You should get on top of your garage organisation as soon as possible if you’re like the hundreds of other homeowners whose garages are a storage catastrophe or who always promise to clean and organise in the spring.
If you fix these typical storage problems, you’ll improve the garage’s use, flow, and space—and you might even be able to avoid an accident.
Typical errors in garage storage, along with advice on how to prevent making them
Untidy garages are among the most typical places people utilise as improvised home storage. You and your belongings are vulnerable to several hazards in your garage despite its ample storage capacity. To assist you in maintaining a safe level of organisation in your garage, we have compiled a few suggestions.
Bikes
Putting bicycles on the floor is a typical garage storage faux pas. Not only does this put people in danger, but it also takes up valuable garage floor space.
Additionally, bikes leaning or standing independently with their kickstands in place are vulnerable to damage caused by vehicles coming and going from the garage. A vehicle with many thousand pounds can easily ruin a bicycle’s gears, frame, tyres, and wheel rims.
To avoid taking up valuable floor space, keep your bikes safe, and prevent them from becoming damaged, it’s best to hang them on the walls of your garage.
Install Slatwall panels on your walls and use strong hooks to hang the bikes in a horizontal or vertical orientation. You can incorporate hanging attachments further to facilitate the organisation of your bicycle gear and accessories.
A grid bike rack is an additional alternative for securely storing numerous bikes if you have a spacious garage with no floor space problem.
Yard Tools
One such common storage faux pas that people do in their garages involves yard tools.
Do you have your yard tools stacked on top of one another, on the floor, in an inadequate toolbox, or fastened to rusted pegs or hooks? Slatwall storage is an improved method of organisation and accessibility if that’s the case.
Even if you don’t normally associate them with tools, things like stepladders and extension ladders are tools. Raising your ladders off the floor and securing them horizontally or vertically to the garage wall is a safer alternative than dangerously resting them against the wall.
Slatwall adds structural integrity to your garage and updates the inside look.
You might keep most of your power and hand tools in your garage if you utilise it as a workshop. The best way to arrange your tools is in a garage cabinet system.
Sports Equipment
Keeping track of all the sports gear and equipment in the garage can be a real challenge if you or your family is active. The issue becomes increasingly severe as the number of children participating in organised sports increases.
Everyone utilising your garage should know better than to leave balls, skateboards, scooters, and any other rolling object on the floor because of its obvious danger.
The ideal solution, once again, is to use a slatwall for off-the-floor storage. You should be able to find various hanging accessory options, such as hooks, racks, baskets, bins, and shelving, with any decent Slatwall system.
The selection of Slatwall accessories offered by Garage Living includes:
- adjustable ball racks for storing balls of varying sizes
- unique storage solutions for sporting goods, including fishing rods, golf clubs, and ice skates
- general sports equipment storage in deep mesh baskets (also suitable for gardening, cleaning, and car supplies)
Hoses
Similarly, garden hoses do not have a place on the floor while they are not being used. A reel cart, wall-mounted rack, or other suitable storage solution is recommended.
That keeps them neatly kept, out of harm’s way, and untangled. Keeping your hoses indoors on a reel that is easy to use can also be more practical if your home’s outside water connection is in the garage or nearby.
The hoses will last longer because they won’t be as likely to twist or split when left out in the sun.
For information on our premium garden hoses and hose reels, contact a Garage Living expert in your area.
Junk You’ll Never Use Again
There is a mountain of unnecessary clutter in the garages of the millions of homes in the United States and Canada. Much of that disorganised mess is unlikely ever to be useful again.
The miscellaneous items in question are:
- A broken kitchen gadget that was replaced a long time ago, a weight bench or treadmill that has been sitting in a dusty corner collecting dust for years, boxes of stuff you were going to donate but never got around to, empty paint cans and empty containers of cleaning supplies that you completely forgot you had, and half-emptied bottles of car fluids from cars you no longer own.
For many disorganised households, the garage serves primarily as a place to store unwanted items. Putting things in the garage in such a way is a huge error.
It would help if you didn’t let your garage serve as a dumping ground for items you’ll never use. It is a significant addition to your home and deserves your respect.
Huge, Heavy Things Dumped On The Floor
It is not uncommon for people to leave large storage bins or other bulky goods in their garages while they are not in use or during the off-season.
Unfortunately, they devour the prime floor real estate. Getting them (again) into the air, where there is a lot of space for storage, is the greatest option.
