It’s been on your mind.  You’re tired of tripping over things and moving stuff around trying to find that one thing you KNOW is in here somewhere.  It’s time.  This is your sign.  Bite the bullet and clean out the garage.  As a pro interior decorator, I might be a bit biased about the humble garage.  Like every room in your home, it should be functional, comfortable and shouldn’t make you cringe every time you enter.  So, meet the practical interior decorator’s guide to getting your stuff together! 

Before You Start 

Think ahead. While you’ve got all that stuff out, while it’s an open space, consider any maintenance you should be doing.  Do you need a house painter to freshen the paint and fix that hole you made trying to load a kayak on your roof racks?  Could you really do with a new power point?  What about winches and other installations that could make your life much simpler? 

1. Correct labelling 

Adding labels is a great way to easily find things after they have been stored away – this way you won’t have to open every box to find your Christmas decorations for example. To make your search even simpler, you can use color-coded boxes to store different categories of items making them quickly identifiable. 

2. Shelving 

Shelving allows you to use the garage walls for storage instead of just leaning things up against it.   Before you spend a fortune at the hardware store, create a plan.  How many shelves will you need?  Do they need to be industrial tough or will some cheaper options do.  How much stuff do you need to shelve, and what kind of shelves will you need front and centre?  The least used stuff (spare roof tiles or pavers – you know you’ve got some) will go right at the back with the paint tins – this needs a tougher shelf! 

3. Seasonal Equipment 

If you store seasonal sporting equipment in the garage, such as skis or windsurfing gear, you can keep them safely out of the way on overhead racks or wall hooks. And for things that aren’t necessarily seasonal (our bikes for instance), you can use wall hooks to get them off the ground. Hanging all our bikes (four of them!) on wall hooks has freed up an incredible amount of space AND made them much easier to access. 

4. Allocate space and make sure everyone knows the ‘system’ 

For example, the left side of the garage could be used for storing tools, while cycling gear can be placed on the opposite end. Make sure everyone in the house knows where they should put things, that way your carefully though out system can be maintained. 

5. Create space beyond the walls and floors 

Have you seen the DIY overhead sliding storage system consisting of wooden runners and plastic storage boxes? You can also create overhead storage for ladders. Large hooks and pulleys are also your friend here.

6. Store chemicals safely 

Chemicals should always be locked away and kept out of reach of children and animals. Install a lockable cabinet to store chemicals such as paints, pesticides, and antifreeze, or at the very least do what I do and put them all on the highest shelf in the garage, right at the back. It’s worth nothing that you should keep all chemicals in their original containers and wipe up spills immediately. 

7. Work as a team 

Ok, so I didn’t have a team, but it sure would have made life easier if I did! One person can be building shelves, one person can be sorting tools and another can be rationalising whether you really need five rakes. 

8. Go green 

Speaking of rationalising everything you’ve got in the garage, you can make try and make garage storage solutions out of items that you would otherwise throw away. For example, you can screw old food cans to the wall to create handy storage pots for small items such as paint brushes and screwdrivers. Plastic jars can also be screwed to the undersides of shelves by their lids to create more storage for screws and nails. 

9. Throw Out Unused Items 

Be ruthless during spring cleaning – if you haven’t used an item in several years, then throw it out or donate it to charity. Or consider holding a garage sale. Truly, you do not need five rakes! 

10. Keep it Up 

Ask every member of the family to make an effort to keep the garage clean and tidy. When every drawer and storage area is labelled with the items that should be stored there, even kids have no excuses for not putting items away after they have finished using them.