If you’re like many homeowners, you might find your garage a little less organized than you’d prefer. In the summer, you might throw your bicycles, lawnmower, and pool accessories in there, while in the winter, you have to fetch snow shovels and salt. Every year, your materials get harder to find, spill, age, or simply seem to disappear. How do you create garage storage space so you can enjoy it?
Proper storage in your garage doesn’t have to be a month-long project. Most homeowners can organize odds and ends piled up in their garage in a weekend. So, let’s take a look at some of the simple solutions you can employ today to improve your garage storage.
Use Vertical Shelves to Take Advantage of Unused Space
Installing vertical organizing systems is a simple solution to cramped floor space in your garage. There are a lot of options to get your items off the floor.
Pegboard can be customized and cut to fit your garage walls. Many large home improvement retailers will trim the pegboard for you. You simply mount the pegboard to your walls and install the included hangers, shelves, and hooks to suit your needs.
Traditional shelf standards are also useful in garages, plus they can withstand heavier loads. Simply screw in the standards—making sure they’re level—and install the shelves. One thing to keep in mind: track-based shelves like these generally take more time to put up and are a little pricier.
Stackable translucent bins are also available, generally at a lower price than traditional standards and pegboard. However, bins offer lots of advantages. You can buy lids for them, allowing for perishables to last longer. Another bonus: no installation process is needed!
Take Advantage of Overhead Space
Odds are, if you look up to your garage ceiling, you’ll find a large unused space. Take advantage of the top two to three feet of overhead space by hanging wider, horizontal shelves to store the materials you don’t use very much. Packing material, seasonal sports equipment, and ladders are all perfect for overhead storage.
Store Small or Irregular-Shaped Items in the Corner
Here’s a simple solution to make use of every inch of your garage space. Hang triangular shelves in the corners of the garage. Since there’s a guaranteed stud in the corner, you can be sure that these nifty shelves will hold smaller items like scrap wood or spray paint.
Try Storage Tubes
For all your cumbersome, long garage items like garden tools and baseball bats, you can buy concrete-forming tubes to store them all in one easy-to-access space. A bonus: with all your outdoor tools in one place, you’ll reduce the amount of dirt and mud that you might track into the garage.
Conclusion
With the help of a few intuitive storage tips, you’ll find it easier than ever to organize all your odds and ends for quick access. The garage is indeed a perfect place to hide away all the belongings that don’t easily fit in your home. But your garage can still be a clean and spacious refuge by investing a few hours in shelving, removing excess material, and taking advantage of vertical space.
If creating storage space in your garage is a little outside of your expertise, contact us at One Man and a Toolbox and see how we can help you.