Garage Storage Solutions

Garage storage systems, cabinets and shelving, a solution to clutter

I looked out in my garage the other day and just turned around. Cluttered garage floor, stuff in bins on shelves that I don’t have the slightest idea of what is in there. Hand tools all over my workbench and the kids bikes that are always in my way. My wife and I decided that this was the year that we are going to get organized in the garage and stay that way. We have an interior decorator friend that was telling us that the main reason people have trouble keeping this area clean and neat is that they don’t treat it as another room in the home. Take any room in your home and you have probably come up with a few interesting storage ideas when you started running out of room. The garage should be treated no differently than any other room in your home. Keep this decorating principle in mind when thinking about your next garage storage solution.

Garage storage shelves and storage racks a tidy solution

Shelves and racks are no different than what you would use in a bedroom or in the basement storage room. garage cabinets serve the same purpose as a dresser. It is there just to give an item that belongs in that room a place to be put away for when it is needed.

Start working on your garage organization plan by making piles in the middle of the floor. One for garbage, one for a garage sale and the other for things you need to keep. Things that are already stored in boxes can be left for another day. Plan to have a garage sale once a year in the spring. After you have your benches, wall shelves and old cabinets cleaned out get rid of everything that you have not used for at least 12 months. You can do this by either giving it to a thrift store or the more popular way a garage sale. Plan to use the money you have earned here to buy more shelving and cabinets especially overhead storage racks. Your garage should be decorated as an extension for your home or at least compliment the room that you enter your garage from.

Planning garage storage systems is a long term solution

After this is all done, sit down and make a plan on where you would like everything thing to go and most importantly what you want to use the garage for. If you think at some point in time,  you would like to use the garage partly as an extra games room for teenagers or a quite work area for projects, don’t plan to park the car in here. If this is what you want to do sooner than later the best way to accomplish this is to add a storage shed outside.

Notice I haven’t said start putting things away, the reason is if this is going to be a long term solution for all your storage and it takes time to get this all organized, usually a couple of weeks. Just think of different ideas of what you would like to do and then what you can actually afford to do. There are ways to incorporate these different ideas and solutions to fit your budget.