Make Some Time
Time and time again, garage projects are started and never finished. Before you begin an organizational project with your garage, consider the time it may take, and set aside more than necessary. Whether it is a long weekend or a late night, the time you set aside for this project can make or break it!
Consider your Budget
Garage projects can range from $0 to tens of thousands of dollars. Make sure you know what you’re willing to spend and don’t break it! Storage bins, shelving, overhead space, etc. all range in price. Do your research and decide which items are most important to your project, and which ones can be substituted for.
Section
Section your garage up! Cut the work up into smaller sections. This strategy will allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment with each section completed and makes the project feel much more doable. It’s much less overwhelming to split the job up into sections than it is to take it on all at once. Your likelihood of quitting or running out of time halfway through will plummet. Another plus to this strategy is that breaks are inevitable! When sections are completed, you’ll naturally take a small break to prep for your next section.
Take it one section at a time and try not to move on until your current section is completed. If your garage organization project goes for multiple days, stop in between sections, it will make picking back up in the morning simpler and easier to start with a fresh section.
Sort
Keep – Throw – Donate
You know how this goes! As you work your way through every section of your garage, reorganize your keeps, TOSS your throws, and set aside your donate for drop-off at a later time. This strategy clears space efficiently and can move very quickly if done right. Make sure to move fast and trust our first decision, if you decided "throw" on an item, resist coming back to it and changing your mind. Your first instinct is usually correct!
Use Your Walls
One of the biggest clutter habits in garages is floor space. It’s typical to set an item like a hose on the ground in a coil. This can be solved for almost any item with wall mounts. For example, move your hose from a pile on the ground to a cart or wall-mounted hose reel. Consider wall mounts for other clutter-causing items such as bottles, tools, tires, etc. Here are a few items we recommend.
Use Your Ceiling
You may run out of wall space, or simply not enjoy the look of it. Move even higher up to your ceiling and invest in some ceiling storage. There are a few options when it comes to ceiling space and it may depend on your ceiling height and your budget. Below we have listed 3 kinds of ceiling storage you can choose from based on your needs.
Don’t Leave Tabletop Clutter
When organizing your tabletop space, make sure to sort small items and ALWAYS have a “junk: container. This junk container will give you a place to put small parts that don’t necessarily have a permanent place in your garage yet.
Leave Empty Space
Consider the space you may need in the future. Do not fill every corner, wall, and ceiling rack to the brim. Leave space for growth and for temporary storage. Leaving some space to work with will allow you to add items without having to reorganize your garage again. Simply leave some spaces for potential so that when you add tools to your arsenal, you will have the perfect spot for it, with minimal planning or effort.