Summertime is a perfect time to be outdoors and finally get your garage organized. Imagine how wonderful it will be when you can clearly find and store all your outdoor belongings in a beautifully functional garage!

 Unfortunately, many homeowners find the task of garage organization to seem overwhelming and absolutely daunting.

 So, here at Modular Closets, we want to help you out by breaking down the garage organization process into just 5 easy steps:

1. Plan for a weekend project

One of the best ways to make sure you will get your garage organized is to set a date on the calendar.  We recommend looking ahead and blocking out a weekend when you will work on your garage.

Honestly, it probably won’t even take all weekend, but if you plan for more time than is necessary, you’ll also have time to sit back and celebrate as you will deserve!

2. Sort everything into categories

A garage can often become a hodgepodge of random items – some gardening tools here, a piece of sports equipment there, broken items for your patio you’ve been meaning to fix for years now, etc. etc. 

One of the best ways to get started is to figure out categories for your garage items and then start grouping them together.  Even the pro’s at HGTV agree and suggest common categories like automotive, camping gear, seasonal décor, recycling, and sports equipment.

3. When in doubt, throw it out

Now is also a good time to discard any items you don’t use.

It’s time to just throw out anything that’s broken, missing its pair, or worn out from too much sun exposure and outdoor use. If you have items in good condition that you rarely use, maybe you can sell them or drop them off at a local donation center?

The fewer items cluttering up your garage, the easier it will be to clean and keep organized.

4. Identify your goals

Once you know what you want to keep, it’s useful to identify the goals you have for the garage space available to you.

Making plenty of room for cars or motorcycles is typically the first priority for most people with garages.  You may also have other bulky large items you want to store, such as bikes or large trash/recycling bins. 

Some people want to make sure they have workshop space for projects in their garage.  Others want to make sure there is plenty of storage for all their belongings that don’t go in the house.

Don’t forget to consider the “hazard factor” of many common garage items like sharp blades, gasoline, oil, other chemicals, and power tools.  You’ll want to plan for these to be properly stored and out of reach from children and/or pets.

5. Make a plan (including a layout!)

Once you know your storage goals, it’s useful to make a specific plan and layout for where things will go.

Now may even be the time to add a system of shelves or drawers to your space so that you have plenty of storage options and are making the most of the vertical wall space you have available. 

Tackling garage organization can be tricky business, so it’s often useful to enlist help from others.  Do you have family and/or friends who can help you with the garage cleanup process?  You may even want to enlist the help of professionals.

If you’d like some professional support when it comes to designing your perfect garage layout, Modular Closets will be happy to help!

You can get a FREE organizational design plan customized for you online here!