Garage organization

​Warmer weather is here and with that, we start thinking about getting outside and cleaning up the yard and the garage. I have to say, garage organization is not my favorite (mainly because every single garage I've helped organize, we've done in temperatures hovering between 20 and 30 degrees). This is me encouraging all of you to organize your garage IN THE SUMMER! ? Ok, I have that out of my system now.
Seriously, I’m happy to organize your garage at any time, but I do have my preferences. Let's get into the nuts and bolts of garage organization. (See what I did there?)
First, figure out what your goal is for the space. Do you want to be able to park your car in the garage? I know, that seems like a strange concept, but some people actually want to do that. Maybe you want to be able to setup a workshop in that space. Your goal will drive how you organize the garage and what you decide to keep in there vs. trying to find a new home for your things.

Second, let's clear out the garbage and junk. You'd be amazed at how much actual trash exists in the garage. Carboard boxes, broken furniture, old toys that are too dirty to donate - you get the picture. Clean all of this out before you decide what stays in here.
Next, put like things together. You'll have groupings like tools, sports equipment, car maintenance, lawn care. Put these things together before you organize them so you can figure out how much space you need to devote to each category. Also, this will help you purge duplicate items, or combine things - if you have 3 mostly used quarts of oil of the same type, you can safely combine them into one container.
Once you have like things grouped together, think about the types of storage or organization units you'll need, and where they will be placed in the garage. Draw it out if you need to so that you can be sure you have enough space. This means measuring your garage, measuring your car (allow for doors to open), and measuring other large items… like a workbench.
The types of storage you need will vary depending on the stuff you have. If you have a lot of tools or lawn care equipment (like spades, rakes, and such), you might consider a pegboard system like this one from Amazon.

​Or, if you have a considerable amount of sports equipment, something like this sports organizer would work well: 

​Don't forget to use your overhead space, too. When doing this, make sure you take into account where the garage door lands when it opens and how tall your vehicles are. You can get overhead racks in various sizes. Depending on placement and weight restrictions, you could potentially hang other items from the bottom of the rack with hooks for additional storage items.

​The are a multitude of possibilities for storage and it can be overwhelming to try to figure it out. Take a deep breath and tackle one area at a time. If it's still too much, it may be time to call in the professional organizer. We tend not to get flustered at too much and can help you work through things in small pieces, so it all comes together in the end.