Top tips for organizing your garage

(NC) Whether your garage is a workshop, storage area or simply a place for your car or truck, having the right systems in place can keep it organized all year long. Here are some tips to make your garage work best for your needs.

Start with a clean slate
It’s always easier to start organizing your garage when it’s clean. Set aside a full day or weekend to give your garage a good cleaning, including sorting your items into “keep,” “throw away” and “donate” piles. Once you’ve identified the items you’d like to keep, sort them into categories based on usage. For example, group all your holiday décor together in one space, and your tools in another. This will declutter your garage and make some room to start adding storage and organization elements.

Buy the right storage
Open shelves are an inexpensive way to store things that you often use, such as circular saws, garden tools and watering cans. You can find these easily at your local hardware store like The Home Depot. A storage cabinet with doors that lock is perfect for storing hazardous items like paint and chemicals. Many even come with adjustable shelves inside so you can customize them for differently sized items.

Give everything a place
Store items that you won’t be regularly using in clear totes or bins that fit on your shelving system, and make sure to label them so you can easily identify the contents. Waterproof containers help to give peace of mind that your items are safe and sound in the event of flooding or if the roof springs a leak. Avoid storing things in cardboard boxes since they can be vulnerable to pests or mould.

Use your walls as storage space
One of the best ways to store tools in a work area is on a pegboard. You can customize the spacing of the hangers to fit your tools and organize them any way you want. You can even install hooks around the garage to hang bigger items like bikes, to keep them off the ground and, out of the way, allowing a clean and accessible area to set up a workspace or store a vehicle.

Create a workstation
Another valuable addition to your garage space is a tool cabinet or toolbox. These cabinets often come with multiple drawers in different sizes that allow you to store your tools and other items for immediate access during your projects. Some of these cabinets come with a wood top, making them convenient rolling workbenches that also carry all of your tools.