room left to pull in the household's vehicles, much less enough space to work on home improvement projects.

Even the smallest garage has storage space that can be tapped into, and enough room to work on messy projects that are best done outside the finished house.  In order to maximize storage solutions when planning a garage cleanup day, look up.  Most garages have vertical and overhead space that is going unused.  A bit of creativity can create workable storage solutions that make it easy to always keep the garage tidy, thereby adding exterior living workspace to the home.

If the garage is used to store a lot of boxes full of seasonal items, consider building a loft out of lumber available from home improvement stores.  There are plenty of blueprints and instructions for building simple storage lofts available in DIY books and online.  The upper area of the loft will provide a space to keep seasonal items neatly stored, and out of the way.  Because these items will be stored overhead, there remains space under the loft to store garden supplies and lawn equipment.  Just make sure that no part of the loft or the items it is storing come in contact with any part of the garage door, garage door opener, or any of the components of the garage door system.  Items that interfere with the safe and proper functioning of the garage door system can cause the garage door opener to malfunction, thereby creating a serious safety hazard.     

Cabinets hung on the walls of the garage should also be fully clear of the garage door and all of the garage door system components.  Cabinets offer a way to store lots of items neatly behind doors, creating a sense of orderliness.  If the garage is wide enough, lower cabinets can have a counter top installed, thus creating a convenient workbench for home fix-it and arts and crafts projects.  

Simple open shelving is commonly found in garages.  While they do create more storage space by creating multiple levels of storage and keeping things off the floor, open shelves are usually not the best possible option.  They get cluttered easily and are difficult to keep organized in a manner that allows for easy finding of needed items, and looks decent as well.  

Hooks are another convenient, and very inexpensive, method of creating storage inside the garage.  Large hooks can be mounted high on the wall to hold bicycles.  Again, be sure that the hooks and the stored bikes are fully clear of the garage door and garage door opener system.  Small hooks can hold extension cords, garden hoses, and many small garden tools.  There are also storage products available that make storing yard tools easy to organized and maintain.  

When the garage clutter gets out of hand, the only way to regain control is to plan a day or two and clean it out.  Knowing what storage solutions are needed before the cleaning and organizing begins makes it easy to have storage solutions on hand and ready to go.  A couple days of work cutting out the clutter will provide accessible parking and workspace that the entire family will enjoy.