How to Organize a Messy Garage
Today I am sharing how to organize a messy garage. Organizing doesn’t have to be hard!
The best way to organize a messy garage is to group similar items together. Go through the items and declutter everything you don’t need. Find a storage solution, I like open shelves and clear bins. Next put similar items together on the shelves and label all the bins!
When we moved into our new fixer-upper we dumped everything into our garage. There was no organizing! I am talking about a huge pile of random stuff dumped in the middle of the garage. After a few weeks of tripping and falling over things I decided I had to get organized.
I love organizing and finding a place for every item in my house. Call me weird, but I get joy out of it. I believe anyone can be organized it just takes a little time to get set up.
Once you have a place for everything it is easy.
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How to Organize and Declutter a Messy Garage Video:
Decluttering a Garage
We have been on a decluttering journey for the last two years, which means we don’t have a lot of decluttering left to do. But the first thing I always suggest to anyone who is trying to organize an area of their life is to declutter first and as you go.
The garage is one of the easiest places to declutter. If you are new to decluttering I have an in-depth E-BOOK on exactly how to get started and follow through with decluttering.
My system is very simple; group similar items together. As you are grouping these similar items pick out what you don’t need or want to keep.
For instance, I had all of the extra parts to a tricycle that my kids still ride, but there is no way we will ever convert the tricycle back to a baby bike. So in this case I donated all of the extra parts.
Part of me thought I should be keeping the parts to donate with the bike, but I noticed this bike is extremely worn out and I think by the time we are done the bike will be as well.
Always analyze why you are keeping certain things and if it is necessary. My rule of thumb is if I haven’t used something in over a year it’s going.
Clear the Clutter
Make sure you have a box or trash bag ready for your unwanted items. It is easier to sort through the clutter after you are done removing it from the garage.
Try to remove the clutter that you don’t want out of the garage. This alleviates confusion and makes it easier to see what you are working with.
If your garage is extremely messy you are going to want a large trash bin so you can start by removing all the trash.
BEFORE GARAGE ORGANIZING:
Garage Organization
It is impossible to be organized without some kind of shelf or hooks. Without a system, it’s inevitable that everything will end up in a pile.
Most hooks and shelves are extremely affordable, but if you can’t afford that then a simple nail will work. We actually have quite a few cords hanging from a simple nail in the wall.
We decided on the Whalen shelf from Costco. This was easy to build and the shelf heights are customizable.
The next step is where to put everything. I would suggest grouping your items into categories.
All the garden items together, all the cords in one place, all the tools in one area, you get the picture. My goal was to get once a year items like Christmas decorations out of my house and into the garage.
We only have 2 bins, but I don’t need them taking up valuable space inside my home.
Organizing by Use
Think about how often you use something before you decide where it should go. For instance, we only use Christmas decor once a year. So this could go up high or in an area that isn’t as accessible.
We use our ice chests about 6 or more times a year so we would want these in a place that is easy to get to.
The brooms and shovels we use every week so I found a way to hang these where I can get to them quickly and easily.
We used the Rubbermaid Fast track system to hang all of the tools we use all the time. This is a great system because you can adjust all of the hooks on the track. Making it completely customizable and easy to use.
AFTER GARAGE ORGANIZATION:
As you can see in this photo our luggage is on the top shelf because we don’t go on vacations very often. Our ice chests are lower because we use them all the time.
Items With A Home
Every item you own should have a home. A place to live. Before we decluttered I realized what made our home look messy was there wasn’t enough space to let every item have a home.
As it turned out the problem wasn’t space at all, it was the fact that we had too much. As we decluttered, our home naturally started to look more put together.
Since we moved into this fixer-upper a few months ago our home has looked like a mess again. That is simply the fact that we don’t have a place for everything yet.
As time goes on and we find a place for every item in our home it will look more and more “put together.”
I hope this was helpful and you are able to see the results of decluttering and organizing your garage and life. Check out my Garage Organization Pinterest board for more inspiration.
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