Finally! How to Get and Keep an Organized Garage​​

When's the last time you parked your car in your garage? For most homeowners, garages are catch-alls for everything from outdoor furniture to bulk grocery items. In fact, according to a recent Gladiator® GarageWorks survey, one-fourth of Americans can’t fit even one car in their garage.

“The garage can be the forgotten room of the home, but it can be such a useful resource for homeowners,” says Karl Champley, master builder and home improvement television and radio personality.

To make the most of the space in your garage, Champley recommends the following organizational tips:

1. Have a Game Plan

The garage can be many different things to different homeowners, so it’s important to determine what purpose the garage needs to serve. While the majority of homeowners use it for parking the car and household storage, many people use their garage for hobbies and personal projects.

Try dividing your garage into "zones" with specific areas for lawn and garden equipment, sporting goods, tools and other hobbies. Once a plan is established, it is much easier to begin the organization process.

2. Eliminate the Waste

Garage too cluttered? Holding a garage sale or dropping off boxes of donated items to a community donation center are two great ways to recycle unused items. Homeowners should remember that disposing of old paint containers or automotive fluids should be done properly. Bottom line: get as many unused items out of the garage as possible.

3. Maximize the Space

Three out of four homeowners surveyed said they wish their garage was better organized. One way is to have a garage storage solution that takes advantage of the wall space that garages provide.

"Getting items like boxes and bikes off of the garage floor with modular hooks and shelving is a big plus for homeowners," says Champley. "It frees up significant floor space for cars and other items."

4. Take Pride in the Garage

An ideal garage organization system grows with homeowners as they grow, while providing functional, flexible storage options for a number of different products.

"Some people take great pride in the brand of car they drive, the brand of lawnmower they ride or the tools they own, but may not put that same amount of pride into how they store those expensive items," says Champley. "You really want to make sure you take the same pride in garage storage as you do with the items you are storing."

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.