Besides using the garage as a shelter for their car, bicycles, and other vehicles, many people use their garage as an extra storage room as well. However, for it to actually serve that purpose successfully, you can’t just throw things inside and let them be. You have to keep the room organized, or it wouldn’t really matter what you put in the garage since you’d never be able to find anything. The best way to keep your garage organized is by employing different storage solutions, like shelves, racks, and cabinets. So, here’s what you should know about these three choices.
Get rid of clutter
Before you start organizing your garage, the first thing you need to do is declutter. This means that you should get rid of everything you don’t actually need. And don’t lie to yourself – if you haven’t used some piece of equipment for over a year, you’re not going to need it. By clearing your garage of all the unnecessary things, you’ll make organizing it much easier and less time-consuming.
Shelves
For starters, having enough shelving clears the area for your car, bikes, and everything else that has to be on the ground. Using shelving as one of storage solutions allows you to use all the available vertical space, and it also allows you to clearly see everything that you put on the shelves. You can use shelves to store labeled boxes, and things that you’d like to keep off the ground. For example, you can use them for your gardening gloves and tools, your kids’ toys, car accessories, etc. In short, things that you want to be able to find easily when needed. One downfall of shelves, though, is that they aren’t the best option for extremely heavy things. Of course, this depends on how well you secure your shelving to the wall, but still, it’s never good to risk it.
Cabinets
When it comes to cabinets, one benefit is that it also uses vertical space. However, cabinets do require a bit more room, as you still need to be able to open them in order to use them. That being said, you can always install sliding doors. Moreover, since the items inside would be relatively protected, it’s best used for items that you use indoors. Or, for example, if you have a work station in your garage, you can use your cabinet for work-related items.
Racks
Now, the biggest downfall of racks is that they require more room than cabinets or shelves. However, if you do have plenty of room in your garage, there’s no reason not to use racks. As for the benefits, unlike shelves, they are a bit sturdier, so you can use them for storing heavier items. In general, you can use them in the same way you’d use your shelves, just with the added benefit of not worrying about weight as much. Also, a good idea would be to group your items in a way that makes sense to you. For example, you can keep things you use the least on the highest section, your tools and things you need every day on the part that is the easiest to reach, your shoes on the bottom, etc. This way, you’d always know where everything is.
Regardless of how big or small your garage is, if you’re going to use it as an additional storage space, you need to keep it organized. Fortunately, there are plenty of storage solutions that can help you do that. So, depending on your needs, consider using the above-listed storage types, and you should have no trouble finding anything in your garage.
