Though the main purpose of your garage is to have a safe place to store your car, it often becomes a cluttered disarray of junk--broken, rusted-out lawn equipment, old clothes and toys, tangled wires and hoses, and leaking cans of harmful chemicals. The more chaotic the mess in your garage becomes, the less you will want to clean and organize it. You may put it off for another year, and then another year, until you find yourself parking your brand new car in the driveway because the mess has taken over!
Fortunately, organizing your garage doesn't have to be the impossible task you make it out to be. To be a efficient organizer, the first step is simple--organize your plan. By taking it step-by-step and contemplating your options before you start, executing the job will come much more easily. If you can envision how you want your garage to look when it's finished, it will be much easier to make a reality.
Get Help
Chances are, everyone in your household uses the garage and has some belongings stashed there. Enlist help from every member of your family to tackle the project and get it done quickly and efficiently. It will also help you to have input from others, especially when deciding what to keep and what to toss. If you live solo, gather a group of friends to pitch in. This will make the chore seem less like work and more like a social gathering. You can repay the favor by helping to organize and clean your friends' garages, attics, basements, etc. at a later date.
Empty it
The easiest way to organize any space is to completely hollow it out. If you are surrounded by clutter and chaos, deciding where to start can be daunting and overwhelming. Spread a huge tarp or drop cloth on your driveway or front lawn, remove everything from your garage and lie each item on the ground for easy sorting. Now that your garage is empty, you can use the clean slate to envision your organization plans for the space.
Clean it
Another perk of completely emptying out the garage is how easy it makes it to clean. Grab a broom and sweep the floor of any debris, leaves or animal droppings. Use a mop to clean dirt, oil stains, and grease. You may even want to apply a few fresh coats of paint to the walls to brighten up the space--there's no rule that says garages have to be dingy and unwelcoming.
Purge
The most important step in organizing is downsizing. A garage often becomes a dumping ground for broken, run-down, and unused items. While you will want to store certain necessary belongings n your garage, you will want sufficient room to park your car as well! With all your items spread out in front of you on the tarp, make piles for what you want to keep, donate, sell, or toss. Make sure to dispose of any hazardous materials properly. Never pour them down the drain, or will contaminate the soil and groundwater. Call your local recycling company or Environmental Protection Agency office for further information on how to correctly discard chemicals in your area.
Sort Similar Items
Once you have decided what you will keep, sort it into categories by similarity. For example, make one pile for car-related supplies, one for tools, one for sporting equipment, one for toys, one for holiday decorations, etc. Organizing your belongings by type will make it much easier to find whatever you need.
Designate Zones
Now that you have an empty, spic-and-span garage and categorically-sorted belongings, it's time to decide what should go where. Using a pen and paper, map out areas of the garage and plan how you will store your items. For example, you may decide to make the far right corner your work bench area because it's close to the light, or store yard equipment on the left wall because it has the most vertical space.
Choose Organizational Supplies
Some essential garage organizational tools include plastic bins, peg boards, hooks, shelves and cabinets. Maximize your vertical space by installing a pegboard for hanging rakes, hoses, tools and wheelbarrows. Wall hooks are great for hanging bikes, tennis rackets, and other sporting gear --bikes can also be suspended from the ceiling by hooks for even more space-saving. Install a plywood shelf to the rafter for lofty, convenient storage to stow plastic bins filled with holiday decorations. Secure any chemicals or toxic cleaning supplies safely inside of a locked cabinet to keep out of the prying hands of curious children.
Put Everything in its Zone
Once you have planned out how you will use the space and have purchased all of the necessary organizational tools, it's time to place everything in its designated spot. For items concealed in drawers or cabinets, a label-maker can make finding anything a breeze. Mark jars containing nuts, bolts, and screws, and label cabinets that contain your cleaning products or motor oil. With all of your items in a categorized zone, displayed in clear view or inside a labeled container, your unkempt garage will be transformed into a de-cluttered and orderly storage haven.