How to Organize Your Garage Once and for All

It’s the project you’ve been dying to tackle, but keep putting off – garage organization.

For whatever reason, garage organization is something that many people would love to have but dread actually doing. Maybe it’s because the garage is not the centerpiece of your home. Maybe it’s because you have a mountain of stuff stored in your garage and you don’t know where to start. Maybe it’s because you just don’t have clear direction about what you want to do and how you can do it.

Whatever the reason, garage organization is one project that homeowners consistently delay doing. And when they do it, they often do it haphazardly, halfway and/or without a great plan.

If you are in this boat, don’t worry. We have tips on how you can organize your garage once and for all, including where to start, how to plan, how to use your walls with a pegboard and pegboard hooks, and more. So, without further ado, here are the top ways you can start your garage organization project, and finish it with the space you’ve always wanted.

 

1. Start with a Clean Surface

The first step in any garage organization project is not installing a pegboard hook set and getting everything off the ground. That’s the exciting part, of course, but there are other important steps to take before that.

Any successful garage organization project starts with cleaning your garage. It’s possible that your garage is like many other people’s – full of stuff you don’t even remember having, and plain dirty. These things need to be addressed before the true garage organization project can begin.

First, go through what you have and throw out, donate or sell everything you no longer want. This will help you de-clutter significantly and focus only on what you really need/want to store in your garage.

Next, take everything out of your garage and clean it. Dust walls and the ceiling if you can. Wipe any table tops, surfaces and cabinets you have. Lastly, sweep the floor of all this dirt, dust and grime. This will give you a fresh slate to work with as you get set to put everything back together.

 

2. Create an Organization Plan

You should be tackling part of this step concurrently while you are cleaning your garage and sorting through your stuff. As you are putting aside the things you want to keep, make an inventory list of everything you have. By having it down on paper, it’ll help you plan your garage organization project better.

After your entire list is complete, go through and categorize all the items on your inventory list. Separate them into groupings based on how you’d like to store them. For example, make a list of your tools, extra paint, holiday/seasonal decorations, outdoor toys, etc.

Once you have created this categorized list, draw out the interior of your garage. It would be best if you sketched the layout of the garage with measurements of your walls (both length and height) to see all the space you’re working with. Don’t forget to include any cabinets, tabletops, surfaces and appliances (like an extra fridge) that you have.

This will help you figure out whether you have enough shelving, a pegboard and pegboard attachments and/or cabinets, for example. If you don’t, you know you’ll need to make some purchases to help you complete your garage organization project properly.

 

3. Use the Walls

As you’re laying out every nook and cranny in your garage organization project, keep in mind that your garage isn’t just floorspace. You have vertical walls, too, that can – and should – be used strategically.

By using your garage walls in your storage project, you’ll be maximizing the space you have, making it easier to find the things you need when you need them, and keeping the interior of your space free (more on that in a bit).

The best way to utilize your garage wall space is to purchase a pegboard and pegboard hook set. A pegboard with standard 1/4″ pegboard hooks can help you store and display everything from paintbrushes to tools to small bins neatly and cleanly off the ground.

There are many different types of pegboard hooks, pegboard attachments and pegboard accessories that you can use, depending on exactly what items you want to store off the ground. J Hooks and L Hooks are great for paintbrushes, small rope and storage bags.

Long Hooks are ideal for sledgehammers, hand tools and power tools. Shelf brackets allow you to put shelves that you can put containers on. Tool holders and multi-tool racks allow you to display each of your tools separately and in an organized fashion so you can find that specific screwdriver when you need it.

There are even pegboard accessories such as basket sets, paper towel holders and measure tape holders that you can integrate as part of your pegboard design. The great part is all these different pegboard attachments can fit on a standard pegboard hook set with 1/4″ pegboard hooks.

A garage organization project without a pegboard is simply not a true garage organization project.

 

4. Keep the Interior Space Free

A final suggestion your garage organization project is to keep the interior floor space free. While it would certainly be easier to just stack everything up in the middle of your garage and be done with it, this will make it very hard for you to find something specific when you need it.

It’ll also make it very hard for you to move around in your garage and make any future changes to your garage organization layout if need be. Keeping the interior floor space free will allow you to park a car or cars in the garage easily, for example.

It’ll allow you to use the floor space to set up temporary horses to paint doors or cabinets. And, ultimately, it’ll allow you to avoid having to trip over boxes and random items as you try to navigate to access your items.

A garage organization project may seem daunting at first, but if you follow these four simple steps, you’ll be reaping the rewards of a clean and organized garage in no time.