The garage is intended to be a place to park your car. However, in most homes, it becomes a catch-all storage area for things we don’t often use. Keep this space functional and tidy with these creative ideas for garage storage.

When making a plan for storage, sort your belongings into groups. You’ll be better able to organize the space when you know exactly what you’re storing in the garage.

Shelving for Garage Storage

Installing a shelving unit or two is a great way to begin to organize your garage. Shelves are available in different sizes and materials. If your garage is not temperature-controlled, choose metal or plastic shelving. In a humid environment, particleboard furniture can start to mold or deteriorate.

Shelving can be used to store paint cans, extra cleaning products, and other household supplies. Adding bins and plastic totes to shelves allows you to create an organized storage system. Group like items together and keep them in labeled boxes on the shelves.

Unused Spaces

You may have free space in your basement that can be used to store some of the items currently in your garage. Add shelves to the area under the stairs or stack large plastic boxes to hold your belongings. Corner shelves are another great way to use often-overlooked space, whether in your basement or your garage. Purchase corner shelving to install on the walls or use hooks in the corners to store garden tools, pet supplies, and sporting equipment.

Overhead Storage

To store items that aren’t frequently needed, like holiday décor and out-of-season clothing, consider some overhead storage options in your garage. Build storage into your rafters to hold plastic bins or purchase a ceiling-mounted system. Some of these systems are racks that are bolted directly into the ceiling while others are built onto exposed rafters in the garage.

Label Your Garage Storage

No matter what you store in your garage, finding your belongings is easier when you use labels. Purchase a label-maker, print them from your computer, or use masking tape and a marker. When you need to locate something stored in the garage, you’ll be glad that each box is clearly labeled. Using labels also encourages you to put things back into their proper places. When you know where an item belongs, you can quickly return it to its proper storage bin.

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