For many homeowners, the garage is the last frontier clutter-wise. It’s where we keep vehicles, and empty coolers, and tools…and lawnmowers. You get the picture! Cram it in and shut the door, often becomes our approach to garage storage, but there’s definitely a better strategy. Taming your garage is no different than tackling chores in an interior room of your home. Read on for suggestions about how to truly conquer that last organizational frontier.
Assess The Situation
You have a large one if household members must park in the driveway or by the curb in front of your home. You also have a situation if you can park in the garage, but sure don’t want anyone seeing it with the door open! Even if you can park the proper number of vehicles in your garage and open doors without banging into stuff, you probably still would like to banish the perimeter piles of boxes, crates and discards. Decide your level of organizational urgency, then…
Picture Your Perfect Garage
Does it contain two vehicles, a garbage bin, a recycling bin and nothing else? Is a member of your household a handyman or woman who’d love a worktable (you don’t want power tools inside)? Do you own every piece of sports equipment imaginable? Are you a gardener who needs a potting bench? Decide how to best use your garage — aside from parking vehicles, of course — then…
Measure and Plan Your Space
You easily can measure your garage by checking your home’s floor plan, where all dimensions will be listed. Don’t have or can’t access your floor plan? Grab a measuring tape and do it the old-fashioned way. Once you have the garage dimensions, it’s helpful to compare them to those of your largest living area. Knowing how you use those interior areas helps you visualize the “living” space of your garage. The key is considering the garage as another room. Then, you go, “wow, I could hang some shelves…”
Use Every Inch of Your Garage
If the garage is many homeowners’ last frontier clutter-wise, its walls are the last frontier storage-wise. Consider them untapped space. Attractive, sturdy storage systems are available at many online and physical retailers, along with sample designs. Take advantage of them to plot your shelving, cabinet and workspace dreams. Or, if you’re the handy type, use it as inspiration to build your own storage accessories. You’ll likely discover you can corral more items than you thought, once everything is assigned a spot rather dumped on a concrete floor. But, sometimes you must begin with drastic measures…
Use a Garage Clean-Out as a Clutter-Buster
Is your garage a to-the-brim mess? Don’t fret. Many of us have been there! If the best first tactic is to haul everything out, use that exercise as a positive. Have a garage sale. Donate stuff you truly don’t use or need. Think how nice it will feel once your garage is empty and you can brainstorm new uses for it. Maybe it’s the perfect place for neighborhood ping-pong battles.
Want the ultimate new garage? ICI Homes is Florida’s Custom Home Builder. Talk to us here.