Garages are a real bonus when it comes to storing things, but it’s all too easy for the space to get messy and for you to not be able to find what you want. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. One of the best garage storage ideas is to have a thorough clear out. This doesn’t just allow you to get rid of tools and other items that you don’t need or want, it will create plenty of extra storage space too.
When everything is clear, you might just come across garage storage solutions you didn’t know you had. Make the best use of the storage and space available by thinking creatively: what items need to be within easy reach? What items do you rarely use and can be stored at heights? Are there any wall or ceiling spaces that you can use for storage with clever shelving?
Once you’ve decluttered, you’ll be able to see what space you have and where you could put garage storage systems. Going for clever garage shelving ideas such as racks, freestanding units and shelves fixed to walls will help you get items off the floor. If you’d prefer to keep things hidden away, there are plenty of drawer units you can buy to improve garage organization.
It’s really easy to sling something in a box and forget about it, especially if you can’t see the mess. Choose clear boxes, and you’re far more likely to keep them tidy. On top of that, you’ll be able to see the contents inside. That means the next time you’re looking for something, it’ll be a lot easier to find.
You’ve decluttered and invested in garage solutions such as racks and clear boxes, but how should you organize them? The best way is to categorize your belongings. Keep tools together, sports gear together, engine fluids together – that way, everything will be far more organized. Go a step further by putting things into subcategories – power tools, trainers… whatever it is! Just make sure you remember to store everything away neatly.
8 Solutions to Garage Problems
Homeowners demand a lot from their garages. Garages are a frequently trafficked area that provides a key access point to our residences, as well as a valuable space for working and storage. Their exterior also comprises the single-most noticeable aspect of your home’s exterior.
As such, encountering problems with your garage are an inevitability. That can include mechanical issues with garage doors and openers, functionality issues (such as a lack of storage space), and realizing your garage needs an aesthetic update, among many other things. Let’s look at the top eight common garage problems and some solutions to address them.
Excess garage clutter
Excess clutter is one of the most common garage problems homeowners contend with. More often than not, clutter accumulates because your garage’s available storage space just isn’t being used to the best of its ability.
Solution: Garage Living has a number of smart storage and organization solutions to free up floor space and help get your garage in order, such as:
- Garage wall storage: PVC Slatwall panels maximize your garage’s storage space by allowing you to hang items on the wall. Over 40 different Slatwall accessories provide plenty of flexibility to configure your Slatwall storage area just the way you want.
- Specialty storage racks: our tire racks and overhead storage racks will take care of your heavy-duty garage storage needs. We also carry many other varieties of lighter-duty rack and shelving options for the garage.
- Garage cabinetry: our five lines of garage cabinetry systems are ideal for getting your tools and smaller belongings organized. They also add a brilliant modern touch to your garage’s interior aesthetics.
Outdated or damaged garage doors
Garage doors that look outdated, faded, or damaged won’t go unnoticed by neighbours and passersby. They’re also one of the most frequently used doors in the home, so proper functionality is imperative both for convenience and safety reasons.
Solution: Garage door technology has come a long way in the past 10-15 years, meaning there’s no better time to upgrade. You have many more customization options than ever before.
Garage Living’s extensive steel, wood, fibreglass, and full view aluminium garage door collections will have a style and design that speaks to your aesthetic preferences. Also, consider that garage doors provide one of the best returns on investment for home renovation projects.
A lack of parking space
Storing your vehicle in the garage has its benefits. For example, they’re kept safer inside, along with being protected from the elements. But what are your options if you don’t want to face a costly and disruptive home renovation?
Solution: One convenient way to increase your garage’s available parking space is to add a car lift. Our four-post car lifts instantly double your garage’s parking space by taking advantage of its unused vertical space.
Damaged and unappealing garage flooring
Garage floors endure a lot of wear and tear, which eventually takes a toll on their appearance and structure. Chips, cracks, crumbling, and an unappealing overall look are quite common with older concrete garage floors.
