Get an Overview of Your Things

Before anything else, inventory what’s in your garage currently. Make sure you give yourself the time you need to look through boxes, containers, and whatever loose items are in the garage.

Then sort everything in one of these three categories:

Keep or Relocate: There are bound to be items that you know you’ll need to keep. Some of those items will likely stay within your garage. Tools, large outdoor items, etc. There are bound to be items you plan to keep, but you realize shouldn’t be stored in your garage. Keep the items you intend to relocate separately.

Donations: If you’re like so many homeowners with a garage, the majority of the objects in your garage have been stored there with the intent of ridding yourself of them later. Those items that have value, but no longer work for you, like old furniture, tools, and sporting equipment are things that you can set aside for donations. If you find something of significant value, you might choose to sell the item.

Dump: The items that don’t fit in the above two categories are items are likely bound for this third spot. The trash/recycling category. Place your trash in bags, break down boxes for recycling, and remove all the junk from the space.

Organize What’s Left

As you continue to think about your garage, remember to keep in mind which items you might need quick access to. For instance, if there are gardening tools, or trash bins, that you use frequently during the week, keep those closest to your garage doors.

On the other hand, items that you often use inside your home, or need to quickly grab on your way out the door, but still don’t want to keep stored inside, should be kept right by the entryway from your garage to your home.

Decide On Storage Systems

You may already have an idea of what your ideal storage would look like in your garage. This could be as simple as hooks, containers, and basic shelving. However, a newly cleaned garage is the perfect time to think about going beyond the basics. You may notice that you have several large items that are ripe for storage units that hang from the ceiling, or wall track systems that allow for various attachments that can change as you see fit.

Map Out Your Space

You may know exactly where you want your items to go visually, but it’s a good idea to make a mockup of your garage. The mockup doesn’t have to be fancy, it can literally be as quick and easy as drawing a rough sketch of your garage space, mapping out the exact area that items will be placed. Include in this sketch any designated wall space as well as the floor. Your sketch may not work out perfectly, but it will give you a better idea of what will eventually go where and how much space it might take up.

Make It Happen!

The final step is, of course, making it happen. Work off of your plan and reclaim the space in your garage. Try not to get too caught up in perfecting your organizing systems right off the bat. Things may change, and you may find you need to tweak your system, or zones to better convenience yourself. However, keep a picture of the end results in your mind! An organized, roomy garage that once again belongs to you and not your belongings.