To-Do List: Organizing the Garage
9 steps to taking the dis out of disorganized
The summer is over and with it the sports you do in your shorts.
Our garages take the brunt of housing all the equipment we use over the year to play and stay in shape, so it makes sense to have it organized in a manner based on frequency of use and size. Thing is, your family’s different sports will be in competition with all the other things you store in your garage. What to do?
Fortunately, there’s help. First, this article from HGTV’s Organizing and Storage Guide is a short read with a big-to-do-list, and that’s where we come in.
To reclaim your garage, Valet Custom Cabinets & Closet’s custom-built garages offer organizational solutions built to your exact requirements, turning chaos into fantastic storage capacities and functional work surface areas.
If your garage is a place where everything gets tossed here are a few helpful suggestion on how to organize your garage.
- Set aside enough time to organize your garage. Back-to-back days are recommended (like an entire weekend) so that items being sorted don't have to sit out in piles for long. Tip: Try to plan for a dry weekend, because you'll have to pull many items out of the shelter of the garage.
- Don't tackle it by yourself. Include your family, friends or Hire an expert.
- Categorize the items in your garage. Typical categories include recycling, sports and recreational equipment, camping gear, automotive, seasonal decor, garden gear and tools. Evaluate things like luggage and paint and see whether you can store them elsewhere. If you have an organization system such as the types Valet Custom Cabinets and Closet offers you can create a cabinet for each category.
- Group the garage's contents. Once you know the categories of the items that will live in your garage, begin grouping them into the categories in the driveway or the center of the garage. A few cardboard boxes will help you to group, because everything from huge paint cans to nuts and bolts will eventually need to be contained. Be sure to label the boxes. Tip: Don't buy containers, bins, baskets and boxes to organize your items just yet. A big mistake is buying containers now and later discovering you don't have the correct sizes or sturdiness.
- Trash or donate items that don't fit the categories. Sometimes, random parts or items are discovered in the garage and you don't know what to do with them. If you want to keep them, assign them to the most similar category or put them in a visible place so you remember that you have them. Otherwise, start your donation and trash piles now.
- Determine the best garage layout. Decide where you want each type of item to live, considering its frequency of use and the available space. For instance, recycling should live near the entrance to the home, and tools should live near the workbench. Tip: Think about "valuable real estate" when considering available space. Parking space and shelves at eye level or within reach are "valuable real estate." Less valuable real estate would be very high or low shelves and should be reserved for less frequently used items.
- Install built-in cabinets or modular storage if needed. Built in garage organizational system will keep not only your garage more organized but will also help keep the rest of your house more organized. Now that you know what you're keeping and how much space you have, determine what containers to use. Make the most of vertical space with wall-mounted pegboards and wire grids that hold everything from sports equipment to garden tools. Also take advantage of overhead space with sturdy shelves that mount to the ceiling.
- Relocate items to their new homes within the garage.
- Set an organizing schedule. Get your quarterly or biannual garage maintenance on your calendar. If it doesn't make it onto your calendar, it's less likely to happen. And remember to put things away promptly after using them.
At Valet Custom Cabinets and Closets we know the value of being organized. If you are looking at creating the perfect storage system in your garage visit one of our showrooms or request a free design consultation.
