If you’re a homeowner, then you know the struggle of keeping your garage organized and clean. While primarily made for parking spaces, the vertical and horizontal areas can make for great storage options. However, it can also quickly turn into a chaotic pile-up of boxes, tools, and other household items when left unmaintained. I mean, how easy is it to chuck large boxes of Christmas ornaments into your garage and let them sit there until the season comes around?
While this “leave and forget method” of storing can provide temporary convenience, it can also turn your garage into a bottomless pit of cluttered pandemonium. If you’re not careful, piling up items this way can create breeding grounds for unwanted critters such as mice, spiders, cockroaches, and insects that prefer dark, unbothered spaces. And, let’s not forget the fact that you might not even have enough space even to park your cars!
So, this begs the question: what can you do? Luckily, we’ve rounded up the perfect space-saving garage storage ideas to keep your garage tidy, clean and most of all, organized.
Once you are ready to add organization systems to your garage, there are many ideas, from the simple to the Pinterest-worthy, to try. Figuring out what works both with your space and your needs is the real challenge. Consider the following statements and adapt them as needed:
- Simple Shelving: Square brackets and wood planks are an easy, bare-bones way to add critical vertical shelving options to your garage space.
- Peg Boards: Called the “king” of garage storage options by many, pegboards are incredibly diverse storage options that allow homeowners to customize their storage through baskets, hooks and even small shelves. As a bonus, pegboards are easy to install and update as needed.
- Ceiling Organizers: Truly capitalizing on vertical space is easy with ceiling hooks to store large items like bikes and fishing poles. Step this standard garage storage system up a notch with mounted shelving, sized to place large bins or boxes for seasonal things like Christmas decorations.
- Custom-Built Shelves & Racks: For the advanced DIYer, designing custom shelving systems that fit precisely in small corners is a great way to use every inch of storage space possible. Custom items are also easy to personalize. Different plans for bike racks, toy storage, coat racks and more are easy to find online.
- Bins & Buckets: The classic catchall for all the “stuff” you find, large plastic bins are easy to store and stack and make a great repository for random items like toys. Another easy storage technique is to store smaller items like nuts, screws, nails, and other pool-related items in labelled jars.
- Moveable Storage Systems: For the avid weekend auto repairman or the active family, creating custom storage systems that are easy to move makes participating in favourite hobbies – and cleaning up afterwards – a breeze. Consider investing in a rolling tool chest for an auto repair, for example. Alternately, a rolling sports equipment cart like those in schools makes it easy for kids to bring equipment into the driveway for play and clean up.
13 Garage Organization DIY Ideas to Help You Get Tidy
Some people are lucky enough to have a garage with ample storage spaces that functions adequately. Others struggle with a garage that has multiple uses and far too much stuff to be able to store the car in the winter. If you’re part of the latter crowd, consider embarking on a garage organization DIY project or two. You don’t need a lot of skill or a magic wand to create enough garage storage for everything you own. However, you do need some time, patience, and a little elbow grease.
Anchor PVC Pipe to the Wall for Tool Storage
If you need to store long garden tools in the garage, it’s nice to have the rakes and shovels on the wall and out of the way. You’ve probably seen some type of cartoon depicting someone stepping on the end of a shovel and the handle hitting them in the face—but this type of thing can really happen. Prevent it by installing a wall-anchored storage rack that uses inexpensive PVC pipe.
Make Shelves That Fit in Your Garage
The foundation of every organized garage is a good storage system. This usually involves some type of shelving unit. Instead of buying something readymade and expensive, however, learn how to make shelves that are custom-fit to the space.
Make Custom Solutions for Your Most-Used Items
When you first start organizing your garage, do a quick inventory and think about how you want the space to function. Is there a particular hobby or pastime that requires significant storage space? Carve out some room and build something for that purpose, such as this functional spray paint rack.
Hang Objects off of a Pegboard
Pegboard is a type of material that makes a lot of sense in a garage because it can be constantly reconfigured as you add and subtract items. Shelving can be repositioned, and containers can be moved to different pegs.
Get Sports Balls off the Ground
If your family participates in a lot of sports, you’ll need to come up with a solution for all the excess balls. You could put a container on the ground, but floor space is prime real estate in a garage. Instead, hang a cage-like mechanism in which you can pile various types of balls.
Make an Industrial-Style Towel Holder
No garage DIY project is too small to complete when you are looking for a functional space. Everything down to the smallest nail should have a place. This project from Love Create Celebrate looks stylish and holds shop towels, so they are always within reach and off of your work area.
Create a Mudroom in Part of Your Garage
If you have an attached garage and no mudroom inside, create one on the wall next to the main entryway. Even though this design is minimal, it takes into account how the family uses the space and makes sure each member has a spot to store their items.
Store Bikes on a Custom Rack
Bikes can be awkward to store, so if you have more than one, consider creating a custom rack. This rack from Gray House Studio also doubles as a bench, making the design as functional as it is cool looking.
Make Your Garage Organization Beautiful
Who doesn’t like garage organization that is also aesthetically pleasing? The creatives over at A Beautiful Mess came up with a clever way to store basic garage necessities on the wall. Don’t be afraid to use colour when embarking on a DIY project, even if it means making a bold choice.
Add Wheels to a Tool Cart
If your garage doubles as a workshop, consider this DIY project from My Repurposed Life. The tool cart is large enough to hold your most-used tools but narrow enough to easily stow away when not in use.
