How to Organize Your Garage From Top to Bottom

While many of us have the best intentions for keeping common spaces in our homes, like our garage, clean and organized, busy schedules throughout the year can sometimes keep us from staying on top of clutter. Luckily, with a little time and preparation, you can organize your garage once and for all. Follow our expert tips for storing your tools, garden gear, sports supplies and more, plus how to keep it all organized for good.

Set Aside Time

If you can give your garage a full day of your attention, you’ll find the work to organize a garage goes by quickly, especially when you’ve got a plan in place. Pull out everything that’s in the way and create zones for items that can be trashed or recycled, donated, or that need to be organized and put back into the space.

“One of the biggest mistakes people make, and one that can be prevented with planning, is not having the right storage items,” said Jule Eller, Director of Trend and Style at Lowe’s. “It’s easy to throw unlike items into a large bin just to get the mess out of the way, but that ends up being frustrating later when you are searching for a particular item. Arrange your bins, baskets and trash bags beforehand and come up with a system to put like items together.”

When garage cleanup day has arrived, make sure you have enough trash bags and cans, basic cleaning supplies, empty boxes for collecting items for donation and plastic containers in a variety of sizes for storage.

Typical categories include recycling, sports and recreational equipment, camping gear, automotive, seasonal decor, garden gear and tools. Evaluate things like luggage and paint and see whether you can store them elsewhere.

Tip: It's much easier to tackle a garage after you've organized the rest of the house. Once you determine the purpose of your interior storage, many garage items can be relocated.

If there’s a lot to clean up inside your garage, consider contacting your local municipality about renting a small dumpster for bulky debris removal.

Once you’ve given yourself an empty space to work with, make sure it’s clean. Sweep the garage floor and address any spills that may have occurred going in and out of the space. It’s also a great idea to check on light bulbs or any other mechanical check-ups your garage may need.