Organize Your Garage

Sometimes the garage is just the place where you park your car and store random items you don't have room for in your home. But, in a few easy steps, you can transform your garage into an organized and aesthetically pleasing addition to your residence.

1. The first step in organizing your garage is to purge the space of any unwanted or broken items. If you still have a slippery slide and kiddy pool but your kid has graduated from college, it might be time to pack it up and donate it to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

2. Once you've purged, it's good to organize the stu you want to keep so certain things are together and not stored willy nilly all over the place. Keep items like sports gear, tools, automotive equipment, camping gear and Christmas decorations either together in the same container or on the same shelf.

3. Shelves are a great way to keep things organized. Sturdy shelves can hold plastic bins or boxes keeping them o the fl oor and out of the way. If you have a smaller garage, make sure you place your shelves above where your vehicle will be parked to utilize space. Cabinets can also be installed to hold smaller items and cut down on a cluttered looking space.

4. For items such as garden tools, snow shovels and even bicycles you can purchase hooks from your local home improvement store to hang items keeping them out of the way until needed. For smaller things such as tools and masking tape ect. peg boards are a great idea.

5. If you don't already have one, run two by fours along your garage rafters creating an attic like space for storing items. Make sure items are properly packaged in case of leaks or extreme cold and go above and beyond organized by compiling a list of items in the attic to keep track of what's where.

6. For all tools, instead of having them lying about, tool chests can be purchased in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the space and/or your collection.

7. For small easy to lose pieces like nuts and bolts, drill bits and nails; glass jars are great as they are clearly visible revealing the items inside or small plastic bins can be purchased and labeled.

8. While organizing, why not go one step further and put a protective coating on the garage fl oor. Not only does a coating go a long way for maintenance it also adds to the aesthetics of the garage. Products like Garage Guard or UCoatIt can be purchased at local home improvement or paint stores and are easy to use — just be sure to follow directions carefully.

9. Painting the walls of a garage also contribute to an organized look opposed to bare drywall patched with Spackle. When painting a garage, go with lighter paint colours to enhance brightness and use a higher-sheened product such as satin or semi-gloss for more durability and scrubability.

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