You’re pulling into your cul-de-sac after a long week at work, as you’re driving down the street you are looking to the right and left of you at your neighbor’s houses. You can’t help but notice how organized and clean their garages look from the inside and outside.
You think to yourself, “I’ve got to do something about this.” You’ve decided it’s time to step up your game, as you want to have the ultimate garage on the block.
The only problem is, you don’t know where to start. You step inside your garage and notice that everything is a complete disaster. The bikes leaned against the car, the football in on the workbench.
You feel like you’re about to have a panic attack. Don’t fret, relax and take a deep breathe.
If you follow the tips below, the next time you go looking for a tool in your garage or your kid’s baseball glove, you won’t end up spending three hours looking for it.
It All Starts from the Outside
The majority of the time, the first thing anyone sees is the outside of a garage. You don’t want people driving by and thinking that you have a rundown shack attached to your home. First impressions do last and if you want to have the best looking garage on the block, the outside matters just as much as what’s on the inside.
First things first, a garage is nothing without a great garage door opener. It’s vital to make sure that your garage is closing and opening properly. You can’t show off your garage if you can’t get the door to open.
Try to keep the garage door looking nice from the outside. Depending on where you live, weather and other outside elements can be harsh on your garage. There will be many people with different opinions on which garage door is best, but one thing is for sure, it’s important to keep it looking clean and fix any paint chips or corrosion that might occur.
There are plenty of stores as well as online where you can get all-weather paint. If your garage door just needs a good wipe down, use a safe and reliable spray that doesn’t carry any harsh chemicals in it.
Although it will be nice to show off your garage to your neighbors once you’re done, keeping your garage well secured and protected is another great way to keep your garage atop the throne in your neighborhood.
Installing some flood-lights, cameras, and alarms can help keep unwanted visitors and critters away. A lot of homes have a side door that leads into your garage. A great product to use to keep people from getting in is one called Door devil.
What Really Belongs Inside Your Garage
First, start by pulling everything out of your garage. This will help give you an idea of the total space you are working with. Pulling everything out also helps with understanding if your walls or garage floor needs a deep clean.
Not just any cleaning product will do for these tough jobs. Consider using an organic all-natural multi-purpose cleaner. It’s safe for all ages and pets as well. A more permanent option to the oil stains is to paint or coat your garage floor. You can give your garage floor an epoxy coat for as little as $60 dollars! It doesn’t break the bank and gives a nice clean look to your garage floor.
Just about everyone has things in their garage that don’t belong there. I’m guessing if you’re reading this, there is a section in your garage where you have been storing junk for years that you never use anymore. If you can’t donate or sell some of the items, recycling and throwing out any unwanted things is a great start to organizing your dream garage.
Plenty of people just start organizing on the fly without really thinking about it too much, but if you really map it out (actually draw it out) it will result in a lot less stress or mistakes. Map out what side of the garage you want the car parked, or where you want your bicycles and scooters. Inspect your garage like you’re a detective at a crime scene.
What You Will Need
When it comes to successful organizing, everyone has their own idea and spin on it. However, everyone needs some sort of storage to keep their tools, fishing poles, and soccer balls together. Without some sort of good storage bins and hooks, everything you imagined your garage to be will end up in shambles.
To save money and the earth, consider using things you already own as storage containers. for example, mason jars, tin cans, and canisters are perfect for storing smaller items like nails, screws, paper clips, and thumbtacks.
If you don’t already have them, buy cabinets, bins, shelves, racks, etc. Taking advantage of your wall space will save you lots of room for things that cant go in cabinets and shelves.
A great all-purpose cabinet is The Prepac elite 32inch storage cabinet. It provides plenty of space and can be nestled up against a wall and out of the way. An additional product to look into getting would be a pegboard of some sort. The great thing about pegboards is that they can easily hang on any wall and hold a substantial amount of tools.
If you have a stationary work-bench, you might consider ditching it. Depending on the size, they can take up quite a bit of space that could be used for other necessities. A roll around work-bench makes your life way easier, considering you can keep it wherever you see fit. If a roll around bench isn’t in the picture, another helpful option could be a fold-up work-bench.
It sounds obvious but be sure to keep similar items together. The best garage on the block will have labels for their bins and storage containers. When you’re all done rearranging your garage, the last thing you want is to come back in another month and forget where you put your hammers.
Using labels will tell you where things are, and its as easy as reading the front of a container. Nothing fancy is needed here, a label maker or simply a piece of masking tape and a sharpie will do.
Can’t find a place to put the bikes? Installing a ceiling rack saves tons of space and even allows room for the car. It is important to find a happy medium when buying ceiling racks. You don’t want to be ripped off by buying some at an outrageous price, but you also don’t want to buy cheap unreliable ones.
The last thing you need is your precious car being squished. A great ceiling rack is the Lehigh H13010 Two Way Adjustable Overhead Storage Hanger.
If you don’t feel comfortable putting anything above your car, there’s a solution for that as well. Finding the best car lift is a great way to maintain storage space and keep your car safe. I know what your thinking, “won’t that be crazy expensive?” There are actually some very affordable car lifts out and you can even look into getting used ones online.
Keeping your Garage Comfortable
Organization and cleanliness are key to having the best garage, but so is making it comfortable for yourself. We mentioned this earlier, but the weather and where you live can affect the steps necessary for keeping your garage how you like it.
Heating and cooling is something to consider depending on your location. For places like Arizona, garages temperatures in the summer can sore to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Investing in a swamp cooler or multiple fans is a more affordable route to take if you don’t want to break the bank by installing an HVAC system. If you’re living with a colder climate like Colorado, try a mini-split heat pump, as they tend to be tremendously cheaper and more energy-efficient.
Making Sure your Garage Stays the Best
Organizing a garage is not easy work, and it can take a great deal of time. No one wants their garage to look great for only half the year and then fall back into the same cluttered mess it was before.
A great way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to do inventory and organize once a month. There is no need to pull everything out again and start from scratch, just a simple sweep through and dusting will suffice. This will ensure cleanliness and doesn’t allow for chaos to arise.
Overview
Overall, there are plenty of ways to have the garage that you have always wanted. If you follow some of these tips discussed here, they will surely make the difference you have been looking to see all along.
Now, instead of looking at your neighbor’s garages, they will be stopping by your house and asking you how yours turned out to be so spectacular. The most important tip to remember out of everything mentioned on here is that your garage is for you! Turn it into what you like and what you’ve imagined for yourself. Make it say what you want it to say.
