Organizing Garages: Maximizing Space and Functionality

The garage is a neglected space in many households. It often becomes a catch-all for various items, resulting in clutter and the inability to park cars inside. However, with thoughtful organization, garages can be transformed into functional and efficient spaces that meet the diverse needs of homeowners. In this blog post, we will explore key strategies for organizing garages, including the importance of appropriate storage, designated zones, vertical storage solutions, and avoiding storing unsuitable items.

  1. Appropriate Storage for Outdoor Items: Garages are exposed to temperature variations, moisture, and dust, making it crucial to store items that are appropriate for outdoor conditions unless the garage is heated. Outdoor equipment such as gardening tools, sports gear, and camping supplies are best suited for garage storage. Utilizing durable, weather-resistant containers or shelves can help protect these items from damage while keeping them easily accessible.

2. Create Zones for Different Uses: To make the most of your garage space, consider dividing it into functional zones based on specific activities. Common zones include gardening, beach, recreational equipment, and automotive. By establishing designated areas, you can easily locate and access the items you need without rummaging through clutter. Use labels, color-coded bins, or clear storage containers to keep everything organized and visually appealing.

3. Utilize Vertical Storage: Garages often have ample vertical space that can be harnessed for storage. Take advantage of the walls by installing sturdy hooks, pegboards, or wall-mounted shelves. These solutions allow you to hang tools, bicycles, ladders, and other items, keeping the floor clear and maximizing available space. Additionally, consider overhead storage options such as ceiling-mounted racks for seasonal items or rarely used belongings.

4. Avoid Storing Clothes, Food, or Paper: Garages are unsuitable places for storing clothing, food, or paper items due to exposure to fluctuating temperatures, humidity, and potential pest infestations. Instead, allocate space inside your home for these belongings, preferably in a designated closet or storage area. This will help preserve the quality of your clothes, deter rodents, and prevent damage to important documents or sentimental papers.

5. Tackle the Clutter: Reclaim Your Garage: Statistics show that approximately 40% of Americans cannot park their cars in their garages due to clutter. Over time, garages tend to accumulate unnecessary items, outdated electronics, or broken tools. Take a proactive approach to decluttering by sorting items into categories: keep, donate, sell, or discard. Be honest with yourself about what you truly need and what has outlived its usefulness. Consider hosting a garage sale or donating items to local charities, recycling centers, or thrift stores to ensure they find new homes. MassSave is a great resource for recycling old appliances taking up valuable space in your garage.

Transforming your garage from a chaotic storage space into an organized and functional area requires planning and dedication. Following the abovementioned strategies, you can optimize the available space, create designated zones for different uses, and eliminate unsuitable items from your garage. Remember, appropriate storage for outdoor items, utilizing vertical space, and avoiding the storage of clothes, food, or paper are crucial steps toward reclaiming your garage. Embrace the opportunity to park your car inside (or create a home gym) and enjoy the newfound functionality and peace of mind that an organized garage brings.

The secret to getting ahead is getting started.
— Mark Twain

Cape Cod: Paperwork Organization in Brewster

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Greater Boston: A young family’s home gets an organizational makeover in Sharon, MA

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Cape Cod: Brewster Empty Nesters Tackle Home Organization In Their New Nest

Even those of us who keep the most tidy of homes need an organizing redux once in a while. A common time we see this is when the kids leave home, especially for active parents. This is the case for a couple we recently assisted after they moved to the Cape. With their kids off at college they decided to organize their new home completely. Today we’re looking at the process to see just how much of a difference bespoke home organization services make.

Great Home Organization Tips: It’s More than Putting Things in Boxes

When working with clients it goes beyond a checklist of what rooms need to be improved. At Peaceful Places we believe in a highly bespoke approach. We know that organization isn’t just about boxes and shelving: it has to be functional and work in tandem with the household’s lifestyle. 

This couple is married and working. His work includes travel. She works part time, and is outdoorsy and an accomplished ballroom dancer which means she has clothing that requires special storage.

