How Function is Your Garage or Shed? 5 Tips To Help You Keep Your Garage Organized.
The thought of being outdoors and enjoying all that comes with it, means more now than ever. This is a perfect time to get your garage and/or sheds organized. These areas can be challenging to organize as most of the items can be big and bulky and are usually tucked away for the winter. By now most of us have brought our patio furniture out of storage and creating an outdoor space to enjoy. The challenge now, is what do you do with the winter items eg: winter sports equipment, shovels, snow blower and how do you store the summer items so they are assessable?
The following are 5 tips to help you keep these spaces organized and functional.
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Go Vertical: Try to use the walls and ceilings as much as you can. If you have stored your summer equipment (bikes, etc) on ceiling or wall hooks replace them with winter items ,large lawn ornaments,
hockey equipment, shovels and skis etc. Shelving is also a great use of vertical wall space. -
Containerize: Throw out broken items or have a donate box to give away items that you no longer use before you decide on what containers they should be stored in.
Use large garbage bins for sporting equipment, (bats, tennis rackets, skateboards) Smaller bins for balls (tennis, soccer and baseball), knee pads etc. -
A Home for Everything: If you have a home for each item, your family members can be taught to put them away (most of the time) but remember to let them know your plan.
Whether you have a storage area, shed or garage, assign areas for like items. All tools in one area, automotive in one area, gardening, etc., and have assigned shelving.
For bikes pick an area that is close to the door and away from cars. Clip helmets on the bikes so you always know where they are.
For helmets used in other sports, place hooks on the wall, on top of equipment bins. - Gardeners: Keep all garden equipment and chemicals on a shelf closest to the door. A great inexpensive item for small gardening tools is a basket or cleaning caddy. This has a handle for easy transport and has sections to hold your small tools and gloves. If you keep them in this then they are easily stored and not getting misplaced.
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Children: Remember if you have children and want them to put there toys and equipment away make sure it is easy for them to do so. It should be age and height appropriate and give them their own area/shelves.
Whether you are choosing an area to store things or using bins for items remember to always keep it simple. If things are easily assessable we are more likely to return items back to their original home. If you have to move the tools to put the gardening things away…you probably won’t.
At Chaos to Clarity we help our clients with individual organizing needs; Downsizing, decluttering, office organizing, estate clear-outs and move management in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Mississauga and surrounding areas. Would be glad to answer any questions.
Are you a do-it-yourself person but just looking for some tips and encouragement? I have created an organizing course Creating Clarity that helps you to go through 5 areas of your home and set up systems to get organized and stay that way. https://chaostoclarity.ca/course/
