Looking for how to organize your garage in a more meaningful way? These garage storage tips and tricks will help free up some space, declutter your goods, and teach you how to stay on top of your belongings.
I’m married to someone who doesn’t like to let go of things. I understand WHY he feels the way he does. Bill thinks that throwing things out is wasteful. So, instead, he holds onto to just about everything – even if we will never use those items again – just to NOT throw them away.
This ends up cluttering up our house, our garage, our attic, our closets. It buries us in chaos and makes corner after corner of our home utterly unusable. In fact, we have an entire basement that is filled with furniture that we will simply never use again. But it’s better than throwing it away… because that would be wasteful. But this thought process is misguided because by trying to SAVE items, we end up losing FLOORS of space – like our entire basement. Must. Keep. Everything.
Well, after 17 years of marriage, we finally convinced him to organize our garage. Yes, there are bikes and scooters in there that take up an insane amount of space. But there are also random piles of nonsense. Broken equipment, toys that the kids no longer play with, dozens of kitchen tiles, home supplies from when we first moved in – no order whatsoever.
Does it belong in the house? No.
Do I want to throw it away? No.
Then – let’s put it in the garage!
That’s been our M.O. Well, no more!
We turned to the Gladiator brand for some help. In an attempt to hide everything from plain sight, we thought that a few units would do the trick! Our garage is now home to all of these great Gladiator storage units…
- Ready-to-Assemble Mobile Storage Cabinet
- Ready-to-Assemble Full-Door
- Ready-to-Assemble Jumbo GearBox
- Ready-to-Assemble Full-Door Modular GearBox
Not only were they so easy to assemble, but the kids now understand how to organize everything that we store in our garage. Long gone are the days of throwing everything into our space and locking the door. Oh no!
Everyone knows where each ball, bat, rollerblade, and hula hoop belongs and I absolutely love it. The best part, I got one in white (you know I love white and gold) and Bill got his in Silver Tread (mainly metal).
This convenient design enables us to pull everything off the floor and take back control of our lives. YAHOO! The Full-Door Modular GearBox conveniently mounts directly to bare studs and drywall.
So, they aren’t challenging to install. And in case you are wondering, the quality of this is backed by a hassle-free, lifetime limited warranty. Again, I got one in white and Bill in Silver Tread!!
My husband wanted a little corner of his own for his tools and work equipment. You know, for when he has to fix things. We made sure to create a space for all of this because not only does it match with everything else we have going on in our newly renovated garage, but it fits everything that Bill uses on a day-to-day basis. This new setup can either be freestanding or docked under a Gladiator® Workbench. Up to you!
Are you ready to tackle your own garage and finally create an organized space that you can enjoy? Here are a few tips to get you started because I know you are going to need it!
Tips To Organize Your Garage
- Categorize Items – It’s always easiest to categorize like-items together. So, put all the balls together in one bin and all the chalk in another. That way, your children will know where to find what they need. You can also see if you have too much of one thing. Do you really need 10 basketballs? Probably not. I have 2 sons and when their summer birthdays roll around, we get lots of footballs and soccer balls as gifts. Donate the extras and clear up some space.
- Admit When They’ve Aged Out – I know it’s cute to keep all the toys your kids used to use when they were young. But if they are taking up space and really ruining your quality of life, you have to make a decision. What is best for all of your right now? Holding on to the baby cart that your child used to roll around in? Or to free up space that you could use for something else or for NOTHING AT ALL. Think about it and let it go.
- Get Some Help – Do not do this alone. If you have other people in your family that are old enough, have them lend some elbow grease. House projects should be addressed by the entire house. So many times we try to do everything by ourselves because it’s just easier that way. If we control the entire situation then it will get done RIGHT. Isn’t that the way we think deep down inside? Well, how often do you actually take on all those projects you have in your head? Not too often because you typically feel so overwhelmed right? We are not islands! Grab a helping hand!
- Stop Buying Things – Your children do not need another bike or ball or dollar store jump rope. STOP! Let them pick up a few rocks and figure it out. Did your parents come home every weekend with bags of goodies for you? I can tell you my answer – it’s a NO. Get your children outside. Nature will handle the rest.
- Be Realistic – Maybe you’re the type of person that can clean out an entire garage in one day. Maybe you need a few weekends to get through it all. Don’t get discouraged if you feel frustrated during the process. It’s a lot to do all at once! Believe me, we know! I live with someone who doesn’t like to throw things away. This is a major pain point in our relationship. Do it one day at a time and reap the rewards when you finish. It is SO WORTH IT! We absolutely LOVE our garage that is FINALLY organized and you will too. If you know that your spouse will need time to get through everything, then don’t expect the entire process to be done in 2 hours. Set realistic expectations and thank yourself later.
Gladiator brand is a leader in garage and household storage systems, delivering innovative solutions that allow homeowners to organize in ways that suit their needs, hobbies and design aesthetic.
They offer easy-to-install kits as well as cabinets, workbenches, wall systems, shelving, tool storage, appliances, and flooring. I mean – think about it. What do you want to work on in your garage?
What would you like to fix? The Gladiator brand has something for you. These products are sold through retailers like Lowe’s and The Home Depot as well as on the Gladiator website.
How We Personally Organized Our Space
The vast majority of items that we store in our garage are for the children. On one wall, we have all of our bikes and scooters. As a family of five, you can imagine just how many wheels there are to house! LOL!
However, on the other side, we have all of their playful supplies. My children love to play sports. So, we have a variety of balls and bats and gear that they need to participate on several teams.
Then we have summer fun goodies like water guns and boogie boards. We live on Long Island and frequent the beach quite often in the summer.
Lastly, my husband has a space for his tools. That’s where his workbench comes into play. I am just so happy with the way that the garage turned out and we couldn’t have done it without Gladiator products! I have never felt so organized before! Finally, we took back control of one portion of our house! YES!
If you’d like to learn more about the Gladiator brand, be sure to visit their website.
Nancy Johnson Horn
Friday 7th of December 2018
These are all great! It can be overwhelming, so it helps to break it down!
Claudia
Thursday 6th of December 2018
Love how organized your garage is and your tips! Can't wait to clean mine!
krystal
Thursday 6th of December 2018
I need to get my car into my garage and it totally can't right now because of all the clutter! I will try to see if these would work for us!
Amy
Thursday 6th of December 2018
My husband could do some damage with these systems! Love how sturdy and sleek they look to fit around the edges!
Kathy
Thursday 6th of December 2018
This is such a great idea. I already know we need to clean our garages out. We have two garages, and they are kinda cluttered right now.