Maximizing Your Garage Storage Space
Just like a closet, basement, or even a shed, garages can become a catch-all space where homeowners toss and forget about unwanted or rarely used items. Organizing your garage will make it easier to find what you’re looking for quickly, not to mention, you’ll be able to store your car away safely once again.
Here are a few tips to help transform your garage back to a usable space–your car will thank you.
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Declutter. Begin by removing any boxes or random items from the ground first, then move to tables and stands. Working on the ground area first will open up the space a bit more to help you with organizing. As you’re sorting through the clutter, put items into piles based on things you’ll keep, sell, donate, recycle, or throw away to help you later when you’re putting everything back into place. If you’re cleaning on a nice day, consider opening up the garage doors and move the clutter to the driveway.
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Clean up. Once everything is removed, take some time to clean all the dirt, dust, and built-up grime, and sweep and vacuum not only the floors but the ceiling and walls to remove any cobwebs. Next, scrub the walls and floors, including the garage doors.
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Organize and store. This is where taking the time to place your clutter into piles as you remove them from the space will help, and you can quickly sort the “keep” pile into categories based on sporting equipment, fishing gear, car supplies, holiday decorations, power tools, and more. Make use of shelving units to add more storage space and use clear tubs so the items can easily be seen. Tip: Place any rarely used items, such as holiday decorations, on the top shelf. Pegboards and hooks are great for storing tools, bicycles, and ladders.
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Get rid of junk. As the saying goes, “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” Whether you’re choosing to sell or donate items, there are plenty of apps (Facebook Marketplace, LetGo) and community organizations (the Salvation Army or Goodwill) that can make it easy to get rid of unwanted items.
The last step is to keep your garage organized. This can be achieved by scheduling a time, either monthly, seasonally, or even weekly, to tidy up and re-organize your garage space. The more often you organize, the less time it will take to clean.
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