Give Yourself Surface Area for Potting
If you are an avid gardener but don’t have a potting shed, chances are you’ll be doing a lot of potting in your garage. First, create the space for storing your precious pots and tools, and then give yourself a surface area to work. This table from Lia Griffith is an ideal solution.
Use a Built-In as a Mudroom
Need more room for hats, gloves, and book bags? You can transform some basic cabinetry into a custom mudroom for your garage for a lower cost than you might initially think. If you have enough open wall space, check out this reveal from The Kim Six Fix for more details.
Turn Your Garage Into a Studio
The main takeaway here should be that your garage can function how you need it to function. So if you don’t have a car to store but work on creative endeavours at home, turn the space into a studio. Check out this full reveal for details on how you can transform your floors, so they are more workspace-friendly.
11 Awesome Garage Storage Ideas To Keep Your Tools Organized
When I was still starting out on woodworking and other DIY projects, my tools had no place to go. They were just lying on the table, or on the ground, and sometimes, in the weirdest places, like the kitchen drawer. It took me quite a while to sort out and find ways to store my tools inside the garage. Believe me when I say that these storage ideas that I am about to show you really work, and they can do wonders for your storage needs. Here are several garage storage ideas that you can use!
Overhead Storage
Suspended shelving might just be for you if you’re planning to make use of every square foot of your garage. Normally used for tools not commonly used, shelves positioned overhead may accommodate those looking for better space.
Mounted Wall Rails
Overhead storage may keep your bigger, less commonly-used tools stocked, but tools that are smaller need a more accessible and organized type of storage space. You may opt for mounted wall rails for a cost-effective and easy way of storing your commonly-used small tools.
Hanging Jars
Use simple household materials to create hanging jars for more creative and cost-efficient storage of small materials such as nails, bits, and screws. Not only are they easy to make, but they are also easy to utilize as well, allowing easy access to the smallest tools of your DIY arsenal.
Shelves
Shelves, shelves, good ole shelves. They never grow out of fashion for their obvious usability and ease of use. If you’re not too worried about space on the ground, a shelf is always an option.
Coat Hooks
Coat hooks aren’t just for coats. Spare bags or dirty rags can be neatly arranged on coat hooks too. Coat hooks can give your garage not just a more usable space but a nifty aesthetic feel as well.
Repurpose
The best (and most enjoyable) idea among these garage storage ideas would be to repurpose old, unused things at home to build your own garage storage device. For example, old plasterboards and unused hooks are great materials to use when making shelves, cabinets, or even vertical storage.
Jumbo Tape Dispenser
Remember those tape dispensers that you had lying around on your desk? Well, you can create your own tape dispenser for your garage! Think of it as an awesome way to keep track of where your tapes are and how much of them are left. You can check out how this was made right here.
Suspending sliding Storage System
Think of them as overhead drawers, if you will. A sliding storage system, like this one, can keep a lot of tools organized without taking up too much space. Let’s face it, we’ve all had to deal with cluttered boxes of stored tools, right? This suspending storage system is a must-have for every DIY enthusiast. Just make sure that the containers are durable and sturdy.
The Screwdriver Coat Rack
DIY enthusiasts know what it’s like to lose a couple of screwdrivers, especially when you need them for certain projects. Unfortunately, I can no longer count how many screwdrivers have come and gone inside my workshop. Either the magical screwdriver fairy took them away, or I have a bad habit of forgetting Where I placed them. This screwdriver coat rack is going to help you keep your screwdrivers together while saving tons of shelf and drawer space.
Truss Shelves
This is an amazing way to store tools because it not only serves its purpose but also adds a dash of minimalism to your garage. The slanting design of truss shelves allows you to store your items without the shelves looking like a complete eyesore. Instead, think of it as a pyramid. You can sort out your most commonly used tools by placing them on the bottom shelf and the least used tools on the top.
How Much Does It Cost to Organize A Garage?
Organizing the garage is more of a time commitment for most homeowners rather than a financial one. While there are complex professional storage systems and garage remodelling packages that cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, using DIY ingenuity and a little elbow grease can completely reshape a garage for as little as $1,000 or less. According to real cost reports, homeowners’ average rates for a garage organization project range from $791 to $2,142. This represents a huge range of possibilities and levels of storage.
Garage Organization Benefits
Aside from actually being able to fit a car (or even two cars) inside it, organizing a garage offers a number of benefits ranging from the practical to the aesthetic. In fact, a professionally organized garage space with updates such as epoxy floors and built-in cabinetry can actually raise the value of a home. Other benefits include:
- Improved Storage Systems: Even something as simple as open shelving can substantially impact your ability to store more items in your garage and access them faster.
- Convenience: It’s hard to deny how much easier it is to go into the garage for a tool and know exactly where it is.
- Peace of Mind: A cluttered home – or garage – can lead to a cluttered mind, and that leads to stress, especially when you need to access something inside the garage but can’t find it. Organization outside can lead to calm inside.
Time Investment of Garage Organization
Organizing a messy garage can no doubt become a time-consuming process, especially if you’ve lived in your home for a number of years and misused your garage for just as many. However, with planning and some helping hands, this is a project that can easily wrap up over the course of a weekend or even a day if the garage is less cluttered.
How often you need to reorganize the garage is just as personal. If organizational systems remain intact and everyone in the household uses them correctly, theoretically, this is a one-off job. More likely, however, you’ll want to revisit garage organization at least once a year as part of spring cleaning perhaps. This also serves as a way to reassess storage systems, make repairs where needed and get rid of newly acquired junk.