Today we’re focusing on the garage! Do you need to organize your garage but have no idea where to start? Then this post is for you! We’ve made garage organization simple with six easy steps. Please remember, just because the steps are simple doesn’t mean it will be fast. We worked on our garage for approximately 20 hours to transform it into an organized and functional space. I’m here to tell you that every minute was worth it! Are you ready to see the before and after? Here’s a video of the amazing transformation.
Before
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After
Before
We were using boxes that our matresses came in to store our lawn tools. Then we lined the edges of the garage with stuff we didn’t have a place for.
After
Now we’re using the wall to store all of the lawn tools and ladders. We even have extra storage open for smaller items on the shelves.
garage organization in six steps
I developed six easy steps to organize any space in your home. I call it the 6/P strategy (because each step starts with the letter “P”). Follow each step to transform your garage into an organized and functional space.
We have a great printable page that you can use to help you with this task. Sign up for our weekly email by clicking here, and you’ll have access to the free garage organization printable showing the six steps you need to do.
1) Prepare
Get the garage ready to organize by grabbing the following items: heavy-duty trash bags, a cardboard box, a laundry hamper, leaf blower, or broom.
2) Purge
Remove everything from the garage and sort all items into one of these categories. If you have too much clutter to deal with in one day, then divide your garage into sections. We worked on our garage four different weekends.
Trash-throw all unnecessary items in the trash bag
Donate-put items you would like to donate into the cardboard box
Relocate-any items that don’t belong in the garage should go into the laundry hamper
Replace-items that need to stay in the garage should be placed on the driveway until the garage is cleaned. Place all similar items together in piles so you can determine zones for replacing items. Here are a few examples of zones you can incorporate in your garage:
- Household storage zone- items that won’t fit in the house, but you need easy access to. Examples: canned goods, pet food, paper towels, cleaning mops
- Yard/Equipment zone- rakes, shovels, garden stool, hoses, lawnmower, chemicals
- Long term storage-Items you use the least or seasonally. Examples are: rooftop cargo carrier, camping gear, canopies, cooler, holiday decor, suitcases, kayaks
- Tool Zone-basic tools. Examples: nails, screws, paint, paint supplies, tarps, sandpaper
- Car supply zone-washer fluid, sponges, detail wipes
- Sports Equipment zone-bikes, balls, children toys, corn hole, skates
- Beach/pool zone-chairs, floats, wagon, beach towels
- Work/hobby zone-woodworking or gardening
- Trash/recycle zone – garbage and recycle cans
- Drop/transition zone- items you need when transitioning from outside to inside the house. Examples: umbrella, dog leashes, rain ponchos, grocery bags, jackets, shoes
3) Polish
The garage is empty, now let’s clean it up! Usually, I say start at the highest point and work your way down. But in the garage, I have found that it’s best to use a leaf blower to remove all of the debris off the floor first. Next, I dust the shelves (using a vacuum cleaner) and wipe down all of the storage tubs. This is a great time to clean your garbage cans!
4) Personalize
It’s time to personalize the garage space. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- How many zones do I need to incorporate into the garage so this space functions for my personal needs?
- What is causing clutter in this space?
- Have I removed all nonessential items from the garage?
- What items do I need to make or purchase to contain items in the garage?
- How can I beautify the space, so I enjoy spending time there?
Use my printable to help you decide how this space can function best for your needs. The printable is free, and all you have to do to get it is sign up for our weekly email here.
5) PLACE
Trash- Put your trash bags in your garbage container!
Donate- If you have items to donate, don’t wait around, take them to the donation center soon, you don’t want that box cluttering up your clean organized garage.
Relocate-If you have items in the laundry hamper that belong someplace else, deliver them now.
Replace -Now it’s time to decide where you will locate each zone. Take the items you removed from the garage and put them back in an organized manner in the zone area you determined.
6) Put Back
You’ve worked hard to organize the garage, now you have to put things back where they belong to keep it looking great!
Well there you go, now you know the six steps to make garage organization simple! Now I want to share how we personalized our garage!
How we personalized our garage
We go through each of the steps of garage organization just like we outlined above. Now I’ll share how we brainstormed the problems we were having in the garage for the personalization step.
BRAINSTORMED PROBLEMS
The garage in this house is smaller than the garage in our old Kentucky home. That fact led to some major storage issues. I was surprised just how many problems we had until I wrote them down. Brainstorming is such an important step to solving your problems with clutter. Here’s a list of all the problems we were having in our smaller garage.
Better tool storage
Rich had tools stored in three different toolboxes and several tubs. This made it difficult to find what he needed without searching.
Utilize wall mount hardware storage cabinet
Rich had a storage cabinet for nails and screws that he had never used. I told him it would be so much easier to find a certain size screw or nail f he would utilize this cabinet!
