Something happens in your garage and you don't know why it is always messy or even dirty sometimes?
First of all, acknowledge that this area is where we generally keep things we don't use everyday, so a little dust is all right. Second, try following garage organization ideas we brought below.
1. Do Not Store Everything in Your Garage
Here is a list of things you shouldn't store in your garage:
- ink;
- propane;
- refrigerator or similar; and
- pet food.
Different temperatures inside the garage can ruin the ink and propane and other gasses, when stored without following the correct instructions may cause accidents.
Refrigerators occupy lots of space and do not "breath" well when put in the garage of the house and pet food or any other kind of food can get contaminated by the gasses, the dirty and/ or insects. So find another place for them.
By the way, avoid cockroaches at any cost — more light, less humidity and no food at all are the keys.
2. Keep Things Off the Garage Floor
You can have as many garage storage ideas as you want, but avoid keeping things on the floor. You will free space for your car and avoid piles of messy things.
Buy ready-made shelves or cabinets that do not get in touch with the ground só you can easily clean under them.
3. Use the Overhead Space
Put some shelves in your garage, making sure they don't interfere with the door opening. Use them to store long and/or flat things you don't need everyday.
4. Shelves or Cabinets?
For garage storage installation shelves are cheaper and preferred by homeowners that need their items to be accessible and easily found. On the other hand, garage cabinets help you hide the mess and keep things free from dirty.
5. Build a Bench
A DIY retractable bench can be useful and cheap. Make one you can "hide" on the wall by folding it. You can also place close to it a pegboard. Just make sure both aren't too high to use.
Don't feel safe doing it yourself? Call a professional.
6. Take a Day to Organize
Open every box you already have stored in your garage. See if there's nothing wrong with them and the items inside, reorganize if needed, donate things and also throw away some useless pieces.
There are items to sell? Keep all of them in the same corner and do a garage sale as soon as possible. Make money with your organization.
7. Keep it Always Clean
Once you have everything assembled, don’t forget to do a light cleaning once a week and a stronger and more detailed one every month. In the summer, use a natural pesticide to keep insects away. Be practical and have a vacuum cleaner exclusive to the garage.
8. Be Aware!
Watch out for security too.
Fire inside garages has different causes, but in most cases cannot be extinguished right away because homeowners don't have fire extinguishers. So buy a good one and keep it easy to find and use if needed.
Search for a fire extinguisher with ABC rating — effective against wood, oil and electrical fires — and install a carbon monoxide detector too.
Also check if your garage door has an auto-stop system to prevent it from closing on the top of your car or even your head. For kids and pets the feature is even more important.
