Our Top Garage Storage Ideas

Our Top Garage Storage Ideas

There comes a time in life when we must meet our fate, stare down the barrel of the gun, come to terms with what’s inevitable – to once and for all sort out the garage.

This is nobody’s favourite job.

What was once the home for belongings categorised as ‘I don’t need it now, but one day I might’, has now become a mound of indecipherable clutter. Keeping your garage tidy is important though. It will make it so much easier to find the things you need, and be a lot safer. With these garage storage ideas, you’ll be well on your way to having a garage so tidy you won’t know what to do with the extra space.

The Best Garage Storage Systems

There are many different ways you can organise your garage. Implementing effective storage systems will take time, but it’s worth it. Reluctantly going into the garage because there’s a tool you need, only to realise it’s buried under a pile of other items that you forgot you even had, isn’t the best way to spend a day.

With these great garage organisation hacks, you’ll no longer feel dread when you have to go into your garage!

Clear Plastic Boxes

Organising your tools, old toys, and CDs is so much easier in a clear plastic box. Clear plastic boxes, like Really Useful Boxes, allow you to see what’s inside, so you don’t have to waste time rooting through multiple boxes to find one item. It may not look as vibrant as coloured plastic boxes, but it’s much more effective.

SmartStore Dry Storage Boxes (£14.99) are also a great choice for anyone with an outdoor garage as they’re completely waterproof. Any items like old letters or magazines will be kept safe and dry in these storage boxes. No need to worry about a leaky garage roof!

You can easily label your clear plastic boxes too. Using a label maker, you can step up your garage organisation to the next level.

An empty Really Useful Storage Box sits on a wooden floor in a room with book shelves full of ringbinders.An empty Really Useful Storage Box sits on a wooden floor in a room with book shelves full of ringbinders.

Have a Good Clear Out

One of the best garage tidy hacks is to approach the items that have amassed in the garage by arranging them into three piles: keep, sell and bin. Keep goes on the driveway, sell goes into the house, and bin is self-explanatory.

In fact, find the biggest, emptiest bin you can and put it in the middle of the garage. This will encourage you to be less hasty when getting rid of old stuff. Deciding on what is bin fodder can be tough – a general rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in the last year, bin it. The occasional exception can be made for useless artefacts that upon mere sight bring you immense joy.

Give Your Garage a Makeover

Once the room is stripped to the essentials it’s time to clean and paint. Hosing out the cobwebs and laying some fresh paint on the walls will make a world of difference. Don’t bother with expensive paint. And don’t be afraid to paint the floor. It will cover up dust and oil spills, add water resistance and help protect against mould and mildew.

How to Maintain Your Tidy Garage

Maintaining a tidy garage is key to stop it getting cluttered again. Make sure after you’ve used an item you put it back where it belongs. Don’t be tempted to just leave it on the side, that’s how it ended up cluttered in the first place.

Have a regular cleaning schedule for your garage. It definitely doesn’t have to be everyday but a weekly, or bi-weekly, sweep of the floor and dust of the boxes will certainly help keep it looking tidy. You don’t want those cobwebs to start forming again.

It’s also important to replace any broken boxes that have split and throw them away. Don’t be tempted to just leave the broken box where it is and sort it out later. Falling into the trap of ignoring a slightly split box isn’t what you want to do. One day you’ll hear a loud crash and find all of your stuff strewn across the floor. The SmartStore DIY Storage Pro Boxes (£23.99) are a really durable option to consider. They’re built to withstand large impacts and high temperature fluctuations. Invest in quality storage, and keep checking your storage regularly to avoid disaster.

Having a tidy garage will make you feel so much better. It will no longer be a place you dread going in or hide from friends. If you want to get more enjoyment from your garage whilst increasing the longevity of your belongings, browse our range of Really Useful Boxes.

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