Seven Tips on How to Best Organize Your Garage

One of the great things about owning a house is having a garage, especially if you love sports, camping, gardening and keeping your vehicles out of the sun, rain and snow. McArthur Homes is among the top builders in Utah County, and their designs are well known for spacious, well-placed garages offering plenty of square footage for seasonal accessories and for things that get used every day.

The garage is the daily go-to place for storage, and to maximize the space, it is essential to have a plan to keep things organized. Here are some of the top methods for ensuring you can find all your toys, tools and other vital belongings while leaving plenty of room for the car. Read on for the top tips from experts at McArthur on how to organize your garage.

Take Inventory of Your Garage Before Your Start Organizing

As you begin exploring ideas on organizing your garage, a great place to start is to make a list of everything currently in that space. This can include lawn care equipment, gardening implements, power tools, hand tools, recreational gear, sports equipment, seasonal clothing, toys and so much more. As you make your list, you can begin to place similar items in the same categories such as toys and sports gear in one section as well as tools and lawn care items in another.

Get Rid of Anything You Don’t Want

After your inventory list is complete, you can make more room right away by determining which items you no longer need. These can be toys and clothes that have been outgrown, old tires and automotive parts, outdated lawn furniture, building materials and appliances and perhaps a collection of some sort that you can finally bear to part with. The good news is that most of these items are helpful to other people somehow. You can make a few extra dollars by having a garage sale or benefit a charity by donating them to a local thrift store.

Make a Storage Map of Your Garage to Keep it Organized

Now that you know what you have and intend to keep, you can make a storage map of your garage. This can simply be a sketch of the space and a general plan of where things are going to be placed. A good policy is to place everyday items such as bikes and hiking shoes near the door leading to the house’s interior. Meanwhile, other frequently-used things such as lawn care equipment and trash cans can go near the large retracting door that opens outside. Seasonal items and things that are rarely used or needed can occupy the spaces at the tops of shelves and along the center of walls at the furthest points from the doors.

Keep Your Garage Floor Clear

Perhaps the best way to maximize garage space is to set a goal to keep as many items off the floor as possible. The best way to achieve this is to install shelving along every piece of available wall space as well as ceiling racks for overhead storage and heavy-duty wall- or ceiling-mounted hooks for bicycles. Wall-mounted storage tracks are another way to keep items such as shovels, rakes and folding chairs off the floor and keep your garage organized. These are also ideal for awkwardly-shaped items like scooters and skateboards.

Maximize Shelf Space in The Garage For Better Organization

Shelves allow you to multiply your storage space many times over, and you can get the most out of each shelf level by keeping your belongings organized. The best way to do this is by using plastic containers and large storage bins. You can use a magic marker or a label maker to ensure that each one is appropriately identified and a handy step ladder kept on one of your nearby wall-mounted tracks can help make accessing them safe, quick and easy.

Keep Everything in The Garage Organized

An easily accessible workbench for frequently-used tools is essential to an organized garage. A pegboard for everyday items like scissors, screwdrivers, hammers and duct tape can save you from spending time searching everywhere for the right solution when something needs to be fixed. A set of vertical drawers with labels for wrenches, sockets and woodworking tools can help keep things organized, while heavy-duty metal shelves can make the perfect place for battery-powered hand tools.

Use Baskets for Balls

Curved objects frequently used, such as soccer balls, basketballs and footballs, can easily roll off shelves and end up on the floor in a high-traffic area. You can prevent this while keeping them out of the house by installing hamper-like storage bins made specifically for sporting goods. If you place these near either door, the kids can make one last lucky shot on their way inside from playtime. This makes for a perfect cleanup while you are trying to organize your garage.

If you’re looking for a new home with ample garage space to store all of your family’s belongings, contact McArthur Homes today. Our homes come in a variety of sizes and styles, each with its own unique features. Our garages are perfect for keeping your home neat and tidy, with plenty of room for the car and all of your toys. Contact us today to learn more about our homes and tour one of our model houses. We would be happy to help you find the perfect home for your needs.

Categorized in: Garage Organization, Moving Tips and Advice

This post was written by Paige Giles