ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE Your Garage - Making it Work

Nicole Cooke Organized by Design

Summer is the best time to purge and organize your garage. We usually avoid this job, as it is generally a big, onerous task. Organizing lawn mowers, bicycles, tennis balls and grass seed bags doesn’t thrill even the most avid of organizers. Here are some tips and tricks to make it go smoothly and create an effective end result.

Create ‘Zones’

Just like in your kitchen, you can make storing and finding items much easier by having separate and distinct zones (areas). Keep items that are used together in the same zone so that everything is at your fingertips. You can also create zones for each person in your household so that their items are easy to locate. Some typical zones that I create are gardening, sporting goods, tools & repair, kids’ toys, cycle centre, and lawn/yard maintenance.

Purge What You Don’t Need

A garage can become a catch-all very easily, so resist the urge to throw things in it “just in case” you may need it down the road. If you don’t need it or it doesn’t belong in the garage, don’t put it there! This is often the reason we avoid cleaning our garages because they have become “the land of misfit toys!”

Use Your Vertical Space Wisely

The beauty of garages is that they usually have high ceilings (increased storage potential). The downfall of garages is that they usually have high ceilings (things get stored out of reach). So it is extremely important that you plan WHAT gets stored up high and HOW it gets stored up there. Yard tools (like rakes and spades) and snow shovels are generally best hung up on a wall for easy access. However, you only need one set or the other during each season, so store the off-season items on hooks up high on the wall and the in-season items down low. Simply switch them at the end of each season.

Pegboard to the Rescue!

I love pegboard and it’s multiple uses! I use it for tools, gardening tools and kids’ toys (hang skipping ropes, bike helmets and plastic pails & shovels). I install pegboard on the walls and on the ends of shelving units to make use of this generally unused space.

Wheels To The Wall

I think we can all agree that anything with wheels (bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc.) is awkward to store and can become a trip hazard! Hang these items on hooks, making sure they are low enough for kids to reach. Double-style hooks work well for skateboards and scooters.

Make an Entrance

Install hooks on the wall and a boot tray near the door for wet coats & muddy boots. You can also hang a shoe storage system with clear pockets so mitts, sandals and flip flops are off the floor. There are so many ways to create the perfect garage. If you need help, give me a call!