Useful Garages
As I take walks in my neighborhood, I notice less and less people parking in the garage. I think it is a combination of driving bigger vehicles and using our garages as storage areas. 50% of homeowners rate their garage as the most disorganized room in the house, yet the most frequently used by family members.

So we are not using our garages to their full potential. Garages have a number of different jobs including housing cars, lawn mowers and equipment, sporting gear, baby gear such as strollers and car seats, campers and camping gear, fishing boats, coolers, extra fridge or freezer, and Christmas decorations. So what’s the best way to tackle the garage and change our filled-to-the-max garage?
What is the goal? What is your vision?
Figure out the goal. What do you envision? Would you like to park one or two cars in the garage? Have room to put one car and the bikes? When you originally bought your house, what did you intend for your garage to be used for? Some people change it into a man cave or a teen game room. That’s fine if that’s what they want to do with it, but it shouldn’t be a dump area if that’s not what you want it to be.

How often do you use everything?
Figure out how often you use the items in there. Anything that can go elsewhere needs to leave. If you have a storage shed, use it for anything that you don’t use on a daily basis. That is where the lawn mowers and Christmas decorations should go. If things are used only occasionally, they should be placed out of reach. If you have a fishing boat or camper in your garage, it’s time to talk about a storage unit if you really want to park in the garage. How often do you really use your boat and camper? Do you still enjoy them? Maybe you can just store them covered inside your fence in the backyard. Make sure you are only storing items that you use and enjoy. Do not find storage for items that really just need to be donated or sold.

Vertical space use
Use vertical space to your advantage. Hang as much as possible. Use those bike hooks for adult bikes and kids bikes, if you can. Get peg boards for tools and organizers for the walls for sporting equipment that is used often. Hang the kayak from the ceiling and install shelving.

A place for everything
Make your garage organized and it will be easier to use for the whole family. Have clear places to walk with adequate room so that you don’t trip over things as you carry things back and forth from the car. Give everything a home in the garage so it is less like a dumping ground for garbage and more like you intend it to be. For many people, this is the first area of your house you see when you come home every day, make it a nice one that you gladly return to.

Are you ready to get your space or schedule organized? Let me know how I can help you get to a more Peaceful Place.
Great article