Garage Storage Tips

Use the following garage storage tips to make your garage into (should I dare say it) a thing of beauty. Honest, no garage has to look like a junkyard!

• Save floor space. Hang garden tools, ladders, rakes, shovels, sports gear, bikes (on special heavy-duty hooks for that purpose that can be hung from ceiling joists) or anything else that will hang.

• Build storage shelves on side and back walls.

• Lay a platform or shelving across ceiling joists. This is a quick way to store seldom-used or seasonal items, such as storm windows and screens. Just be sure not to overload them!

• Know when you should stop. Hang a ball on a string from the garage ceiling so that it touches the windshield at about eye level when you have the car in the right place.

• Store out of season stuff out of sight. You don’t need your snow skis handy during the summer or your pool equipment handy during the winter.

• Keep hand tools accessible. A good tip is to store them at eye level on a peg board, shelf or in cabinets.

• Box up your clutter. No list of garage storage tips should exclude this all-important step. Put like items such as paintbrushes or pet supplies together in clear plastic containers or boxes that can be stacked onto shelves. Be sure to clearly label each container.

• Hose hangers. Use a simple hose hanger to organize your extension cords.

• Contain those balls. Keep larger balls in a large netted bag that hangs from the wall or ceiling of the garage, in a clean trashcan, or on a narrow shelf with a piece of wood at each end and across the front to keep them from rolling off.

• Join the bucket brigade. When you have a lot of smaller balls – baseballs, softballs, old tennis balls – use a bucket and store it within easy reach. The bucket handle makes it easy to carry the whole collection around, so you can stash it in the car for trips to the beach or park.