Easy Ways to Organize Your Garage From Top to Bottom

For most people, our garages are the last thing we see when we leave the house and the first thing we see when we come home. So why have our garages become a cluttered landing zone for all our “stuff?” Don’t want to look at that broken lamp that you’ve been meaning to fix? Throw it in the garage. Kids’ toys taking over the house? To the garage they go. Need a place to store holiday and seasonal decoration? You guessed it; throw those puppies in the garage!

So, what if we told you that you can have your garage and enjoy it too!

Let’s walk through some simple steps you can take to organize and transform your garage your home’s cluttered junk drawer to something you can be happy to see every time you open your garage door. Follow along!

Garage Organization Steps

1. Sort Through All Your Garage Items

We get it — getting rid of things can be difficult. But by cleaning out unused items from your garage will free up space that you didn’t know you had! Ready? Let’s start organizing by taking everything out of your space. As you take out each item, put them into one of three piles:

• Keep: These are the items that you know you will use again. If you’re having a hard time deciding if it’s worth keeping, ask yourself, “Have I used this in the past 12 months?” If the answer is no, go ahead and move that item to one of the two remaining piles.
• Donate: This pile is for all the items you don’t want but are still useable. Think baseball gloves your kid has grown out of, lawn chairs collecting dust or that Christmas tree you just haven’t put up in a few years. If you’re interested in making some extra money, put these items on Facebook Marketplace — it’s simple to use and could help you save funds for the rest of your garage renovation! Not worth the hassle? Donate these items to your local Goodwill or homeless shelter.
• Toss: It’s ok to throw things away! If you don’t think anyone will be able to get any use out of the item, recycle it, if possible, or toss it. Be sure to properly dispose of paint and other products with chemicals.

2. Imagine Your Dream Garage

This is a simple one! Once you know how much space you have to work with and how many items you need to fit back into your garage, start dreaming about how you want to use your space. Do you just need to get everything picked up so you can park your car? Do you want to transform your garage into a home gym, office or mancave? The possibilities are endless!

3. Decide on What Garage Storage You’ll Need

Now that you know how you want to use your garage, it’s time to decide what storage and organizers you need for your garage space. Here are some common storage pieces to consider:

• Open shelving: Do you like seeing everything you have at a glance? Open shelving might be for you. Garage shelving offers the ability to have your items out where you can find them easily without having to dig through drawers or cabinets.
• Workbench: If you enjoy doing crafts or DIY projects around the house, a garage workbench is a great way to have a designated space for those projects without cluttering up your kitchen table or office.
• Drop zone: No mud room inside? No problem! A drop zone is the perfect place to keep coats, backpacks, muddy or wet shoes, dog leashes and more.
• Cabinets: It doesn’t matter if you’re the most organized person, sometimes you just want to hide your things behind closed doors. Garage cabinets can be your solution to get everything out of sight.

When looking for the best storage options for your garage, it’s important to keep a few more things in mind:

• Looks: Does the material of the storage option match the style you’re going for? Some common options include wood, PVC and steel. The look of the storage will also often affect its durability.
• Durability and strength: Will the storage options you choose handle the items you want to put on or in them? It’s important to look for a highly rated product that can hold at least 800lbs. You’d be surprised by how quickly the weight of your items stacks up!
• Function: Does the storage offer the ability to be customized to your area? Look for options that offer variable heights, shelf depths, adjustable shelf heights and more. This will allow you to store a variety of different sized items in the same space — and you can adjust them as your storage needs change over time.

Are you interested in having multi-use storage? You can always get more than one of these garage organization solutions to fit your specific needs. Check out these garage storage solutions that are customizable to your needs, lifestyle and space. 

4. Organize Your Items in Matching Totes or Bins

After you’ve decided which storage pieces to buy for your garage, consider heading to your local home improvement store to buy matching totes or baskets for your items. Put all your like-items together and label the outside of the tote so you can see what’s in there without having to open each one.

Do you have items you use all the time? Plan to store those items in an easy-to-access spot. This homeowner is an avid gardener, so they used some slatwall and a slatwall accessories kit to store all their gardening tools right by the garage door.

5. Get a New Garage Floor Coating

When you look down at your garage floor, do you see salt or oil stains, pitting and uneven surfaces or just a plain old, cold concrete? One thing that can really spruce up your garage is a garage floor coating. There are a couple different options to consider when deciding on a garage floor coating that’s right for your space:

• Paint: Garage floor paint is relatively easy to apply and inexpensive. This is often an option homeowners chose when they are selling their home and want to quickly improve the look of their floor. However it doesn’t last very long and can chip easily.
• Epoxy: This is a common DIY floor coating option that homeowners often chose if they want a quick fix. Epoxy is more durable than garage paint and is relatively budget friendly. Floors coated with epoxy typically require more upkeep than some other garage floor coating options.
• Polyaspartic: The new player in the garage floor coating game, polyaspartic offers granite-like durability and looks for your garage floor. Polyaspartic is UV-stable, so it doesn’t yellow over time. Plus, it’s impact-resistant, doesn’t suffer from hot-tire pickup and resists abrasion from sand or salt.

Read more about these different garage flooring options here. 

6. Paint Your Garage Walls

One simple way to make your garage feel bigger and brighter is to apply a new coat of paint. You can hire a professional or save yourself some money by getting a couple gallons from your local paint store and doing it yourself. If you’re interested in matching your wall colors to your new garage floor coating, ask your Garage Guru about our paint pairings specially prepared by Sherwin Williams.

7. Have Your Storage Options Installed

Once your floor is finished and your walls are freshly painted, it’s time to install the garage storage solutions you decided on previously! If you’re looking for durable solutions that last, it’s important to hire professionals to provide and install your storage pieces.

8. Put Everything Back in Your New Garage Storages Pieces

You’re almost there! It’s time for the last step — put your “keep” pile items back into your space. If you’re looking for some added help to make sure your space is laid out efficiently, find a professional organizer in your area. You can start by using the directory from the National Association for Professional Organizers.

9. Get Ready for the Compliments!

Gone are the days where you had to open and close the garage door quickly so neighbors wouldn’t see what’s inside. It’s time to leave your garage door open and field the many compliments you’ll get from everyone walking by! With your decluttered space, new garage storage and beautiful garage floor coating, your garage and house will truly be the talk of the area.

If you’re ready to start your garage transformation, get your free garage organization and garage flooring estimate the experts at Hello Garage. 888.59.GARAGE