Join us for Monday Motivation - An opportunity to go through your whole house (and car too) in a year, organizing and cleaning the whole way. October is the month to clean out the garage. This post is a collection of the Monday Motivations from last year.

 Join us for Monday Motivation - An opportunity to go through your whole house (and car too) in a year, organizing and cleaning the whole way.  October is the month to clean out the garage.   This post is a collection of the Monday Motivations from last year.

 

Getting Your Garage Under Control

How many of you are afraid to open your garage door?

How many of you are parking your car outside of your garage because there's too much stuff stored in there?

I've only met two people in my whole life who had neat and tidy garages - and I'm not one of them.

I can clean up our garage fairly quickly, but it never stays perfectly organized and tidy all of the time. That's just how life rolls.

So let get started. . .

1. Make a plan - decided on what you will use the garage for. Will you need to park your vehicle in it? Will you need space for sporting or yard equipment? Do you need storage for kid's toys or holiday decorations? Will you want to have a workshop area or crafting area?

2. Draw a simple room layout on paper, marking windows, doors, and any other unmovable structures. List measurements in feet and inches. Pencil in where you would like to have storage areas. After you purge out unwanted items you may be surprised how little storage you really need.

3. Decide if you will need to make any repairs or changes during the organizing process. This is a good time to paint the walls, clean the floor and put a finish on it, repair holes in the walls, or replace broken windows or doors.

4. Plan for the purge. Decide how you will discard unwanted items or garbage. Will you need to call for a bulky item trash pickup? Will you need to arrange for a charity to pick up donations? Decide on what day (or days) you will work on the project and who will be available to help.

5. Plan for storage needs. Decide if you'll need to build or purchase shelves, work surfaces, or cabinets. We'll be looking at storage solutions on week #3.

So are you ready? Don't worry, I'll hold your hand. Next week, show up here on Monday with your grubby clothes on and get ready to do some dirty work.

Garage Storage Solutions

Almost every client I work with wants help with organizing their garage. After purging all unnecessary items, I help them sort the keepers and find a home for every item. Here are some of my favorite organizing solutions to help control clutter in the garage.

These easy to install tool racks are great for getting tools and accessories off of the floor and within easy reach. After all, you (or your teenager) are more likely to use it if you can reach it.

traditional spaces design

More vertical storage ahead. . . These metal storage shelves are sturdy and adjustable. Notice how the heavier items are stored on the bottom shelves.

kitchen design

This garage utilizes cabinets, rolling carts, shoe racks, peg boards, vertical hanging hooks, shelves, and a finished floor. It's a great use of space.

other design

There is no rule that says you can only put closet organizers into a closet. They'll work perfectly well in a garage too! Generally, you'll have to put it into a corner so that the shelf brackets have something to attach to.

modern entry design

These posts are great for boats and surfboards as well as other bulky or ridged items

modern exterior design by seattle architect BAAN design

Garage Organization - It's All In The Details