Garage Storage Solutions

Finding Garage Storage Solutions

Is the clutter in your garage totally overwhelming you? If yes, then maybe it is time you start finding ways to keep your garage organized and presentable. By properly utilizing garage storage solutions, you can have the space to store things, secure equipment, wash clothes and even park your car!

My name is Frank Dershaw. I guess you’d say I’m a regular guy who recently went through the experience of clearing out 15 years of clutter from my garage. It was a serious pain in the neck. Learn from me! Don’t reinvent the wheel. I was motivated to take on this cleaning project because my wife and I recently traded in our old minivan for a 2007 Impala that I really like. When we traded in the minivan, I realized how much damage was done to the paint job by the elements and birds sitting in the tree over our driveway. For some reason, they loved using the roof of the van for target practice. The finish was seriously damaged over time. Our new car, even though it was previously owned, is in good shape, and I was committed to making room in the garage for it.

Simple Garage Organization Ideas

What you will find here are helpful tips and products for getting your garage organized. You might be surprised to find that my top tip for organizing a garage doesn’t cost a dime. In fact, it can make you some money. Have a garage sale and get rid of the things you will never actually use. (More on this later.)

Next, spend a little bit of the money you made from the garage sale to get some basic storage supplies. Occasionally, I’ll point visitors toward products that are top rated and highly recommended for garage storage. I am not personally a supplier of these items. I don’t have a warehouse in the backyard filled with overhead storage racks for sale. At times, I may refer to products found on Amazon.com because they are HUGE, they are very trusted, and they actually get the products that you order to your door in a timely manner. If you can find the same items locally at better prices, then you should obviously get them there. Still, I recommend checking out the Amazon listings to see reviews if nothing else. Believe me, using the right equipment makes a difference. For years I had cardboard boxes filled with “stuff” piled all over the place in my garage. (See the bottom of this post to learn why I don’t use cardboard boxes anymore!) Clearing all of that floor space makes it seem like we added a room to the house!

Check Out This Helpful Garage Organization Video

Here is a video that I think you’ll like if you are dealing with a cluttered garage. If you like it, you should also check out my write up on the Gladiator GarageWorks Tall Gearbox.

How to Start Clearing the Clutter in the Garage

In solving your storage problem, you must start taking action. Here are a few steps you can follow:

Take away all things from your garage and sort them out. This could take a while, depending on your own situation.
All your unused or unwanted tools and stuff should get set aside. Assuming the tools are in working order, you should have no problem giving them to someone you know. If you still have a lot of duplicate, or unwanted tools left sitting around, have a garage sale. Tools sell like hotcakes at these sales. This cleaning out step is very important. You have got to get rid of the stuff you don’t use. Did you ever see that show, “Hoarders”? Don’t be like that with the items in your garage. You probably have not used most of it in years, and you probably never will. Let it go. The best garage storage ideas in the world won’t be of any use to you if you are not willing to make some changes.
Place the things you still need in crates or boxes and keep them safe and out of the way while you’re in cleaning mode. Challenge yourself to make these things fit into as few boxes as possible.
Give your garage a thorough cleaning. You might want to set aside a good part of the day for doing this. If you are going to clean it, do it right.
Once the garage is nice and clean, you can focus on the best way to get things organized. For some people, this might be as simple as buying two or three big plastic storage bins. Other people, like me, still have so much stuff, even after purging the junk, that something more is needed.
When I did my major clean out of the garage, I had an immense load of garbage at the curb. I put all of the metal items close to the street. The scrappers came by and took all of that by the next day. Anything that could be recycled, I put aside for our recycling day. I still had a huge load of junk though. It so happened that I was off from work on our garbage collection day, so I went out to meet the guys on the truck. I told them about how I was cleaning house and I gave them a nice tip for their trouble. Even though it wasn’t required, I think they deserved it. It took two of them at least five minutes to load everything into the garbage truck and I’m sure they had a schedule to keep.

