If you want an actual tidy feeling garage, it all comes down to the floor. Getting as many things as you can off the floor will make your garage feel so much bigger!

Cabinets are great in a garage, but I have a tendency to overfill them because once they are closed… I just can’t see how messy it is!!

I much prefer open shelving.

It’s so versatile because you can fit large items on your shelves, or you can pack them full of bins to keep your stuff better categorized. Bins are a great way to tuck away a bunch of smaller items that you only need once and a while. Things like gardening supplies are a great thing to keep in a bin, you can even keep some grass seed and fertilizer in there to keep it from spoiling, spilling, or being scavenged and spread from pesky rodents who occasionally get in through a left open door! If you’re using a clear bin you may be able to see from across the garage what is in the bin, but if not, it’s best to use a thorough label clearly marked on the outside of the bin. (Pro tip: whatever label you use, make sure part of it can be written on with a whiteboard marker so that you can keep an up to date list of what needs restocking in the bin).

Open shelving is also great for easy to reach items. Things like patio cushions, yard waste bags, and even some sports gear. Make sure those items go on an easy to reach shelf so that you don’t have to pull everything down using a ladder. Keep in mind that you are trying to make your life easier! So go ahead and make it easier to get the things you use more frequently.

Don’t forget about the walls!

Utilizing the garage walls is another great way to get items off the floor! Whether you are more of a ‘nail in the studs’, or a ‘complete prefab slat wall’ kind of person, there is a massive amount of storage available to you if you can maximize your wall storage. Hang things like rakes and shovels (change them over from deep storage if you need to for winter and summer), hang hooks to store things like ladders or bikes. Make a wall mounted hose reel work for an extension cord. You can even create a fold away table that’s attached to your wall for those times when you just need a surface to work on.

If you really must keep stuff on the floor of your garage, try to keep things close to the walls so that you can maximize the useable space. You can also use some of the floor space for those easy to move around things, like wheelbarrows, bikes, or your lawn mower.

Having the floor of the garage tidy means that it’s easy to clean or sweep, and it’s easy to access all of your stuff around the garage. It also makes it easier to access anything that is high up in the garage because you already have the floor space ready for a ladder. My favourite advantage is that it’s easy to get stuff from the front of the garage to the backyard through the garage! No obstacle courses!

I hope you were able to make some progress with the decluttering of your garage last week. Here, we were able to find so many things to donate or sell that we will simply plan a big garage sale! Hopefully, we can get rid of most of it all at once, and feel like we can reclaim our space a bit!

Stay tuned for some upcoming garage sale tips! Good luck with your space!

Thanks for coming home!