How to Organize Your Garage from Top to Bottom?

The way you treat your garage may soon be reflected in all your other assets. Your car maintenance is in a direct correlation with this fact and, seeing as how the majority of people use their garage as secondary storage, the rest of the household will also be affected.

So, how do you organize your garage in order to utilize its every single centimeter?

Let’s find out:

1 – Make a layout

The first thing you need to do is measure your garage and put its layout on paper (or an appropriate digital equivalent). Once you have this, you need to do some drawing and figure out which items are essential.

The base purpose of the garage is to serve as a shelter for your vehicle. Other than this, it also has a storage function. Some people also use it as a sort of workshop.

All in all, the size and your use of a garage will mandate which items are necessary and which are optional.

Once you have the layout down, you need to start drawing the map of all your storage. Remember, you want to use every centimeter of space that you’ve got. This means using every centimeter of your walls and ceiling, as well as the regular shelf space. Racks are probably your best option but you need to ensure that they’re properly mounted in order not to put anyone’s life in danger. This is especially true when it comes to the ceiling racks.

All-in-all, take your time and keep in mind that you also need to have some maneuvering space.

2 – Start by decluttering

Another thing you need to do is ensure that the space that you’re working with is clutter-free.

Why?

Well, because this will increase the efficiency of your organization, improve the visuals of the place and provide you with more space.

Other than being distracting and creating obstacles, clutter also serves as a potential shelter for pests. So, by removing it you’re also making an investment in the safety of your health and property.

Lastly, before you discard anything, check if you can sell, donate or repurpose some of these items. 

3 – Is it also a workshop?

Some people use their garage as if it were a workshop.

For this to work, you need to lay some proper infrastructure. You see, a workshop requires more than a workstation or a craftsman’s table.

It also requires proper storage of materials and access to outlets for power tools. Since you also need to keep the majority of your tools there, you might want to consider investing in a sturdy aluminium toolbox.

Still, keep in mind that a cordless might be a better option, seeing as how it reduces the amount of space you need, reduces a tripping hazard, and even a hazard of electrocution. 

4 – Think about the flooring

As for the flooring, this is a tad more complex than it seems.

First of all, because your vehicles will spend a lot of time there, there’s a chance that, sooner or later, there will be an oil leak. This will, beyond any doubt, stain the surface bellow the vehicle.

This is why you should carefully consider your garage flooring options. First, you have the polished concrete flooring or stone flooring as the two most common (and most obvious) choices. Other than this, you can also go with rubber, vinyl, or even epoxy.

Each of them has its own set of advantages and downsides.

5 – Storage options

Previously, we’ve talked about the storage options as a part of your layout planning. Still, investing some time into research on this topic is incredibly important.

First of all, you need to be aware that there are two traits that will determine the quality of your storage. It needs to be A) secure and B) accessible.

Usually, these two traits work against each other but it’s always possible for you to find a balance. As far as your options go, the upper shelf bins, lower shelf bins, and drawers are crucial.

In conclusion

Keep in mind that every garage is different. This is why it’s far more useful to have pointers than strict organizational rules.

It all depends on your needs, vehicle, and plans for the future. With the help of the above-listed five tips, you have what it takes in order to make all of this work.