Your garage can be a great space to park your car, store your bikes, do some woodworking or set up a home gym. That is, of course, if it has ample clear space to easily move around — and isn’t just full of boxes, rakes and other haunted items you haven’t touched in seven years.
So to help you make the most of your storage space, we asked some of our favorite interior designers for tips and tricks for organizing your garage. Haleema M. Burton, a professional organizer and owner of the organization company Jillian & Leigh, said the first step is deciding what you want to do with your garage. Do you envision this space simply for storage or do you want to use it as a workshop or a weight-lifting station? From there, you can decide how to best set it up.
“Having a fundamental understanding of how you want your garage to function is the first step to maintaining an organized garage,” Burton told HuffPost. “Once you’ve created a plan, then implementing a zone system will identify areas for organization such as tools, outdoor/gardening, home improvement, and out-of-season clothing.”
To ensure these “zones” stay in place, Catherine Kelly, founder and lead organizer of Sistamatic Organizing, recommends giving your garage a frequent once-over. “Garages tend to get out of hand very easily,” Kelly told HuffPost. “Set aside time at least once a month to do a reset if needed. It’s easier to stay organized when you know exactly where something is and where it should go when you’re done using it.”
To help you implement some order into your garage, the experts shared their favorite storage items for long-term outdoor organization.
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This unit includes a peg board, shelves and pull-out drawers, giving everything a set space.
Professional organizer Catherine Kelly agreed, calling this metal freestanding shelf "a great choice."
"It can be easy to forget what you have in your garage, especially when it comes to items that you don’t use all the time like beach toys or holiday decorations," Kelly said. "That's why I recommend using clear containers."
Burton agreed and recommended using clear, open bins that are stackable but also great as single units.
"Placing the bin near the most highly traffic area in the garage (typically the entry door) will help to corral loose items that tend to end up on the floor or on a cluttered shelf," she said. "Once a week, make it a habit to go through the bin and put items where they belong."
We love this adjustable wall mount that can hold up to 265 pounds and has six moveable hooks.
"If your garage has exposed studs with 12-16 inch gaps in between, my favorite budget storage item is bungee," Coopersmith said. "Strapping bungee across these spaces makes them ideal for rakes, shovels, garden stakes and skis."
Burton recommended this metal one, saying, "A pegboard is often overlooked but it’s a handy organizational accessory that will keep your most used tools visible."
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