How to Organize a Super Messy Garage

Updated: November 8, 2022

Your garage is where you store a lot of household items that can’t fit into your main house, but just because you keep them there does not mean the garage space should be full of clutter. Fortunately, getting your garage organized can be easier than you think with a good plan and proper storage options. Here’s how to tackle the storage and organization needs in your garage the right way.

Where to start

The best way to get your garage organized fast is to start cleaning. You want to get rid of any obvious trash and donate anything you don’t want. As you move through the garage from one side to the other, create a trash pile and a donate pile. 

If you don’t get it all clean in one day, take the piles to their proper places each day by throwing away the trash and taking the donations to the thrift store (or putting them in a designated spot, so you can drop off everything in one trip). 

You don’t want to clean, store, and make space for things you don’t intend to keep, like broken items, or those good-idea hobbies you never got around to. Be honest in your assessment of what should stay, and you’ll have less to organize once you’ve finished cleaning out what you aren’t keeping anymore. Deciding what should and shouldn’t be stored is an important first step.

Create zones in your garage space

This means planning your garage space to fit in what you want to store. Craft an ideal floor plan, and organize your items into zones. The garden tools need space, as does the sports equipment. Assessing the square footage and available space determines the type of garage organizing systems you could install. 

Making use of all available wall space and overhead space can mean you have a lot more room for the things you want to keep. Hanging bikes on the wall or from the ceiling, for example, adds to your floor space. You should also incorporate a workstation and workbench with storage, so you can keep all your tools in one place where they can be found easily.

Install organizing systems

Once you’ve measured your open space, install storage organizing systems that help with the categorization and identification of stored items. A storage organizer is chosen according to the type of items it will carry. There are a few smart organization systems that make great storage solutions for your garage, including pegboards, storage racks, cabinets, and freestanding shelves just to name a few.

Pegboards: This enables you to store lightweight items that can be hung on hooks. A pegboard will help you to organize items that are often used together. For example, your work tools can be hung on a pegboard where it is easily retrieved. You can also hang your backpacks, coats, etc. on them.

Storage Racks/Cabinets: Storage racks help you to maximize vertical space and are often used as shelves for packing storage bins and other items that you need to keep off the garage floor, they can also be used for storing items like bottles, paints etc. Storage cabinets are also used for storing items that you want to keep out of sight.

Wall Slats: These are used to organize sports equipment like bikes, surfboards and other heavy-duty items like leaf blowers, baby strollers etc. A wall slat can be fitted with fixtures like hooks, shelves, tracks and wall mounts for hanging items that need to be stored. You can DIY your wall slats or you can contract it out.

Assemble storage bins

Storage bins are used for packing items that are small and can fit into a bin. It is usually labeled and hence provides an easy identification method. A storage bin can be a plastic container or a box They are usually put on racks for quick retrieval when needed.

Garage organization requires a bit of time and effort to ensure that you get good results. Depending on how you want your garage to look after your organization activity, you will need to plan ahead, gather the required materials and also spend time sorting out all that is in your garage. Garage organization can be done together with your family if you want to DIY it.