
How to Organize Your Garage so You Can Fit More Stuff in It
Do you have camping equipment in your garage even though you have not gone camping in the last 5 years? I do. I love camping though and intend on going again someday so I would never dream of throwing my cool camping gear away. This is just one of the many things I keep packed away in my double garage that consumes my limited square footage. I am a self-confessed packrat. But, with the help of my husband, we devised and executed a plan that allows us to keep all of our cool nick-knacks and still have room for a ping pong table, elliptical, an inversion table, an exercise rug, bikes, a desk, strollers and so much more. Plus, we can still walk around in it. Here is how we organized our garage so we could fit more stuff in it.
Before we started with the organization of our garage, we did mold inspection in new jersey of our garage so that we can get rid of any toxic mold that was there in our garage as it was already with so much stuff making it a perfect spot where molds can grow. Thereafter, we started with our mission to organize our garage.
Our mission started at Home Depot. We bought the plastic shelves that easily snap together. We got three of them to stack our stuff on. But that is not all we have. We also had three extra bookshelves to pile magazines, office stuff, and other tidbits on. We completely lined the walls of our double garage with the shelves we had. The plastic shelves are super cheap at hardware stores so go check them out.
Before we put our stuff on the shelves we needed to organize it by theme. Camping/outdoor stuff on one shelf, paper towels and other household necessities on another shelf, etc. Do not just stuff your stuff where ever it will fit. That will lead to future garage disorganization.
Now, most of our walls are lined with shelves and where ever there is garage wall space show, we placed hooks to hang more stuff on like the kid’s bikes, beach chairs, surfboards, etc. Our bikes were too big to hang so they are in a corner nestled next to each other. They interfere a little with ping pong but not enough to matter.
We also have a tool bench with all of the repair stuff my husband uses around the house. A tool bench is a must-have so all of your screwdrivers, hammers, nails, and more have an organized place to call home. Otherwise, they end up getting constantly lost in the clutter. If you do not want or need a tool bench, buy a bin at home depot for your small house tools and keep it organized on one of your new shelves. But, I highly recommend having a tool bench because it also houses our garage tv, VCR, and stereo. If you want to use your garage as a playroom as well as a fitness room and keep your packrat stuff in there, this will make it so much more organized and fun.
So now that all our excess belongings are neatly packed away on the new shelves, we laid down a carpet. Do not center the carpet in the middle of the garage, put it off to the side then put your exercise equipment next to it. Make it so when you enter your garage through the door that connects it to the house that it is completely free and clear of clutter. If your garage feels cluttered when you enter it, you will not want to hang out in it for long. We put the cat food next to that door so we do not forget to feed our feline friend (not that he would let us forget).
Now, your garage is completely free of stuff in the middle so you can put all your fun toys there. As I said, we have a ping pong table right in the middle so after the young kids are asleep we have a playroom for the adults that will not wake them up. Our neighbor has a pool table there. Other friends use the space for their kids to ride little bikes inside at night. I guess you could put a car there but where is the fun in that. The point is that now your garage is organized so you can fit more stuff in it. That is every pack rats’ dream.