Garages are often overlooked spaces in our homes, yet they serve a critical role. Besides sheltering vehicles, garages enhance the functionality of any home, providing a haven for tools, outdoor equipment, seasonal decorations, and other bulky items like bikes. Considering the number of items that go into garages, it is easy for them to get cluttered.
If your garage is overflowing with items, transforming it into a well-organized and functional space can be a rewarding DIY project. Garage shelves offer an easy way to enhance any storage space and are great for organizing garages. However, they are not the only solution to address clutter in garages.
Whether you are decluttering your garage or just want to keep things organized, here are DIY project ideas to tidy up your garage. Organizing your garage not only makes it neat but also creates more room for storage while making it easy to find tools and supplies.
Wall-Mounted Shelves
Custom shelves offer a classic and easy way to transform a cluttered garage into an organized storage space. DIY shelves are cheaper and easy to install and give you control over the design, size, and configuration, making it easy to tailor the shelves to your storage needs.
Shelves allow you to maximize your garage’s vertical storage space, creating designated storage space for your tools, equipment, and other items that would otherwise clutter the floor. Besides, you can organize the items to allow easy access, especially for commonly used items, and keep anything hazardous on top racks so that they are out of reach of children. Keeping your tools and supplies off the floor also protects them from dust and moisture, which can damage them and reduce their lifespan.
While building custom DIY shelving units doesn’t require any special skills, it is important to consider the weight of the items you intend to store on the racks and use appropriate materials. Interestingly, you can always personalize your shelves to match your home decor and complement your space.
Overhead Storage Racks
Do you have many items that you use infrequently? While garages have become junk drawers for most homes, overhead storage solutions have gained a reputation for offering an easy way to keep bulky and infrequently used items off the ground and out of the way.
Overhead storage racks maximize vertical storage space, allowing you to declutter your walls and floor and make your garage more spacious and visually appealing. They can be used to hold all sorts of items, including sports equipment, seasonal decorations, outdoor furniture, kayaks, canoes, ladders, and even bikes.
One key benefit of overhead storage racks is that they can be customized and adjusted to fit your garage space and storage needs. For homeowners with a lot of items to organize, overhead storage racks can be used with wall-mounted shelves and drawers to maximize vertical storage space and keep the garage orderly.
Regardless, installing overhead storage racks provides a sense of accomplishment and pride in creating something functional and useful.
Note: When placing items on your overhead racks, consider their weight capacity to preserve their structural integrity and minimize hazards.
A Custom Workbench with Storage
A well-organized garage is a great space to start new DIY projects. But what if your first DIY project is creating a platform where you will try your other projects?
A well-designed workbench with storage is a great addition to any garage, and building one can be a great DIY project. A DIY workbench allows you to create a working area for your various tasks and projects and a space where you can keep your tools and workshop equipment safe and secure. This reduces clutter and safeguards your tools and other important items from moisture, which can damage them.
Keeping your tools and equipment in your workbench drawers and shelves also ensures the items are close at hand when needed. With workbenches, you can include lockable drawers to keep dangerous tools and household chemicals safe and from the reach of children. Remember to tailor the storage option to your garage needs.
Pegboard Tool Organizer
Getting a pegboard is undoubtedly one of the things that comes to mind when one thinks of organizing their tools, whether in the garage or storage shed. Pegboards are unrivaled when it comes to keeping tools, equipment, and other essential items neat and within reach.
If you are a savvy DIYer with many tools, creating a pegboard for your garage can be a great DIY project.
The pegboard will free up some space, keep your tools organized and ready for your next project, and create an eclectic focal point in your garage. Interestingly, you can build a pegboard with integrated drawers to keep small items that can easily get lost.
With a pegboard, you can use the storage units of your workbench to store small items that you don’t use frequently, like seasonal decorations.
PVC Pipe Storage
For homeowners on a budget and looking to organize their garages, PVC pipes offer a cost-effective approach. They are easy to work with, which makes them great for beginner DIYers; all you need are the pipes, saw, screws, and a drill to get started.
Short PVC pipe holders can be used to store tools like screwdrivers and pliers, while longer options can be used to organize brooms, rakes, shovels, and other long yet lightweight items. All you need is to cut the pipe into the appropriate size and secure it to a board or directly to your walls. Depending on what you want to organize with PVC pipes, you may want to use brackets to provide extra support.
Conclusion
Many homeowners use their garages as dumping sites for everything from gardening tools and outdoor gear to decor and outdoor furniture. Without organizing these items, it can be difficult to retrieve a tool or piece of equipment when you want to use it. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to decluttering or organizing a garage, the storage solutions above can help you keep your garage organized and aesthetically pleasing. Besides being practical solutions, they are easy to complete and require basic household tools.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aleksandra Djurdjevic
Senior Content Creator
Aleksandra Djurdjevic is a senior writer and editor, covering jewelry, accessories, and trends. She’s also works with services, home décor. She has previously worked as ESL teacher for English Tochka. Aleksandra graduated from the Comparative Literature department at the Faculty of Philosophy in Serbia. Aleksandra’s love for the environment, crafts and natural products over the years helps her continue to be a top expert at Wooden Earth.
