The better weather is well and truly on its way, with the evenings beginning to draw out and a sense of optimism about the arrival of spring. With the disappearance of winter comes the opportunity for that all-important spring clean, and top on many to-do lists is the task of redecorating and reorganising your garage.
Organising a garage can save you time, prevent accidents, and even free up some space for additional storage or activities.
Whether you have a lean-to garage, apex, garden room or workshop, there are a number of clever ways you can get the most out of your garage and utilise your space.
Declutter and organise
Start by taking everything out of your space and organising it into categories. This includes tools, gardening equipment, sports gear, Christmas decorations, old paint, boxes and more.
Then, get rid of items that are broken, out-of-date, or that you haven’t used in a long time. You can donate them to a charity shop, sell at a car boot sale or online, recycle or dispose of these items as required by local regulations.
After sorting your belongings, plan out where everything will go. It’s a good idea to store items you use most frequently near the entrance of your garage and within easy to reach hight for easy access. Reserve harder-to-reach areas for things you rarely use, such as seasonal decorations. Make sure any hazardous materials (like paints, pesticides) are safely out of reach of children and pets.
Tools storage
Do you love nothing more than a spot of DIY, and is your garage space taken up by loose hammers, spanners and nails? Constructing or purchasing some handy and convenient tool slides, chests, or organisers will keep your tools safely tucked away but easily accessible for when you need them.
Keep items of the same type together. For instance, all your garden tools should be in one place, and all your nut and bolts in another.
Alternative you can take advantage of the vertical space in your garage, while having a minimal impact on the floorspace – think of pegboard system as another option.
Photo by Antonio Manaligod on Unsplash
Use the walls
Utilising all available space is imperative to get the most out of your garage, including the walls. Sturdy metal shelving, hooks, boards, baskets and cupboards mean plenty of opportunities to make the most of your garage. You might even be able to use some of the overhead space.
You can invest in some lining clips to fix timber to the walls, which allows for safe attachment of shelving units or cupboard. While you are thinking about shelves, it might be also worth picking up some translucent plastic boxes to keep things organised, but also visible. The ones that can stack are best.
Chalkboard paint cabinets
Forget sticky notes and marker pens – see exactly what is located behind each cupboard and in each drawer by using chalkboard paint. For a smart storage solution, simply mark items on cupboard and drawer fronts in chalk. This helps you locate items quickly and saves you from trawling through endless drawers, containers and cupboards searching for a missing item.
Chalk is also perfect when it comes to moving items around the space – simply wipe the cupboard front down and add your new item. It couldn’t be simpler.
Add labels
It may sound simple, but labels are superb items to have to hand and help keep your garage clutter-free and organised. Whether it’s folders or old schoolbooks, garden equipment or classic Christmas decorations – placing these items in boxes and labelling these clearly prevents you from having to sift through countless items and can help you locate what you need without wasting too much time.
If you want to take it to the next level – consider investing in a label maker machine, which will allow you to make professional looking labels in minutes. It will also remind everyone where to put back items. It will also come handy in the office and kitchen; it will change your life!
Rince and repeat and become Inspired
A garage can easily become a place to throw things away and forget about them. Prevent this from happening to your garage and unlock a host of exciting opportunities for your space.
Make a schedule to regularly clean and organize your garage, such as once a season (read our blog post on garage spring cleaning). This will help maintain the orderliness and allow you to enjoy your space.
Feeling inspired about the possibilities of owning a garage? Contact Lidget Compton to explore our range of garage solutions today.