How do I Start the System?

If your garage is already messy, you may first want to get your whole family together to move things out so you can start over – remember that for your garage organization systems to work you will need your family to buy into the idea as well and working together can help start everyone off on the right foot.

After everything is cleared out, make sure the garage is clean. A cluttered garage starts when there is no designated area to put anything.  First, you need to put the things that you don’t need and don’t use into boxes or garbage bags. Don’t forget to label them.

Things that you only use once a year (Christmas decorations, Halloween costumes) should be stored in the farthest places. Since your garage is cleared, this time make sure you use the floor space wisely. Rearrange your garage as you see fit, by putting the items you need the most in the most convenient area. Afterwards, you can sort the rest of your things by priority in the rest of the space.

Giving Your Things a Home

The final step in creating Garage Organization Systems is that once you’ve got your things mainly sorted out, make sure you come up with a few rules and communicate them with your family.  For instance, the tool shelf on the left will always have hammers, nails, hoses, drills, etc. The shelf on the right will carry old photos, toys, and books.  The next shelf will hold only things that may or may not be given away if not used within a year.

Make sure that you label these things correctly so that everyone can follow the rules.  The next time something breaks, you will know to put it in your “discard” area so that you can either fix it or throw it away at a later time.  If your spouse buys some new tools to work on the car, you will know that those go in the tool designated area.  This way, anything new will find a permanent home right away, and you will avoid having to look for these things. If you follow these rules, your garage will be clutter free and easy to navigate!

Return from Garage Organization Systems to How to Organize your Life

This is the reason why people need to organize their garages. A few simple steps will help your garage stay clean, organized, and easy for your family to use.

Categorizing the “Stuff”

When you look at your garage, you see a sea of “stuff.” OId bikes, tools, shoes, old books, maybe even the scooter your kids used 10 years ago… when they were in 2nd grade.  These items may have sentimental memories attached to them, however, as the years pass by it’s better to keep the key items and get rid of the unnecessary things, otherwise, your garage will never be organized.  You may want to get rid of the items you don’t need, which calls for a garage sale.

Once you have categorized your things, you should consider which things could be boxed or put into garage organizers and you’ll be one step closer to having a clean and organized garage.

Figuring out where things go

First, you need to take a look at your garage and start figuring out where you want things to go. Usually, you get three walls. One wall can be the “tool” wall, where you hang all the hammers, rakes, brooms, shovels, garden hoses, etc. The other can be shelves or garage organizers, where you put up boxes of things you no longer use.  Don’t forget to label these boxes!

After a year, if you never opened up that box, remember to sell it in a garage sale.  The third wall can be for furniture.  Do you have that old jogging machine that you haven’t used and most likely won’t use anymore since you got a gym membership? Or an old pull out sofa bed that you are considering selling? All of these can go along one of the walls. If you don’t have furniture, it never hurts to get another shelf and store more boxes there. If you have an excess of shoes, don’t forget it’s always good to have a shelf for those as well.

Tools for Garage Organization

You may need to build shelves to put your boxes or hang your tools. These items can be purchased easily at your local home improvement store.  It may cost a few dollars to get those shelves, but once you organize your garage you will find that it’s worth it!

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