Garage & Basement Organizing

 

Garages and basements are the areas of the home that seem to get the least love, but house the most.

When they’re properly cared for and organized, they can serve us and our families much better.

 

Remember, don’t worry about what you see on television, online, and in magazines. I will always, always say your space and projects have to work for you and your budget. “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” Progress is progress.

 

Here are some ways to get your storage space to a point where you can better utilize and appreciate it.

 

First, what aesthetic are you going for, if any? What will this space or the spaces within the space be primarily used for? If it helps, draw a diagram or use a digital drafting app to somewhat plan it out, just to get a rough idea of where everything needs to be.

Think about how you want things stored and areas to function. Will you be installing or moving in shelves, or do you prefer to stack bins and/or totes? I personally recommend clear, labeled totes to keep everything looking tidy and spacious, not to mention to make it easier to access your belongings. Shelves help to keep you from having to move all the totes when you only need what’s in one. I discourage using cardboard boxes as they attract various pests and aren’t that durable in the long run. But if that’s what you have to work with, by all means, PLEASE! One pro is that you can write on them with a sharpie & call it good.

Schedule time for this project, whether it’s an entire day or more, or even specific hours over a span of days. Be sure to put it on your personal and family calendars, and maybe even consider having a yard sale. Either way, get everyone involved, if you can.

It helps to have trash bags, bins, and boxes handy for trash, your “Keep/Toss/Donate, Sell, Gift” items.

I know it’s much easier said than done to completely empty the space first, but if you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t really have that much stuff there to begin with, it’s a great idea. This way, you can sort as you go & only put back in what will stay permanently.

If you insist on holding on to a broken item, take the steps to repair or have it repaired immediately instead of just setting it aside. If that’s too much, then could it be possible that it’s not really that important to you, after all?

 

Once you’ve gotten the initial sort/purge out of the way, assign every item a home and LABEL that home, whether it be with index cards, actual labels, paint, marker, duct tape, packing tape, masking tape, well…..you get the idea. Labeling your storage containers as well as areas will help to keep your space organized and make it easier to do a quick tidy in the future if some disorganization occurs.

To add on to this, one rule of thumb is group like with like. This is true for everything from extra furniture and lawn equipment to large & small tools & paint. Think hardware store just for inspiration.

You’ll want to store larger, heavier items lower.

Peg boards work great for small lawn tools and small tools in general.

Consider locking cabinets for hazardous items and chemicals, or store them as high up as possible to keep the wrong hands from getting on them.

Also consider ceiling or wall-mount racks for bicycles.

If your family is into sports, there are net bags and bins to store basketballs, soccer balls and the like.

Overhead storage racks are great for bulkier items like pet carriers and suitcases.

If you enter your home through this area, would a wall-mounted shoe rack by the door benefit your family? Or maybe even an entire landing zone complete with coat rack and bench?

Use that vertical space! Corner shelves, floating shelves, magnetic strips for small tools,  racks for cleaning supplies, large lawn tools, power tools, cords, etc are fantastic for keeping things up, organized, and out of the way.  You could even use a wall-mounted towel bar for your spray bottles.

 

We all prefer and require different things in life, but one thing I think that we all have in common is the need for simplicity and less stress.

I’m here to help facilitate that.

Please keep me updated on your own projects, and let me know what you’d like to see here in the future!

Til next time. 😊