For some people, the garage is a workshop for tinkering and building. Others use the space for a homemade bar or game room. Some of us like to fill the garage wall to wall and floor to ceiling with boxes and other things that haven’t been used in years. What all these types of garage owners have in common is the fact that some point each one of them has thought they could use some more space in their garage. I recently got my garage’s organization under control and found the following tips helpful in reducing the largest amount of clutter in my garage.

1. Get rid of unused items

Do I really need these short glued together sections of pipe? No.

Whether it’s a garage, home, or apartment, most people have too much junk that they hold on to for whatever reason, myself included. It’s hard to get rid of that extra toaster or old thermos because of thoughts like “what if I need it in the future?” Here’s a secret: you probably won’t need it. For the 1 in 50 items that you do end up needing again in the future, do yourself a favor and just buy a new one a few years down the line when you actually need it. The cost of having the clutter and mess of storing all of those unused items just so you might end up reusing one or two of them in the distant future is not worth it. This is especially true of things like short sections of pipe and wood. Unless you have ample storage space, it’s not worth keeping those 1 foot lengths of PVC or 2x4 lumber — free up that space and instead spend a few cents buying a replacement in a few years if you end up needing it.

So what’s the best way to declutter the garage? My favorite tactic is to move everything off of and away from the walls and put it in the middle of the garage floor (obviously move the cars out first). If you have so much junk that you don’t have a clear middle floor space in your garage, move all those boxes of junk outside onto your driveway. Then, go through each item one by one and put it back into the garage only if you truly need it. Sometimes it’s hard to emotionally detach yourself from some objects (“I paid $300 for the car cassette stereo in 1995!”) so I follow this one simple rule: if I haven’t used it in over a year, I get rid of it. Simple as that. If you haven’t used it in the past year, you don’t need it, so just get rid of it and free up that space. This is especially true of things like that 10 year old can of paint or old bottles of solvents and cleaners (note: don’t just throw hazardous chemicals into the trash, take them to your local waste disposal center).

Take all of your used items and either go donate them or put them on the curb — other hoarders will likely pick those items up before the garbage truck even comes by. Once you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t actually need enjoy all of the new space you created.

2. Use storage space wisely

Storage hooks can be your best friends.

Most of us store our items on the easiest place possible: the floor. We neglect to utilize all of the vertical wall space as well as ceiling space in the garage. This is a shame because the more you can store on the walls and ceiling, the more space your garage will have and the cleaner it will stay.

Things like shovels and gardening tools can all be hung on the wall with some basic hooks. This will free up space on the floor around the edges of the garage in addition to organizing all of your gardening tools. Hooks on the walls can also be used for things like bikes, weed whackers, lawn edgers, trimmers, extension cords, etc… Getting all of these things off of the floor will free up space for things that need to stay on the ground like lawn mowers and car jacks.

The walls can also support shelves which can help organize things like paints, fluids, and accessories. Even better than shelving are narrow cabinets which hide all of the paraphernalia from view, leaving a tidier looking garage. On these shelves and inside these cabinets, things like screws, bolts, nuts, washers, and other hardware can be organized into small storage boxes. Large shelving close to the ground can even accommodate large rubber totes that might store holiday decorations or pet food and bird seed. A final benefit of storing all of these things off the ground is that if your garage becomes wet, you will minimize damage of your possessions since nothing is sitting on the ground.

The most underutilized storage space in a garage is the ceiling. Things like cargo boxes, kayaks, and truck bed covers can all be hung from the rafters. Not only will doing this free up valuable storage space, it will make it easier to load these items onto your vehicle. A couple pieces of plywood over the rafters is also a great place to store lesser used seasonal items, like sleds, holiday decorations, and left over building materials.

3. Organize by use

Summer weather means bikes, bird seed, and the lawn mower get prime real estate at the front of the garage.

After getting rid of all of the stuff you don’t need, it’s time to organize the things that are left. First, I would put back whatever things you don’t currently need for the season. Since it’s spring time now, I would first put away things like snow blowers, snow shovels, rock salt, etc… Putting these off-season items away first means they will be out of the way since we won’t be needing to dig them out any time soon. Then put back everything else, making sure the most often used items are easily accessible. If you bike ride every day or even every weekend, try to put the bikes in such a location that it will be easy to take them in and out without having to move other things out of the way. Same goes for things like a lawn mower and weed whacker since these kinds of things will be getting the most use come this spring and summer.

I like to keep one area of the garage devoted to “seasonal” items. For example, in the summer I would keep lawn mower and fertilizer there. In the winter I might replace this with a snow blower, ice melter, and sleds. This is one way to help make it quick and easy to access the most used items, in turn making it easier to put things away and keep things looking neat.

4. Add outlets.

A new set of outlets eliminated the need for extension cords.

There’s nothing worse than having extension cords strewn about, dangling in areas that could otherwise be used for storage space. Not to mention, having extension cords everywhere to connect your equipment is dangerous, but from a tripping as well as electrocution aspect (we don’t want something falling and severing that cord).

If you find yourself having many items constantly connected with extension cords, you might be better off running electrical wire for some new outlets. Adding an outlet to an unfinished garage is an afternoon project if all of the studs are exposed, making it easy to run wire. Just remember, run any exposed wire below 8 feet in metal conduit (your local codes may vary). If your garage is finished, you have the option of fishing wire behind drywall, or once again running metal conduit on the outside. Either way, adding more outlets to reduce extension cord use will free up valuable storage space as well as make a safer environment to work in.

5. Keep your garage clean

Dusty surfaces can be a major slipping hazard.

Once you have gone through all of functional advice above, put some effort into the cosmetics of your garage. A nice looking room will make you want to keep it clean and tidy.

Painting your shelving and cabinets can give your space a uniform look. You don’t have to use high-end paint, and often times you can reuse whatever leftovers you have from other projects.

Vacuuming and dusting can be done on an as needed basis. For me, I sweep and vacuum regularly since I generate a lot of dust and wood chips when I woodwork. Cleaning up the dust and debris also makes a safer working environment since you reduce your risk of slipping and falling. Sweeping things up like nails, screws, and other metal and plastic shards will also guarantee your car won’t end up with a flat tire.

As for dusting and sweeping — if that sounds like too much work, you can always use your leaf blower to blow everything right outside onto the driveway.

6. Get a shed

The shed — it’s like a second garage for all of your stuff that doesn’t need to be in the garage. (Photo: Scott Lewis)

Sometimes we just have too much stuff and too small of a garage. Hey, it happens. If you’ve already gone through the above list of items and there still doesn’t seem to be enough room to comfortably park your cars in the garage, you might benefit from getting a shed. Getting a shed could help free up a lot of space, allowing you to move the largest items — lawn mowers, snow blowers, bikes, garden tools — out of the garage and into their own dedicated space.

Once you get your shed, the same tips apply: regularly get rid of junk you don’t need and continue to keep things clean and organized. Good luck and happy cleaning!