Do you dread opening the door to your garage every morning because of all the clutter, or perhaps you have so much clutter everywhere that you can't even use your garage for your car? Garages often become the dumping spot for all things that are big or that you cannot find a spot for within your home. This leads to an over-crowded mess in your garage that can lead to un-necessary aggravation at the wrong times. In this article we will discuss 5 easy garage storage ideas for every home that will have your garage back in ship shape condition in no time.
Decide on the Perfect Shelving Solution
There are two different shelving options you can choose from to store your stuff. You can opt for open shelving which will allow you to see your tubs at a glance and what is inside them; or you can go with the closed storage option which is often more safe when you have little ones. Closed storage means a little extra work getting things out and putting them back again as well as remembering where particular items are unless you label each box.
Hang Things Up on a Peg Board
This option is good for those who do not have a large storage space or for those who do like to park their cars in the garage and still have a spot for everything. Peg boards are perfect solutions for hanging up things such as gardening equipment, brooms, sporting equipment, or anything other misshaped tool that doesn't really go with anything.  An old trick my dad used was, after he had everything hung and arranged on the pegboard, he then took colored chalk and and drew an outline around each item. That way, you can spot the exact place each item gets returned to with just a glance. By using chalk, it can easily be wiped off and shifted somewhere else if you acquire more tools and need to shift the hanging layout in the future. Some people outside the tool with a marker but then you're stuck with that layout permanently. Chalk is still my best choice because it allows for change as tools are added or replaced.
Explore Tool Storage Plans
Each of these tool storage ideas can be used for storing your tools as well along with standard toolboxes. The key for keeping your tools neat and efficiently stored for convenient usage is through how you organize them. Since everyone's mind works in a different way, you will need to decide what works best for you whether it is organizing tools by size, usage, batching them together for those things that work well with each other for certain jobs.  This means you could choose to store all of your drill bits together regardless of which drill they go work with, as an example. Others prefer to keep all related items grouped together.  Only you can decide which option works best for you and your work habits.
Deciding On Whether to Use Bins, Â Boxes or Crates
One of the biggest challenges is often how to organize your garage clutter. If you are just trying to store things you will not be using for a very long time but don't want to throw out in case you need it, you could use boxes or other containers that seal up well and will protect your items from any type of climate. If you are going to be using your items regularly, as is the case with your tools, you could use a plastic shoebox, or go and purchase those little clear drawer compartments from a dollar store or Walmart, K-Mart or Target. These are perfect for putting in nuts, bolts, screws or any other odd part you may need for your projects.
Be sure you have an organization plan. You will want to make sure that you use large totes or crate like bins for storing things such as ski and snow gear, or other things that may be bulky but not necessarily heavy. Just be careful when you are storing things in large boxes because you may be too tempted to just throw anything and everything you come across in them which will compromise your plan for organizing your garage.
Storing Your Stuff in the Rafters
While the rafters is a great place to get things you rarely use up and out of the traffic pattern, it can also cause your items to become damaged or ruined. If you do want to store your items out of sight, make sure you seal it in a proper container where it will not get ruined by water, mould, or dirt. If it is clothes, you could always buy those vacuum seal storage bags. These are great for saving space and protecting your material items. The rafters also need to be kept organized to keep things from falling down at any given time and hurting someone who may be below.
There are many other ways that you can organize your garage but the 5 easy storage ideas that we have shared here today should get you on your way planning out how to utilize the space in your garage so that you can have it looking neat and clean in no time.
Decide on the Perfect Shelving Solution
There are two different shelving options you can choose from to store your stuff. You can opt for open shelving which will allow you to see your tubs at a glance and what is inside them; or you can go with the closed storage option which is often more safe when you have little ones. Closed storage means a little extra work getting things out and putting them back again as well as remembering where particular items are unless you label each box.
Hang Things Up on a Peg Board
This option is good for those who do not have a large storage space or for those who do like to park their cars in the garage and still have a spot for everything. Peg boards are perfect solutions for hanging up things such as gardening equipment, brooms, sporting equipment, or anything other misshaped tool that doesn't really go with anything.  An old trick my dad used was, after he had everything hung and arranged on the pegboard, he then took colored chalk and and drew an outline around each item. That way, you can spot the exact place each item gets returned to with just a glance. By using chalk, it can easily be wiped off and shifted somewhere else if you acquire more tools and need to shift the hanging layout in the future. Some people outside the tool with a marker but then you're stuck with that layout permanently. Chalk is still my best choice because it allows for change as tools are added or replaced.
Explore Tool Storage Plans
Each of these tool storage ideas can be used for storing your tools as well along with standard toolboxes. The key for keeping your tools neat and efficiently stored for convenient usage is through how you organize them. Since everyone's mind works in a different way, you will need to decide what works best for you whether it is organizing tools by size, usage, batching them together for those things that work well with each other for certain jobs.  This means you could choose to store all of your drill bits together regardless of which drill they go work with, as an example. Others prefer to keep all related items grouped together.  Only you can decide which option works best for you and your work habits.
Deciding On Whether to Use Bins, Â Boxes or Crates
One of the biggest challenges is often how to organize your garage clutter. If you are just trying to store things you will not be using for a very long time but don't want to throw out in case you need it, you could use boxes or other containers that seal up well and will protect your items from any type of climate. If you are going to be using your items regularly, as is the case with your tools, you could use a plastic shoebox, or go and purchase those little clear drawer compartments from a dollar store or Walmart, K-Mart or Target. These are perfect for putting in nuts, bolts, screws or any other odd part you may need for your projects.
Be sure you have an organization plan. You will want to make sure that you use large totes or crate like bins for storing things such as ski and snow gear, or other things that may be bulky but not necessarily heavy. Just be careful when you are storing things in large boxes because you may be too tempted to just throw anything and everything you come across in them which will compromise your plan for organizing your garage.
Storing Your Stuff in the Rafters
While the rafters is a great place to get things you rarely use up and out of the traffic pattern, it can also cause your items to become damaged or ruined. If you do want to store your items out of sight, make sure you seal it in a proper container where it will not get ruined by water, mould, or dirt. If it is clothes, you could always buy those vacuum seal storage bags. These are great for saving space and protecting your material items. The rafters also need to be kept organized to keep things from falling down at any given time and hurting someone who may be below.
There are many other ways that you can organize your garage but the 5 easy storage ideas that we have shared here today should get you on your way planning out how to utilize the space in your garage so that you can have it looking neat and clean in no time.