When we met with the couple we worked with them to decide on the areas they wanted to address. These included:

  • her master closet including clothes organization

  • coat closet

  • basement

  • bathrooms

From there we systematically approached each area to find the best ways to incorporate existing furniture with their habits to build a structure and process that worked for them. The highlights from this job contain tips that will give you a sense of how to approach small organizing projects.

Organizing Her Master Closet and Clothes

It’s easy for bureau drawers to get a little out of hand. One reason is that drawers just don’t seem to be built for clothes. One of the easiest ways to conquer this home organization challenge? Dividing up drawers so that things fit better. For example, we divided some drawers in half but others into more sections so that things fit naturally when folded.

Now clothes are easy to find and simple to put away after doing laundry.

When working with closets we run into the same primary issue in nearly every home: areas above and below where clothes hang are disorganized. Often the top shelf is a resting place for things that don’t get used regularly, whereas the bottom is shoes, luggage and clothes that have been stripped off while trying to find the perfect outfit. 

Our approach is to create systems that work for these oft-neglected areas.

For this closet’s upper shelf, we went with a favorite: clear lidless boxes up top. These hold items that might not get used often but make it easy to see and keep organized. It divides the space allowing for a user-friendly usable area that is usually fated for clutter.

Underneath the clothes the addition of a simple, two-tiered horizontal shoe rack both makes it simple to find shoes and keeps them from cluttering other areas. 

And what about those ballroom gowns? We found the perfect solution: underbed storage. This keeps them out of the way until they’re used and saves closet space.

Tips for Organizing Coat Closets

Coat closets area a popular area for home organization. They are right at the front of the home and can be a funcional place, especially for active families or those who entertain. But they can also be a problem.

For these clients on the Cape, we noticed that the space was not overstuffed. Instead there were some boxes on the top shelf that also had items on top of them. The floor had one box and some items on the bottom.

Coat Closets are often a place where things get put because they don’t have an existing home. We opened up the space by using three translucent, uniform lidless boxes with labels. Now it’s simple to open and put things in their appropriate place. We included one small storage box on the floor to keep things more tidy.

Now this space is perfect for hanging guests’ outerwear and a shoe rack could easily be added or a small organizing cube for other items. Organizing shouldn’t be about adding extra shelves and systems. It should be about freeing space by putting things in their places and allowing the beauty and energy of a home to flow.

Basement Organization Basics

These clients have an unfinished basement, which is common throughout New England. It’s also common for these to become storage spaces much like a garage. And, like coat closets, to accumulate piles of things that don’t have a space otherwise.

We don’t believe that every basement has to be the epitome of a wood shop, man cave or crafts studio. Without kids and with an active lifestyle this couple needed extra storage, but to conquer what was getting to be out of hand and likely never to be tamed.

We put in uniform shelves and plastic bins, sorted everything and labeled them clearly. Notice that we didn’t go overboard on the labels and boxes. Simple is okay.

If you need to attack a room or even just a desk or counter that has become a dumping ground, the easiest way to do this is to:

  1. Sort the items into three piles: keep, donate, toss

  2. Toss the tossables, donate the donations

  3. Put things from the keep pile in their space. If they don’t have one, group them together and then once you’ve just got homeless items, make a home for them.

This simple approach, employed by many companies offering home organization services, will feel less overwhelming and help you get rid of things. This couple was very good at editing items, which helps.

Home Organization: Bathrooms

Most people like to start cleaning in the bathroom because it’s smaller and you can see the payoff quickly. This couple had bathrooms on their list because like most of us, theirs was cluttered.

Similar to bureau drawers, bathroom cabinets are often too large to make sense out of. We added some small trays to help divide up these spaces and the bathrooms looked better quickly. Sometimes it’s just a question of mapping out what you want where and then finding appropriate sized containers for separating. 

The Peaceful Places Home Organization Services

Enjoy bespoke home organization services completely personalized experiences built and executed by a team of professionals. Contact us to learn more.