26 Clever Uses for Everyday Items in the Garage

Upcycled decor is smart and savvy, so why save all the best ideas for inside your home? From empty paint cans and extra bungee cords to shipping pallets and more — we're sharing the most clever ways to turn old stuff into useful garage storage. (We even have an idea for that golf bag you haven't touched in ages.)

To start, we challenge you to think outside the box with some traditional kitchen items. Magnet strips like these are typically used to store knives, but they are perfect for stowing paintbrushes and metal tools. Stick upcycled soup cans to the strips to corral smaller supplies, like detail brushes and writing instruments.

Instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for a slat wall storage system, make your own for (almost) free by repurposing a shipping pallet into a vertical tool rack. Then take a vacation with all the money you saved.

Coffee to the rescue! Stop fighting with tangled twine and rope and store them in a coffee can instead. Cut a slit in the top of the can, and put your rope inside. Pull the end through the top for an easy dispenser.

A wall-mounted towel rack is a great solution for storing various clamps. Next time you replace a towel rod inside the house, save the old one for the garage!

If you have a pile of tangled extension cords in your garage, try this inexpensive hack. Use 1' sections of chain to hang cords on a coat hook. Mount the coat rack on a stud or use wall anchors, and hang two cords from each hook to create wall storage.

Don’t throw away your empty paint cans! Instead, upcycle old paint cans into garage storage to help organize painting supplies like brushes, tape and stir sticks.

A large galvanized bucket is the perfect size and shape to store a garden hose. Mount the bucket on your garage or shed wall and wrap the hose around the outside, leaving the inside compartment free to house gloves, hose nozzles and other small gardening accessories. Alternatively, place the bucket on the floor and coil the hose neatly inside.

Use every inch of space on metal shelves by attaching unused magnets to small tools, paint samples and tin cans. Storing items this way keeps them clearly visible, utilizes empty space and improves functionality.

An old, sturdy golf bag makes a perfect storage station for gardening tools large and small. Rakes and shovels fit in the top, and the pockets are perfect for gloves, a bulb planter and other hand tools.

Give an unused decorative basket new life by transforming it into a supply caddy. Attach to pegboard for an easy, grab-and-go storage solution.

Bungee cords are a handy tool to have around. Turn an unused corner in your garage into sports equipment storage with the help of a few bungee cords, a board and other common supplies.

Finished with a jar of salsa or pickles? Don't throw it away just yet. Here, a red medicine cabinet rescued from a friend’s junk pile is filled with salsa jars that hold all that tiny hardware that can be easily lost.

Stackable dog food containers are the perfect lidded recycling bins for the garage. Add labels to keep things separated as needed.

Use an over-the-door plastic shoe organizer to hold spray paint. You’ll be able to see all the paint colors available in one quick glance.

Kelli Wilson had a creative idea for keeping outdoor toys under control, and a lightweight hand-me-down shelf was the starting point. After adding a coat of white paint and some bright yellow trim to the shelf, she organized the kids' toys using inexpensive galvanized buckets. Kelli made fun and easy-to-read labels for each bucket so that finding and putting away toys would be a breeze. Plus, the shelf carries easily in and out of the garage for handy storage.

A beat-up file cabinet was headed for the landfill until Haydee Letonja rescued it and transformed it into the perfect storage bin for her larger yard tools. Using spray paint, she painted it a bold red hue with white racing stripes on the front. The ends are sporting pegboard facades for even more handy storage. Haydee also added a wood plank to the bottom in order to attach casters, making her creation completely mobile for busy outdoor days.

Never lose a garden glove again with this handy DIY holder. Unused clothespins and a scrap piece of wood will keep all your garden gear right where you left it.

In small work areas, it's all about giving yourself a little elbow room. In Jamie Humphreys' garage, she accomplished that by using the space under the shelf. She fastened the lids of used salad dressing jars to the underside of the shelf with screws, filled the jars with tiny, easy-to-lose garage accessories and then screwed the jars back into place. Voila!

Plastic window planters make the perfect storage containers. Mount them to the garage wall, and fill with spray paint cans and other materials.

When it's time to plant your favorite spring flowers, the best containers may be sitting right in your garage. Designer Brian Patrick Flynn used galvanized metal trash cans and added casters and drainage holes to create a modern, portable container garden right on the patio.

Clear up bike clutter by giving little ones their own "parking spot" in the garage with tape. Make it even more fun by hanging small signs painted with each child's name above the spaces.

Storage solutions don't get any simpler than this. For Michael Helander, space in the garage is a precious commodity. So, she created this hanging basket made from discarded hubcaps. She simply spray-painted the hubcaps black, attached a chain and hung up the finished "basket." This smart upcycling idea keeps items off the bench but still within reach in a clever way.

Sure, you could lay down a few dollars for fancy storage containers, or you could just look in your kitchen cabinet. Organizing enthusiast Jennifer Jones added a little flair to her workbench with ordinary soup cans covered in decorative paper. They're perfect for storing often-used tools and supplies that you would like to keep close at hand.

Michael Helander sees potential in just about everything she finds. Here, she has created a grab-and-go garden tool rack from reclaimed wood, a piece of driftwood and an old wire basket. And just for a decorative touch, she added the floret made from a glass plate decoupaged with magazine pages.

No more searching the garage for those seeds you didn't end up planting last season. An empty tissue box is all you need to keep seed packets organized and easy to spot. After covering the empty box with floral-patterned paper, Jennifer Jones whipped up a pretty label using leftover scrapbooking materials. Now when spring rolls around, you'll know exactly where to turn for those wildflower seeds.