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We all know it’s true: the garage can easily and quickly become a mess if we’re not careful. The garage is also the space where very many important items are kept, from power tools to lawn mowers to Christmas lights. So, although it’s easy for the garage to become a mess, it’s important that we don’t let it. Therefore, planning and implementing a garage storage system is very important.
One of the biggest and most important things to consider when organizing the garage is how to get all of the things that have accumulated in the space organized and off the ground. A great way to do this is by installing shelving which will help keep things organized and will get them all in one place. Shelving comes in two types: open and closed. Open shelving is exactly how it sounds: it is shelves that are affixed to the wall and are uncovered or exposed. Open shelving is a great way to keep stock of what’s in the garage because you can stand in front of the shelves and see just about everything that is being stored there.
Closed shelving, on the other hand, can offer a more organized look for the garage by keeping all of the things inside it concealed. Closed shelving refers to cabinets and other storage systems that have drawers and doors. Closed shelving does promote a cleaner look, but if the shelving is not organized and labeled, it can also lead to confusion. If you intend to use closed shelving, be sure to label the shelves and to keep items in logical groupings inside. Sports equipment should be stored with sports equipment and tools should be stored with other tools.
For smaller items that wouldn’t go in a cabinet or on a shelf, a pegboard is an excellent organization tool. Pegboards allow you to hang small tools so that you may see what you have and where it all is. This is especially great for projects where you might use a lot of tools in a short amount of time. If they were in a drawer, you’d spend half of the time that the project takes sifting through the drawers for different tools. As with shelving, it’s a good idea to organize the tools on a pegboard by type or use. That way, you can focus your attention on one region of the pegboard at any given time.
Bins are common in garage spaces, and they can indeed be very helpful in storing larger items like clothing, winter boots, or sports balls of different sizes. Smaller boxes may be similarly useful for storing small things like nuts, bolts, screws, and nails. Again, it’s a good idea to group similar items, here. If you put all nuts, bolts, screws, and nails in one box, you’ll find yourself sifting through tons of tiny little pieces just to find one bolt.
If you need additional storage, the rafters above the garage can be an excellent place to put boxes of items that you don’t need year round, like Halloween costumes or snow gear. Of course, it’s important not to forget what you put up in the rafters, since they aren’t typically readily viewable!
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