Solution: Fully restore your garage floor by having a polyaspartic Floortex™ floor coating applied. Polyaspartic floor coatings are much better than epoxy coatings, with features that include:
- excellent durability that guarantees against flaking, peeling, and blistering, along with a high level of abrasion and impact resistance
- UV stable topcoat that minimizes the likelihood of fading and yellowing over time
- strong resistance to household chemicals, including oil, gas, salt, and more
- fast application time (the job can be completed in as little as one day) and the ability to be applied virtually year-round
- great looks that are very easy to maintain
Malfunctioning garage door opener
One of the more common garage problems involves garage doors not closing properly. This is typically due to an issue with your garage door opener, but other factors may be at fault.
Solution: Garage door openers have photo eye sensors that act as a safety measure. The photo eyes have an invisible beam that runs between them. When that beam is broken, your door will go back up. If that happens, check that there are no obstructions in their path, inspect the lenses to make sure they’re clean, and ensure that they’re properly aligned.
If these solutions don’t work, inspect your garage door tracks to make sure they’re in proper alignment. Also, ensure that the tracks are allowing your garage door rollers to move freely.
Outdated and worn-out garage door opener
Garage door openers have many small moving parts. As a result, they’re prone to mechanical issues, especially after years of heavy use. Eventually, your garage door opener will need replacement. Like garage doors, they need to operate properly for the convenience and safety of your family.
Solution: Our line of LiftMaster garage door openers are reliable, quiet, and energy-efficient. They also come with innovative MyQ Technology. This lets you monitor your garage’s security on your smartphone, even when you’re away from home.
Poor garage lighting
How many garages have you been in that only had one or two old 60-watt bulbs as their light source? Your garage might even be one of them! This is one of the common garage problems that are simple and quite affordable to fix.
Solution: Our LED garage lighting fixture provides a bright, uniform light source that uses 30% less energy than similar fluorescent lighting. Once it’s installed, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to make it this much easier to function in your garage.
Inadequate workspace
Sometimes there’s just not enough space inside your home to accommodate your woodworking, metalworking, or repairing hobbies. Excess noise and the messiness of these pastimes can also make it challenging to have a workshop inside your home.
Solution: Set up your workshop in the garage. You can first create extra space by using our storage and organization solutions. Then add a handy wall-mounted folding workbench that won’t take up valuable space when it’s not being used. The rugged butcher block workbench can support a weight load of up to 400 lbs.
7 Garage Organization Problems
Hazardous, frustrating, non-functional, messy, bug-infested and downright nasty – if these words describe your garage, you’re not alone (as a matter of fact, you’re in the majority of homeowners). The garage can become the “drop zone” for all varieties of unwanted and infrequently used stuff. Garden tools, holiday decorations, sporting equipment, unused car parts, small random pieces of parts of all kinds can find their “final resting place” in the garage.
How can you rid yourself of the clutter which has eaten your garage and gain enough room to move the cars back in again? What steps or garage organization products can put you in the “driver seat” (sorry for the pun) to eliminate cluttered or a dangerous garages? Let’s take a look at the top 7 garage organization problems and storage products to lick these challenges once and forever.
Garage problem #1 – The toxic wasteland – anti-freeze, gas cans, paint and solvents you don’t want your kids to get into
It makes sense to store anti-freeze, oil, gas cans, solvents or if you’re in Columbus, cans of scarlet and grey paint for an upcoming remodelling project in your garage. Many of these products are flammable, dangerous for your kids and shouldn’t be in the house. If these items are lying on the floor in the garage or in cheap DIY units buckling under the weight, the time has come for a new organizational strategy. One effective way to eliminate the toxic wasteland concern is to store these items in garage cabinets on upper shelves. If you really want to get the safety gold star put a lock on the garage cabinet door.
Garage problem #2 – Do sweat the small stuff – finding a way to organize the small pieces parts you go nuts trying to find
You’re getting really angry. You’ve been looking high and low trying to find the right bolt, screw or Allen wrench to complete the repair on your “honey to do” list so you can get onto the important stuff (a tee time with the boys in Dublin at Muirfield).
