Tips for cleaning, de-cluttering, and organizing your garage including a look at storage products from ClosetMaid, Stanley, Hyloft, and Slatwall.
Garages are often bottomless pits of items that we just do not know what to do with. Unused household items, sporting equipment, tools, holiday decorations, next summer's rummage sale inventory and a maze of anything else that is in need of a home. Knowing where to start cleaning and how to organize such a wide array of things can send the best of us running in horror. Reining it all in and bringing order is possible. Start by emptying the garage of everything. Do not forget any overhead storage. Separate as you go into three categories: Items that will be returned to the garage, items that need keeping but will be stored elsewhere, and trash.
Once the garage is free of clutter, clean thoroughly including any built in cabinets. Assess the current storage options in comparison to what is going to be stored. Are there any items obviously lacking storage? Are there any items that you would like to store in the garage space that were not previously there? Can the garage be separated into separate areas or must it be kept as one room?
Organizational hardware is abundant for garages. Start by installing a relatively new storage solution directly on an available wall. Slatwall panels attach directly to your wall studs. Made of easy to clean resin, you simply add an assortment of baskets, shelves, and hooks into the pre made slots of each 48" wide by 12" tall panels. While accessories are sold separately, this will give you the advantage of designing a unit to fit your personal needs.
One storage area often underused in garages is overhead space. Hyloft offers ceiling mounted units that can be installed with little effort. Use alone or install several units joined for an even larger storage option. Each unit is 45" wide by 45" long, and is capable of holding 250 lbs. when installed as directed. Keep in mind if you have an electronic garage door opener not to place any storage in the path of its workings or wiring.
ClosetMaid, a company known for its wide array of storage products, has not forgotten those of us trying to bring order to the garages of the world. They offer a shelving unit built with big storage needs in mind. Three feet wide and a very useful sixteen inches deep, each shelf is sturdy enough to hold items such as rolled garden hoses, gas cans, buckets, and oversized bottles of cleaners.
Do you have any storage needs that really should be behind closed doors? Stanley products offer several choices. Their stackable wall cabinet has doors that cover adjustable shelves to let you design an interior to fit your requirements. They also offer several cabinet combinations that have roll wheels for convenient movable storage.
Whatever solutions you decide on to bring chaos to your garage clutter, remember to include a few basics to keep the area running smoothly and efficiently. If you spend a large amount of time there, include a sturdy cordless phone designed specifically for shop use. The GE Cordless shop phone is made purposely for such an environment. Built sturdier than the average phone, it can handle the extra bumps it might encounter in a garage. Make sure to include a flashlight for power outages and for that extra light always needed when assembling the next new storage unit on your list.
