Organizing Your Garage Made Easy: Stress-Free Decluttering Tips

A garage can accommodate a wide array of items, ranging from vehicles to sports equipment, seasonal decorations, gardening supplies, and more. The contents of your garage are typically influenced by your lifestyle and the available space in your home. However, serving as a catchall storage area, it’s no surprise that the space often becomes cluttered.

An untidy garage can quickly become a source of frustration. It can be challenging to locate specific items, create space for new belongings, and retrieve necessary items, even if you know their general location. The disarray can feel overwhelming, but organizing your garage doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following these tips for efficient and considerate organization, you can avoid common garage storage mistakes.

1. Set Aside Time

Allow ample time to empty the garage, decide what to keep, and create and execute an organizational strategy. Ideally, a weekend is suitable for this endeavor, although the duration may vary based on the available space and the volume of items. Introducing and setting up new storage systems might extend the timeline, and disposing of unwanted items and donations can also consume additional time.

If possible, aim to tackle the entire project in one go. If completing the entire garage organization in a single stretch isn’t feasible, consider breaking it down into stages to ensure continuity at crucial junctures. The crucial step to accomplish in a single phase is the complete removal of items, identification of items to discard, and categorization of what remains. This approach will provide a clear understanding of what will be reintroduced into your garage. It’s also an opportune moment to take measurements; an empty garage offers the best opportunity to gauge the space and contemplate potential layouts and storage solutions. The actual process of organizing and implementing storage solutions can occur as time and budget permit.

2. Classify Items into Like Categories

Begin the organization process by grouping together items that are alike. Consider factors such as the items’ purpose, frequency of use, and the individuals requiring access. You will probably employ a blend of these sorting methods to effectively optimize your available space.

• Sort by activity: Gather items needed for doing an activity or that fit under a theme, such as car maintenance, camping, gardening, sports equipment, kids’ outdoor toys, and holiday decor. Sorting by subject is an approach that can help organize according to everything needed to accomplish an activity.
• Sort for seasonality: What do you access routinely and what’s used only occasionally? Christmas decor is an example of something you only need to access twice a year, while household tools might be more frequently needed. Leftover building materials may not have an immediate use at all, but still be something you want to keep on hand. Sorting with use frequency in mind can make it easier to prioritize what should be made easily accessible.
• Sort for safety: If you are storing toxic, sharp, or otherwise dangerous items, you’ll want to keep these securely tucked away. You might also have fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, and other safety elements you want to make easily accessible.
• Sort by user: Who is using what in the garage? You likely want kids to have things like trikes, sidewalk chalk, and basketballs within their reach in the same area of the garage. Similarly, things you don’t want to be accessible to little hands should be stored in higher locations or closed storage and away from kids’ things.

3. Clear Out the Garage

Begin by mentally picturing the contents of your garage. Remove all items (yes, everything!) to evaluate what you are storing and commence the sorting process. Additionally, contemplate removing any existing removable storage, as this will aid in obtaining dimensions and envisioning a new layout at a later stage. This approach not only reveals the items needing organization and storage but also highlights the existing storage solutions at your disposal.

4. Think Outside the Garage

After clearing out the garage, assess whether any items should be stored elsewhere—especially those that should never be kept in the garage. Additionally, consider if there are items you plan to store in the garage that are currently located elsewhere, such as in the attic, basement, or closet. Retrieve these items and add them to the collection awaiting organization.

Take a moment to contemplate any upcoming storage arrangements. For instance, if you’re planning to install a garden shed in the backyard this summer, refrain from including those items in the garage storage.