Are you ready to take back your garage?
Garages are a nightmare for most homeowners. Boxes piled on top of boxes. Holiday decorations shoved next to your power tools. Bicycles parked next to half-empty cans of paint.
The problem is…
That chaotic garage wastes your time, money, and precious sanity. A recent CRAFTSMAN survey found that 36% of American garages are so cluttered they no longer fit a vehicle.
That’s nearly 2 in 5 garages that cannot fulfill their main purpose.
The good news is proper storage can turn any cluttered garage into useful family space. Whether you add wall mounted shelves or invest in portable storage buildings and vehicle storage solutions to offload excess supplies.
You Have Options.
Inside you’ll learn…
- Why Your Garage Becomes Cluttered
- The Zone Method That Works
- Wall & Ceiling Storage Options
- When To Utilize Outside Storage
- Cleanup Tips To Keep It Tidy
Why Your Garage Becomes Cluttered
Before we jump into storage solutions let’s address the core issue.
Why are garages always so cluttered?
Most things we store in our garage don’t actually belong anywhere else. Holiday decorations, sports equipment, tools we use around the house, random Amazon purchases.
It all ends up in the garage.
Here’s the worst part.
Garages are out of sight. If the door stays closed, no one has to see the mess. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s easy to toss something into our garage and forget about it until we’re stacking boxes so high you can’t park your car inside.
Recent studies show homeowners are doing just that.
A study done by the U.S. Department of Energy found:
- 25% of two garage homeowners can’t fit one car inside
- 33% of those with two garages can only fit one vehicle
Need a few more reasons your garage becomes so cluttered?
Here are the biggest offenders…
- Holiday decorations with nowhere else to go
- Sports equipment, recreational gear
- Power tools and homeowner maintenance items
- Things we say we’ll “need later”
- Leftovers people give you when they purge their house
Sound like your garage? It does to most families.
Garages are a catch-all for so many things. Problem is those things rarely come out once they go in.
The Zone Method That Works
How many times have you heard of “zoning” your garage?
Professional organizers love this method.
Instead of throwing things anywhere they’ll fit in your garage you group things together by zones. Each zone has a specific purpose.
Create Your Garage Zones…
On paper. Sketch out your garage and divide it into zones. Think about traffic patterns. Where will people be going throughout the garage? Place the zones you reference most by the entrance.
Your family needs these basic garage zones.
- Vehicle zone. We need room to park our cars! Keep this area clutter free.
- Tool zone. Storage for hand tools and power tools. Consider a workbench.
- Sports zone. Bikes, balls, skates. Everything your family plays with needs a zone.
- Seasonal. Holiday decorations, etc.
- Utility. Lawnmowers, garden hoses, and other household items.
From here the concept is simple. If something doesn’t belong in that zone turn around and put it back where it belongs.
Yes. It’s that easy to keep your garage from becoming cluttered.
You must commit to returning used things back to their proper zones. As long as you stick to this one rule your garage won’t slowly become cluttered again.
Simple right?
Wall & Ceiling Storage Options
Maximize your storage vertically.
Most people ignore the walls and ceiling of their garage. Yet these areas offer tons of storage potential. Keep your floor clear for traffic and parking. Store more on the walls and ceilings.
Here are some wall storage options…
- Pegboard is great for lightweight items.
- Slatwall allows you to customize your hooks.
- Heavy duty shelving comes in all sizes. Mount them at various heights.
- Magnetic strips are perfect for hanging metal hardware.
- Hanging cabinets allow you to conceal clutter.
Speaking of ceilings.
Garage ceilings are seriously underutilized.
Overhead storage is perfect for bulkier items. Holiday decorations, camping bins, sporting equipment. Large items you don’t use every day but need to keep around.
Why store things on the walls and ceilings?
Because it works. Vertical storage gives you tons of space without sacrificing your floor. Most wall storage systems can hold a surprising amount of weight. Check out these ceiling racks from Amazon that support up to 1,000 lbs.
You’d be surprised at just how much you can store without taking away from your garage floor space.
Investing in wall and ceiling storage pays for itself. You’d be amazed at how much larger your garage feels when it’s properly organized.
When To Utilize Outside Storage
Your garage should never be overflowing.
Kids grow out of toys (only to bring more home from school the next day). We buy new stuff. Working on hobbies? They require equipment and materials. Then there are vehicles. Trucks, motorcycles, trailers.
At some point your garage is going to become overloaded.
When Do You Need Outside Storage?
If any of the following scenarios apply to you consider an outdoor storage building.
- You have more than one vehicle that won’t all fit in your garage
- Too much seasonal gear for your available storage space.
- Working on hobbies? Craft rooms and workshops are perfect in an outdoor storage building
- Boats, RV’s, and other outdoor equipment
Don’t have room for everything in your garage? Grab a storage shed.
Why get an outdoor storage building?
This opens up space in your garage for the things that matter. Vehicles, equipment, and work stuff. You’ll also be protecting your equipment from the elements. Patios and playground equipment suffer when stored outside.
Outdoor storage buildings come in all shapes and sizes. You can get something as simple as a large tool shed or trick them out with electricity and insulation for a fully functional workspace.
Don’t stress if your garage is overflowing. Just move some stuff outside!
Maintenance Tips To Keep It Tidy
Getting your garage organized is only half the battle.
What’s stopping your garage from becoming cluttered again? Life happens. Seasons change. We buy new stuff that piles up. Suddenly your nicely organized garage is back to square one.
Maintenance tips to organize your garage…
- Declutter your garage every season.
- If you bring something new into your house, require something old to leave.
- Make your family put things back where they belong.
- Label, label, LABEL your storage bins.
- Don’t let those “I’ll need this later” piles happen.
Here’s the big secret.
Successful families that have organized garages treat it like another room in their house. Just because no one sees your garage doesn’t mean you should lower your standards.
It takes less time to continue maintaining a tidy garage than it does to let laundry pile up then spend a weekend cleaning it.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to spend tons of money getting your garage organized.
There are cheap and easy ways to maximize storage in your garage. Utilize the zoning method. Invest in wall and ceiling storage. Then when your garage starts to fill up get an outdoor storage building.
Again, how to properly store stuff in your garage…
- Divide your garage into zones.
- Storage should be vertical. Take advantage of your walls and ceiling.
- Portable storage buildings are great for overflow storage.
- Keep up with maintenance. Don’t let your garage become cluttered again.
- Schedule seasonal garage cleanouts.
It’s not about having a show garage.
It’s about having a garage that works for your family. If your kids play soccer you NEED a sports zone. Ditto on holidays when storing decorations.
Take it one zone at a time. Organize that zone until you’re proud of it. Next move onto the next zone.
Baby-steps win the war when it comes to your garage.
