We are trying to go through our junk and get ready for the move. This garage organization was overdue and much needed. The garage is a collect all for junk. I am amazed at how muck we have accumulated over the years.
We started by going through every bin in the garage and organizing by type. This part might look different for you, depending on what you keep in the garage. (Promise we will still be friends after this “before”, okay?)
BEFORE
AFTER
We made these piles:
- Memory Items ( Yearbooks, photos, kids clothing, kids artwork and awards, Wedding keepsakes)
- Tools/ Home Improvement Items (Power tools, paint, stain, Gardening items)
- Home Decor (Holiday Decor, Baskets, extra decor items)
- Emergency Supplies (Canned food, water, first aid supplies, batteries)
- Workout Items (Weights, Jump ropes, kettlebells, weight balls, soccer balls, basketballs)
- Camping (Tents, lanterns, beach items, camping bins, ice chests)
After setting out these piles, we went through each bin and made three piles:
- Keep
- Donate
- Trash
We loaded the donate items into the car and took them over to our local OC Goodwill.
My method on keeping things clean and organized is
“A place for everything, and everything in its place”
How we Organized
We took down our old shelving and added these new shelves from Home Depot. I think deep shelves are counter productive. Even though larger shelves have more space, it is easy for items to get lost in the back, and other items to be shoved on top.
In our experience, keeping deep shelves clean is difficult. I love that these shelves are shallow, and they fit our bins perfectly.
After building our shelves, we took inventory of what bins we needed. We decided to get rid of our random bins and invest in matching ones. When you enjoy a space, it is easier to keep it clean. Even though this is a garage, and we don’t spend much time in here, creating a space that looks nice motivates us to put things where they go. These bin are hefty and come in all different sizes.
We also invested in these smaller bins for the tools shelves.
These are great hooks to hang the bikes and scooters. Keeping items off the ground as much as possible, gives more space for coming in and out of the garage and putting items away.
After loading the new bins and minimizing what we had, we organized every shelf with similar items. We have a shelf for camping, and shelf for memory items, a tool shelf, shelves for sports equipment, and even shelves for my home decor. “A place for everything, and everything in it’s place.” Now that everything has a place, items will be less likely to be shoved in corners or thrown on top. We hope the garage will stay nice and organized.
Although I wont be throwing any parties in our garage any time soon, these simple steps and new organizing items have helped us create a garage that we can manage easier and keep everything clean and organized.
Comment with all of your favorite Garage Organization hacks! I would love to hear them!
You can check out my Home Organization Tips Here!
**This post contains affiliate links. Uniquely Taylor Made makes commission when items are purchased through the links. Thank you for supporting my blog.