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Don't wait until your garage is so crammed full of stuff that you couldn't even squeeze a motorcycle into it. Grab several, oversized, plastic trash cans, a new broom and start organizing your garage by asking yourself these questions about each item:
• How long has it been since I used this item?
• Do I absolutely need this item?
• Will I ever need this item?
• Why do I want to keep it if I never use it?
For items that you don't need but are still in fair to good condition, consider giving them to a charity or having a garage sale. If you plan to recycle the item, make sure you do recycle the item--don't just think about doing it "when you have time". This kind of thinking will only allow clutter to accumulate again with nowhere to put it.
Types of Garage Storage Units
Once you have the fundamental job of cleaning off the floor, sweeping it and organizing your stuff into "keep", "donate" and "throw away" containers, the fun and easy part of the renovation process begins.
Designed for walls or for standing upright on floors, garage storage cabinets are available in just about any size and color. Made of metal, steel, laminated wood and heavy duty galvanized steel, garage cabinets keep cleaning supplies, paints, dangerous tools and expensive sports equipment off the floor where damage or spillage usually happens. Specially made shelving in some cabinets will hold several hundred pounds of tools or vehicle parts. In addition, powdercoated cabinets effectively guards against corrosion and rusting of items stored inside the cabinet, regardless of the climate inside the garage.
Workbenches make great space-saving garage storage units because many of them incorporate small drawers to accommodate small, odd-sized nails, screws and drill bits. Attach a pegboard with hooks for storing more items behind a stable workbench to further enhance the efficiency of your work area.
Other storage devices perfect for maintaining an organized garage include baskets and bins for lighter items; large, sturdy hooks to keep bicycles off the floor; and ceiling racks to safely hold sports equipment like skis, golf irons and baseball bats until they are needed.
Garage Refrigerators and Freezers
If you live in dry, hot areas of the country, consider purchasing a garage refrigerator to store drinks, ice and even fishing bait. With a garage refrigerator, kids won't need to traipse through the house for something cold to drink in the summer. Further, having a refrigerator in the garage makes it more convenient to throw an impromptu summer evening barbecue for friends and neighbors, since you will already everything you need outside in the garage.
In addition, sturdy and dependable garage refrigerators also allow you to keep extra frozen food handy in case of an emergency or for stocking up when there is a sale on frozen food items.
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