Tips To Organize Your Garage
The New Year is a perfect time to organize your garage. Plus many department and hardware stores have sales on items to help folks get organized at this time of year.
A garage is a place meant to park your car to protect it from the elements. But, who is lucky enough to have that luxury today? Most folks end up using the garage as a catch-all storage. Because it is a large open space, it often becomes cluttered and very disorganized. It may even come to a point where you really don’t know where anything is. So, how do you make sense of this mess? Here are some useful and simple tips to organize your garage.
The Big Clean Up
Before you can organize your stuff, why not figure out what you use and need amidst the big pile of confusion? The first step is to go through everything and make three piles: donate/sell, throw away, or keep. How do you evaluate this? Evaluate the items you use regularly, these go in the keep pile. If something has not been used in 2-3 years, it may be time for it to find another home. If it is in good shape you can try to sell it, or donate it to a charity. Many charities will even do a donation pick up at your home. As you go through the items anything that is unsalvageable must be thrown away. If this pile contains large items like furniture, you may need to call your municipality to organize a bulk trash pick up. Bulk pick-ups are free, but there are some restrictions, especially regarding toxic items like chemicals and paint.
Proper Storage and Placement
There are certain things that may not store well in your garage. Think of the four P’s: pet food, propane, paint, and paper goods. If you store any food in the garage, consider putting it in sealable plastic bins or glass jars. Pet food will attract pests like raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and mice. Propane and paint are both volatile and affected by extreme changes in temperature. So if your garage is not climate controlled, you may want to figure out another place to store these items. Heat and humidity will cause paper goods to curl, plus they attract bugs like silverfish and cockroaches and rodents. Move your paper goods to your pantry or put them in a labeled, sealed container.
Be Creative with Your Space
There are countless websites dedicated to inventive methods of making the most of your space. Some great hints are to utilize overhead storage, wall shelves, clear or well-labeled bins, peg boards. Overhead storage is useful for items that you use only seasonally like beach toys and chairs, and holiday decorations. Wall shelves are an efficient method of keeping everything against the perimeter of the garage, keeping the center clear (for dare we say) the car. Clear bins are helpful so that you can see what is stored inside. Labeling the bin is also a good idea whether or not the bin is clear. Pegboards are a simple, inexpensive, and fun way to organize tools and trinkets. Click here for some creative ideas.
The New Year is a perfect time to organize your garage. Plus many department and hardware stores have sales on items to help folks get organized at this time of year. Once your garage is organized, it is a perfect opportunity to perform repairs and upgrades. If you have any questions about garage doors such as safety, security, or repairs contact Door Tech. Schedule an appointment with a knowledgeable member of our service team for an evaluation.