Relocate shelf
We brought five sets of metal shelves, we previously used in our basement, to use in the garage. We set them up along two walls of the garage. Unfortunately, we can’t get around our SUV to get access to the shelves. So we need to move one set of shelves to a new location. I wish I would have taken a picture of how close we had to park to the shelf, so you could see what I mean!
Storage for lawn tools
We had our lawn tools stored in two mattress boxes. When we removed the mattresses, I saved all of the plastic to use for tarps when I’m painting. So the third box was full of plastic tarps, I needed to find a home for!
Battery storage
We relocated the shelf that was on this wall. Now, we need to relocate the batteries that were sitting on the shelf. Isn’t it amazing how one action leads to another!! Oh well, when we find a new home for them, I’ll be sure to conceal all of those cords!!
Parking aid
Since the garage is small, the SUV has to be parked in one particular place so you can open the driver’s side door. This also allows you to walk completely around the SUV for access to the rest of the garage. In Kentucky, Rich had rigged a practice golf ball on a string and hung it from the ceiling to make sure I didn’t hit the built-in wooden shelves. So, I wanted him to do the same thing here, to make sure the car is parked in the correct spot.
Better labels
In KY, I used my handy little label maker to make labels for each plastic tub. Unfortunately, they faded, and some of them peeled off. I need a label that will stick to the tub but can be changed if needed.
Switch to matching tubs
You may laugh and not think this is a problem but, for me, it is, lol!!! We were using several different color tubs. You see, I like things to match and look nice. So, this was not acceptable!
how we solved the problems
Purchased a work bench to hold tools
Rich purchased this mobile workbench with deep tool chest to store the majority of his tools. I have so many DIY projects that I want to do in this house that this work bench will be invaluable!
Filled the hardware storage cabinet
Oh my gosh!! We worked approximately 4 hours organizing all of his nails, screws, and small items in this hardware cabinet! I should have taken a picture of all the empty containers that he had been using compared to this organizational wonder! This takes up one-quarter of the space!!
Bought a wall organization system to store yard tools
Rich purchased and installed Flow Wall storage panels to store our lawn tools. It’s a modular garage wall panel storage set that came with a 15-piece accessory kit from Home Depot. Stay-tuned because Rich will be doing a DIY post on how to install this yourself!
Relocated the batteries
We relocated the batteries to this shelf and concealed all of the cords with this black tube. Now they are easy to access and look so much better since the cords aren’t in a huge jumble!!
Purchased small tubs for wire shelves on wall unit
These shelves provide extra space to organize smaller items. I purchased the storage tubs from Walmart. We actually have two empty shelves and four empty containers. It’s always a good idea to leave some space empty to store things in the future!
Steps to garage organization
Here are the steps we used to organize items in the garage. Now the cars and all of our stuff actually fit, and we know exactly where to find an item when we need it! It is such a relief to have this job done!
Organized tools in new husky
Now when Rich needs a screwdriver or the tape measure, he knows exactly where it will be!!
Hung hardware storage cabinet
I’m so excited because next time I need to hang a picture Rich will easily be able to find the right size nail or screw!!
Relocated Shelf
At first, I wasn’t happy about moving this shelf away from the others. I didn’t think I was going to like how it looked but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s fine and the garage functions so much better that now I’m glad we moved it!
Organized Lawn Tools on New Wall Unit
This is my favorite part of the garage transformation! I love how it looks and functions. The best part is we can move the hooks and shelves around if our needs change.
Switched Tubs
I asked Rich if we could switch and use black tubs instead of the blue and green ones. He agreed, but we had so much stuff, we had to use gray tubs, as well. I was totally okay with that since the new organization unit we purchased was black and the other gray! Now, I have a color-coordinated garage that’s so much more pleasant to look at!
New Labels
We purchased these self-adhesive card pockets from Amazon. I’m excited because they adhered well to the tubs. The labels slides inside the pocket so, if we switch what’s in the tub, I can easily switch the label. I’ll let you know next year how they held up!!
Added Parking Aid
I love this so much because I don’t have to open my door to make sure I am parked in the exact right spot! I just pull in, tap the ball, and put the car in park!!
Wow! I know that was a lot of information but I hope it gives you inspiration to tackle your garage! I feel like we’ve made garage organization simple by breaking it down into six easy steps. So what are you waiting for? Are you excited to get started? Let me know in the comments below!
Blessings, Rich and Donna
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What if you can’t afford panelled wall systems to hang tools, etc.?
Consider adding a piece of wood like a 1X4 to your garage wall and hang items from hooks or nails! If any stores in your area give wood pallets away, you can make garage storage out of those! Hope that helps!