Securely fastened to the ceiling and walls, an overhead racking system is required. With it installed, you won’t believe how much more room is on the floor now that those heavy objects are out of the way.
Name the container you put it in if you want to find a certain item quickly.
Things That Don’t Belong In A Garage
You shouldn’t keep some items in a garage for the long haul. For example, to ensure the long-term preservation of your priceless family photos, keeping them in a cold, dry, dark place is recommended.
Books, bank records, medical files, and any other critical documents that are printed out are also subject to this rule. Stored in moist, uncontrolled conditions, none of these things fare well.
If you still need more space outside of your garage, consider these five items:
- textiles, apparel, and electrical devices
- many forms of media (including DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes), canned and dried foods, wine
The Driveway Is Occupied By Other Vehicles.
If your household has many drivers but your garage is too small to accommodate all their vehicles, you’ll have to park the extra ones outside. But isn’t there?
AA car lift (or several lifts) can be a great storage solution for your garage, allowing you to bring all your vehicles indoors.
Generally, most garages fail to make the most of their available ceiling space, which is a major storage blunder.
You may better use your garage space by doubling the number of parking spots available, thanks to the raised storage that a car lift offers. A two-car garage can store four vehicles, a one-car garage can fit two more, and the same goes for a two-car garage.
Investing in a vehicle lift is a great way to free up valuable garage space for other applications or to hoist a classic car off the floor when you’re not in the market to sell it.
Keep All Items Off The Stairs
Putting things on the stairs creates a trip hazard. If you want to ensure people walk freely, you should avoid this location.
Remove Stuff From The Floor
Although it may be more convenient to place your belongings on the floor, remember that doing so increases the likelihood that mould will grow and that air conditioning leaks will damage your boxes. To avoid this type of harm, utilise shelves.
Verify That All Hanging Units Are Tightly Fastened
When installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, shelves can be secure. Make sure you’re not hurting yourself or anybody else when you hang a bike from the ceiling.
Be Wary Of Stacking Things On Top Of Each Other
It is risky to reach up into towering stacks to retrieve a package. For a more practical and safer storing experience, try using smaller stacks.
To Keep Your Belongings Organised, Use Plastic Containers.
Damaged or bug-infested products are the worst to unpack. Due to their elasticity, cardboard boxes can be easily distorted by standing liquids and changes in humidity, creating perfect conditions for insects and other pests to get inside. Your best bet in these situations is to use plastic containers. They are resilient to seasonal temperature swings and can ward off pests.
Keeping Items That Have High Temperatures Out Of The Garage Can Damage.
It is recommended to keep objects sensitive to temperature in locations that can regulate the climate, especially if your climate experiences extreme heat and humidity during the summer and cold and dry weather during the winter.
Advice for Keeping Your Garage in Order
Most of us put off cleaning our garages until later, but when we do, we increase the likelihood that basic storage blunders may become dangerous.
In a short time, a garage can go from useful to disorganised. Instead, stay ahead of the game when it comes to garage organisation by avoiding these pitfalls. You’ll be glad you did it in the end.
Failure To Take Inventory And Editing
Before you can even begin to organise a room, you must take stock of everything in it and decide what to retain and discard. Clearing your life of things that don’t bring you joy or that you no longer need allows you to make room for the truly important things. Once you have an inventory, you can better organise and arrange your belongings for storage.
Avoid Wasting Wall Space By Climbing Them
Bikes, sports gear, and tools are best kept in the garage because of their size. These things tend to topple over or become obstacles. Instead, use the available wall space to hang these heavy objects using some solid hooks.
Wrong Storage Solutions
You can keep your garage items neat and organised using appropriate storage bins. Think about the things you use and need access to most often when storing them. Tote containers with lids are a great way to store seasonal athletic wear. This protects things from becoming damaged or eaten by bugs. For easy tote storage, install a rack in the garage. As a general rule, put heavy containers on the lowest shelf and lighter ones on the highest.
Not Using Labels
Losing track of what’s inside storage containers and bins is simple. Then, you might have to open a lot of containers and rummage through stuff to find what you’re looking for. Instead, by labelling them, you always know what’s in your storage bins.
In conclusion, addressing common garage storage mistakes is key to improving space, flow, and safety. Use Slatwall panels for bikes and yard tools, store sports equipment in cabinets with adjustable racks, and ensure unused items are properly stored or disposed of. Avoid clutter and make use of wall space with solid hooks and labelled storage bins. By implementing these strategies, you can create a safe, organised garage that enhances functionality and prevents accidents.