Some Garage Storage System Basics

Storage systems for garages have different forms. There are panels, racks, overhead platforms, cabinets, etc. There are various types to fit your storage needs. Here are a few ideas:

Slat Wall Panels

Slat wall panels are ideal for those who want their things visible and easy to find. Slat wall panels can be made of plywood, PVC plastic or steel. You can paint them with colors that match the color of your garage walls, or you can leave them as is.

Racks And Hangers

Racks and hangers are useful in hanging garden tools such as rakes, shovels, pitchforks and more. Bicycles can also be hung using special bicycle racks. Make sure that you only hang items within the indicated weight capacity of the rack or hanger used. You definitely do NOT want to overburden any piece of equipment that will be holding something up. You don’t want anything to fall on a loved one (or your car).

Garage Ceiling Storage Ideas

Overhead garage ceiling storage systems are ideal for those who want more floor space in their garage. Most of the top selling overhead racks or platforms are sturdy enough to hold relatively heavy loads. As you shop around for these, be sure to check out the recommended weight limits provided by each manufacturer. Many people like to use these racks for storing items that only get put to use on a seasonal basis (like holiday decorations). You can also stash away spare tires and seasonal tools in the overhead rack. You can see the specs on the individual units that are sold, but I’ll be including some write ups on top models. Many of these can safely hold up to 250 pounds when they are installed properly. Some, like the Racor Heavylift, are lifted by a cable. This is very convenient for people who might have trouble lifting large or heavy boxes over their heads.

Garage Storage Cabinets

Storage cabinets are really useful for keeping your tools and smaller items organized. You can use cabinets with built in storage slots to keep your items categorized without a lot of hassle. Another feature to look for in garage cabinets is plenty of adjustable shelves. I love these things. I had so many cans and bottles scattered around the garage that I would have to spend twenty minutes searching every time I needed something. Now, I’ve got it all neatly organized.

Adjustable Wall Shelves

Adjustable shelves for the garage allow you to customize the space according to the present requirement. To keep tiny things such as nuts, bolts, nails and screws organized, you can use small plastic containers that you can label accordingly. A really neat trick I learned is to recycle glass baby food jars. You use a small screw to fasten the lids to the underside of a shelf. Then, you put small items in the glass bottom of the jar and simply screw it up onto the bottom of the shelf. This is very simple to do and it helps to save a bunch of space if you have a lot of small items like screws, washers, etc. sitting around.

Plastic Containers

Large plastic containers can also be used to keep Christmas, Halloween and other seasonal decorations safely stored away. Simply stick on some masking tape and write on the labels with permanent marker. If you can find them, clean plastic bins make it possible to see what is inside without having to unstack bins along the sides of the garage.

There are actually dozens of garage storage solutions that you can use to organize your things and keep your garage clutter-free. Most of these storage solutions are really easy to install, just follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Once you have installed your choice of storage units, you will find that it is much easier to arrange your tools and other small items. (A magnetic pegboard organizer is great for this.) Keep larger items in order and make sure to check the garage at least once a month signs of clutter build up. It has a way of sneaking up on you.

Why I Don’t Use Cardboard Boxes to Store Things Anymore

This is a story that is funny now, but my wife was not amused when it happened. Last fall, we had an unusually warm day right around the beginning of December. Usually, I handle all of the outside Christmas decorating, just because I love putting up lights for the holidays. This day though, I was off doing something and my wife, Sally, thought she’d start moving some boxes of Christmas decoration out of the old shed behind our house. One of my daughters, Veronica, was helping her. According to her, my wife went to the shed and set up a step ladder to reach the loft area. When she started pulling one of the cardboard boxes toward her, a very angry squirrel started making “really loud squirrel sounds” and charged at my wife! Sally jumped down from the ladder and sprinted back to the house like she was being chased by a pack of hungry wolves. She was not a happy camper as she told her side of the story to me.

When I went to investigate, I found that there were no squirrels present, but all of the Christmas lights had been chewed to pieces along with the cardboard boxes. The squirrels had also pulled out a few strings of lights and replaced them with several pounds of walnuts from a tree in the neighbor’s yard. After that, I started storing our lights in large plastic containers. There hasn’t been any squirrel damage yet this year.