How to organise your garage properly

Ah the garage — it’s kind of like the ‘drawer of doom’ where everything gets thrown in and forgotten about, only on a much bigger scale.

It’s only when you have to go in there to find something that you realise how bad it actually is. Where on earth is anything? How can a place be so cluttered?

Don’t fret! While it may look bad, there are actually a few easy things you can do, and systems you can implement, to get your garage looking more presentable. You don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds either, but I would suggest you invest in a label maker, as this will become your next best friend.

Below, you can find out exactly how to organise your garage properly and some ideas on how you can use the space a bit better.

 

Step 1: Invest in some storage

Garage organisation simply can’t be achieved without the correct storage.

It’s much better to have high shelving that actually utilises the vertical space than keep everything thrown on the floor. We had very little shelving for our garage, so we bought these racks (on the right) from Costco for £50 each. They’re so sturdy, easy to put together, and actually look nice too.

 

As well as suitable racking, you’ll need sturdy storage boxes that can be stacked. These can hold all kinds of things, including tools, odds and ends, walking boots and wellies, gardening equipment, paint, and so much more.

Once you’ve got your racking and boxes, think about other areas of the garage that could hold items that are currently unused.

The ceiling? See in the photo above how we have slats of wood held in place by a couple of metal bars.

We were also provided with some wall hooks from GearHooks, specifically their bike wall hook. These can easily be fitted to the wall and hold all kinds of sports equipment and other bits and pieces you have that take up a lot of floor space. If you’re an avid family of bikers, or skiiers, then you probably need this equipment!

 

Another way to utilise your walls is a peg board. These come in handy when you have lots of spanners or other tools that you need to access easily. By hanging them up, you can put one back before taking another off, and it’ll make keeping on top of the clutter that bit easier.

 

Step 2: Sort out your clutter

Now you have the right storage, but do you really need to keep everything that is currently in your garage?

Sometimes what you need is a bit of a spring clean and a declutter to get rid of items that you just won’t use and that take up necessary space.

I’d suggest that you create three piles: Keep, Sell, Bin.

The Sell pile can also include items that you’ll take to a charity shop or get rid of for free on Marketplace or another similar site.

If you’ve got 3 bottles of screenwash open, condense them all into one. Maybe you’ve got bottles of car shampoo that have an inch of product left in the bottom. Just chuck them. Found some paintbrushes that are so hard the bristles are immovable? Get rid!

Nothing brings me more joy than getting rid of stuff that just isn’t needed.

 

Step 3: Organise your remaining items

Once you know exactly what you’re going to keep, it’s time to consider how these will be organised. Group items into categories, such as ‘car washing’, ‘DIY’, ‘gardening’, etc. and this will make it much easier to decide where such items can go.

Will they all fit into a crate or do they need more than one crate?

This is where your label maker will come in handy! For each category, create a label (or multiple labels if needed) that will go on the corresponding crate. That way, you’ll know where everything is without having to spend hours searching, and it makes it easier to keep on top of the clutter.

 

Step 4: Clean up

Once your garage is tidied, it’s easier to spot potential problems that you hadn’t previously noticed. It was only when we moved into our last house that we realised:

• The garage had a rats’ nest
• It leaked like a sieve
• It had an asbestos roof
• It was basically built straight onto the ground with no foundations.

If we’d planned to live there long term, we 100% would have invested in a new garage. In fact, the new owners did — they knocked the old garage down and rebuilt one the same size.

Garages are places that will easily gather damp, mould, and pests, especially if you keep dog biscuits or bird food in there.

Take this opportunity to do an assessment of your garage. Is there anything that needs fixing or replacing? Is there mould that needs seeing to, or an old bees’ nest that needs removing?

Once these things are fixed, sweep the floors, clean the windows, get rid of cobwebs and just generally give the place a good spruce up.

 

What to do with your unloved garage

The garage can actually be an integral part of your home and can have many different functions. I wanted to share with you what to do with your unloved garage in case you need some inspiration and ideas.

 

Storage

The most obvious use of a garage is storage. If organised correctly, a garage can be a useful area instead of feeling like one big mess. Getting yourself some shelving or cupboards to store things in can ensure that the garage remains tidy and a more user-friendly place. You’ll be able to find things much more easily, and won’t dread going in there.

We purchased some heavy-duty plastic crates that can stack on top of each other, and they fit perfectly into our racking. We’ve then labelled each box by its contents (paint, gardening, sandpaper, etc).

You could also consider some adhesive sealing tape to ensure that the area remains watertight and protected from the elements.

 

A utility area

I would love a utility room — it’s been on my list of wants for years! Being able to tuck your washing out of sight, and have additional storage, is a winner for me.

Not all homes have a designated room for this, so why not use your garage instead? More often than not, the kitchen has easy access to the garage making it an ideal location.

You could have your washing machine in there, your dryer, and even an extra fridge for storing foods (drinks…) and meals that won’t fit in your kitchen fridge. It can become a very easy space to make more use of when you have the right ideas.

In our old house, we had our washing machine and tumble dryer in the garage, and it worked well at the time. We also had a small fridge and freezer in there, super handy for when our kitchen ones were overflowing.

 

The man/woman cave

 

Maybe you want to consider a place to relax and unwind. Perhaps you are sick of the games console being plugged into the main TV, or you have a teenage son who regularly has friends round. Maybe you want your own personal space where you can sit undisturbed and enjoy a guilty pleasure or two.

Then a man or woman cave could be the ideal solution. It’s not hard to get some new sofas in there, some storage and plug in a TV. Plus, you are close to your home meaning the WiFi signal shouldn’t need boosting.

 

A workshop

Many couples (or men in particular) like the idea of having a place to work on things. They might like fixing things in the home, making things, or just keeping pieces of wood or old pieces of furniture just in case they come in handy. Sound familiar?

This is when a garage could turn into a potential workshop for your home. Being the ideal hub for all those tools, garden items and things you want to keep just in case. It’s out of the way, but is an area big enough that you can potentially work on projects.

I hope this has inspired you to love your garage a little more with some of these suggestions about what to do with your unloved garage. What do you keep in your garage?

*Thank you to GearHooks who gifted their products in return for this post.