Finding small parts and tools can be a time consuming and frustrating process….but this pain in the rear can (and should) be eliminated. Here’s the secret – an organized workbench. If you put a workbench in the garage with drawers with divider trays, you’ll know where things are at.
Garage workbench with drawers with divider trays for small item storage Columbus
Another alternative option if you don’t want or need a workbench is to use small bins in a garage wall storage system. Either way, you’ll know where to find stuff, so you’ll be on time teeing off!
Garage problem #3 – “Honey – our stuff ate our parking places” – decluttering the garage so you can get the cars back in
Hopefully, this is not you – but for many people, the garage storage problem has become so extreme the garage has so much junk you can no longer protect your car from the elements because there is no room to bring it in. In this case, use this 5 step “extreme garage makeover” process (note – in the short run, you’re neighbours may see you like a bit of a junkyard dog):
- Step 1 – Get your stuff out – Literally take everything out of the garage.
- Step 2 – Organize by type – So you can see what duplications you have and what can be discarded, it’s a good idea to sort your things by type. Put gardening, camping and sporting gear, decorations, car products and tools into different areas on the lawn and driveway.
- Step 3 – Donate, trash, and move to another spot in the home – Take the piles you created in step 2 and make a new area for things you want to donate, trash or move to another spot in the home (the items left from the original step 2 piles will be what you will move back into the garage).
- Step 4 – Invest in baskets, plastic storage bins and labels – Creating a compartmentalized system to keep common items together will make keeping your newly organized central Ohio garage a showpiece (OK, this may be going a bit too far!) and neat over the long run. Go out and buy plastic storage bins, labels or invest in quality garage cabinets with slide-out baskets. These products will give you the “system” to keep things in their place.
- Garage cabinets with storage bins in Columbus
Step 5 – Move the stuff back in – This is the step you (and your neighbours) will love. Take your bins and commonly grouped (and significantly pared down) things and move them back in. Now you’re no longer the neighbourhood junkyard dog!
Garage problem #4 – “Can’t you work on that project outside?” Creating a place in the garage to cut, saw and tinker
Have you ever heard your wife or significant other complain about tracking through the house with a wood or metal part you cut in the basement and say, “Can’t you do this project elsewhere?” Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to do this project in your garage?
A way to liberate yourself from tracking sawed off parts is to install a garage workbench. They can be equipped with either a butcher block or laminate countertop and will keep the mess outside and make for a happier spouse.
Garage problem #5 – “Rumbling, fumbling and stumbling” – the challenge of tools, ladders and bikes on the garage floor
Who hasn’t knocked over a bike on the garage floor (hopefully not into the door of your brand new car) or stepped on a rake or other errant tool? In the garage, I think we can all relate to the words of ESPN’s Chris Berman about “rumbling, fumbling and stumbling” through our garage. There is a simple way to get rid of this problem. Use a pegboard or garage storage wall system you can safely and securely get items off the floor and also not have to worry about the consequences of them toppling over on your brand new sports car or injuring yourself.
Garage problem #6 – The big, the bad and the bulky – Items you rarely use which take up too much garage floor space
It seemed like such a good idea to buy the kayak or ski poles last year, but you just never seem to get around to using them. They are a major pain to tiptoe around in the garage. Since the basement is full, where can you put them now? The answer could be to think up and use a garage overhead storage solution (i.e. the ceiling). This will get bulky, infrequently used items safely stored away and not in your way every time you open the car door.
Garage problem #7 – Bug infested….the nasty garage floor
The garage floor is scummy and nasty, and when you start cleaning it, you end up seeing bugs you never even knew existed. What can be done to fix the problem? Instead of going to Home Depot and getting one of those DIY floor coating systems which wear off a week after they have been put on (I know this problem from personal experience – see below), think about hiring a garage floor company to add an epoxy or polyurethane floor coating system. This gives your newly organized garage a fresh, clean and polished look.