Last Updated on March 8, 2022 by Kravelv
Garages often become the dumping ground for everything that we don’t need. However, that’s definitely not the right way of dealing with the empty space in a garage. With a bit of planning, a garage can be turned into one of the most useful spaces of the house. Read through the discussion below to know about the basic steps of garage organization. These steps will allow you to use the available space in your garage in the best possible manner.
Also Read: Build a Garage from Shipping Containers
Step 1: Don’t forget to prepare a concrete plan before beginning garage organization
One problem that most homeowners face when trying to organize their garage is lack of a proper plan. That’s because most folks fail to invest enough time for analyzing and visualizing the space for figuring out how exactly they want the area to function. Ask yourself how you want to use your garage. Do you want to use is just to park your car? Are you looking to turn it into a workspace? Do you feel it would be a great place for storing sporting equipment and seasonal items? Or you want your garage to play all the above roles? With the right organization strategies, you can actually see your garage serve all these purposes.
Prepare a list of purposes your garage can solve based on their priority. Once you have your priorities in line, the job of cleaning and organizing your garage would be much easier for you. That’s because you will no more need to have brainstorming sessions to spot the items that don’t belong to the space.
Step 2: Clean the space
Arrange one or two blankets and tarps and place all the items that occupied the garage on them. Lay those blankets and tarps in your lawn, driveway, or any other open space in your home. Once your garage is completely empty, you should sweep and wash its walls and floors meticulously. If you want, you can also stain the concrete floor or paint the walls of your garage to give the space an absolutely fresh appearance.
Step 3: Arrange all the like items
Once the cleaning job is over, start arranging the items you placed on the tarps and blankets. For instance, begin by keeping all the sporting equipment together in a particular spot; then do the same with your campaign gear, lawn gear, tools, decorations, etc. If possible, arrange even the screws and nails
Step 4: Begin purging
You must be absolutely ruthless when purging objects. Your primary goal should be getting rid of at least 50% of the objects that kept your garage cluttered. Ideally, you should try keeping the area around the circuit breaker (most garages have them) empty. That’s because too much of items near the circuit breaker might make reaching the zone difficult for you when you need to switch off the circuit for completing jobs like wiring a 3-way switch or 4-way switch. So, it would be wise if you start purging with the items that blocked the region surrounding the circuit breaker.
For purging efficiently, separate the items in four different piles, recycle, donate, trash, and keep. Everything that’s broken or you didn’t need for several years should be placed in the trash category. Set aside everything that doesn’t belong to you or any member of your family so that you can return them to their original owner. Items that are meant for being kept in other parts of your house should also be got rid of. The next sets of items you must eradicate are the duplicates. For instance, if there are three basketballs, keep just the one that is in best condition. Once you finish purging, the keep category should only include items that are really useful to you.
Step 5: Find organizational supplies
You can use the big trash cans for storing brooms, shovels, and rakes upright. These cans can also be used for storing sporting equipment such as balls, gloves, bats, skateboards etc. Hang your tools on the pegboards. Mount a few large hooks on the studs on your garage wall for hanging extension cords and bicycles. Get a cabinet equipped with locking doors and use it for storing cleaning supplies, paint, chemicals etc. The storage bins and heavy equipment, on the other hand, should be stored in metal or solid wood shelves. Small like items such as screws, nails, hooks, nuts, washers, etc. should be kept in small plastic or glass containers (place the containers on the shelves).
If you still have ample space left in your garage, you can place a workstation there and turn the garage into your home office. Also, buy a garage heater to keep the area warm during the winter months.
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Author Bio:
Hi! I’m Emma Clark from The Art of Home Renovations, an interior designer with one true passion: home improvement. With my experience and skill, I want to help you make your home into a revolutionary & magical work of art through easy, inexpensive, and innovative ideas that you can DIY!
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