Garage Organizing Tip: Maximize garage space so you can actually park your car in the garage.
This is our garage.
There’s a lot of stuff in our garage. Most of this stuff belongs to my husband, a fishing/outdoor enthusiast. He is also the “saver” in the family. “You never know when you are going to need a piece of an old bicycle inner tube; let’s save it” he tells me. He’ll save some potentially useful items, not everything, and has them organized so he can find them again.
The funny thing is…..those bits and pieces do prove to be useful and then he is sure to make a point of telling me he used it. Even though he is a saver, we haven’t run out of room. We do not have a shed and only use off-site storage in the winter for the boat, so all the stuff has to fit in the garage.
How do we manage to fit all our stuff in the garage? We think vertical and use the walls, not so much the floor for storage. The garage floor turns into total yuck during the Wisconsin seasons that bring snow, slush, road salt, and mud which means it’s best to store items off the floor.
My husband’s an amazing garage organizer. He’s made it a home sweet home for our car, his fishing boat and a bazillion other things. It’s a functional space and I can usually find what I’m looking for.
When organizing your own garage think vertical. Can the item you want to store hang from the ceiling or walls?
Our garage has so many items hanging on the wall and ceiling it’s border line crazy. But…..this allows us to fit our car and boat in the garage.
Just look at that canoe dangling from the ceiling. It hasn’t fallen yet.
Does our garage ever get messy? You bet it does! The work bench tends to collect crap. It’s a regular old dumping ground, like a kitchen counter. We do regular garage purges and every couple of months we spend a few minutes putting things back where they belong.
To summarize, this is what I like about the systems my husband used in our garage:
- They are simple, functional, and inexpensive. He knows a nail, garage wall hook, or shelf will do the job.
- The walls and ceiling are used to their fullest potential. The previous owner installed the dry wall. I would have left the exposed studs.
- Similar items are grouped in the same area.
- Most of the floor space is reserved for our vehicle and his vehicle (the boat).
I love the guy!
Stay tuned. Upcoming blog posts will feature more intimate details about our garage systems and practical tips that will help you organize your garage.