See how we used garage organization ideas to turn our cluttered garage into a fabulous, organized space where everything has its place!
Ahhh, the garage. It's a never-ending battle to keep it clean and organized. Right?? At least in my experience!
It tends to become a dumping ground for everything coming into the home, and it doesn't get much attention on a regular basis.
Like any space in a home, it needs a regular cleanup and reorganization from time to time. But having a place for everything goes a LONG way toward keeping it tidy. (And keeping your cars parked inside!)
When we moved in, our garage had no organization systems at all. No shelves or hooks. Nothing! (It looks like the previous owners had a system but took it with them.)
In a way, I'm thankful it was a blank slate.
We lived with the messy garage for a year and a half before we got it organized. While it was frustrating to live with the mess, it also let us see how we actually used the space. And thankfully, we didn't have to retrofit anything that was already there.
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My Goals When We Started Organizing the Garage
I had two main goals for our garage organization project:
1. Find a Place for Everything (and get rid of what didn't have a place)
2. Clear the Floor Space
We didn't hit the second goal 100%, but we got most everything off the garage floor, and I'm happy with it. For example, we've always leaned camping chairs and golf clubs against a wall. But getting them off the floor has kept them so much tidier! Fishing rods used to be a tangled mess. Now they're organized and stay tangle-free!
Getting things off the floor was a lesson I learned after organizing our previous garage. I also learned that I needed to make the things we use often easy to reach.
We had a smaller garage in our old house, so we hung the bikes from the ceiling. But I could never reach them.
So this time we put the bike storage on the wall for easy access. They're so much easier to reach, and as a result we ride bikes more often! I learned a lot of lessons from our old garage.
Our Garage Makeover
I'm sharing all of my tips and tricks for a garage storage system here. But first, let's take a look at where we started and how we transformed the space!
It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. We had dumped everything in there when we moved, sort of grouped similar things together, then left it. It sat like that for a year and a half before we organized it!
The worst part was that we couldn't find what we needed, and several things were “lost” under piles. So we really needed to clean it up and find some storage solutions.
Thankfully, we have a large enough garage that it could be a mess and I could still park in there.
But it needed a lot of help, planning and implementation before it would be functional and organized.
And now that it's done, I'm so proud of the space! I'm glad we took our time figuring out how the space would work best for us. And I'm happy to say we LOVE the results! (We've been living with them for 6+ months as I write this, and they're working so well!)
I hope this helps you organize your garage if you're facing a similar mountain of stuff. Hopefully sharing how we whipped our garage into shape will help you!
How to Organize the Garage
We started this project in early summer. It wasn't too hot yet, and we had several days set aside to get the garage in order. Make sure the weather looks nice, too, since everything has to come out of the garage before you put it back in!
1. Pull Everything Out
Everything had to come out before we could put anything back in.
We threw away the trash and donated things we had outgrown or no longer used. And we started grouping similar items together.
2. Take Inventory and Categorize
I sorted everything into categories that made the most sense for garage organization:
- Camping Gear
- Outdoor/Yard Tools
- Household Tools & Power Tools
- Beach Gear/Lake Gear
- Hobby Equipment (hunting and golf bags, etc.)
- Miscellaneous Small Items
- Painting Gear/Supplies
- Paint
- Grill Equipment
- Bicycles
- and more!
3. Decide the Best Way to Store Each Category
Once I'd taken inventory, I knew how much of each category we had. Now I had to decide the best way to store them.
I knew I wanted everything off the floor, so we needed to use vertical space as much as possible. These are the best ways I've found to store each category.
Track System – this is usually best for yard tools (rakes, shovels, brooms, weed eaters, etc.), long-handled items, outdoor chairs and oddly shaped items like strollers, wheelbarrows and ladders.
Pegboard System – this works well for small tools, light objects, cleaning supplies and workbench supplies.
Shelves – these are great for storage bins of smaller items like camping gear, beach gear, garden tools, seasonal decor, hunting gear and more!
Hooks – I love a hook for ladders, bicycles, large tools and other heavy items! You can use hooks on or off a track system.
4. Map Out the Space Based on Your Needs & Implement Them
Now that our stuff was categorized and we'd decided how to store it, we could plan out the space! Learn from some of these garage organization ideas.
At this point I had to stop working in the garage, order the products and wait for them to arrive.
The Basic Work Station
I knew I wanted our household tool storage for hammers, drills, paint supplies and more near the door to the house. That way I can simply step into the garage from the kitchen and everything I need is right at my fingertips.
The workbench was also a big priority in this space. So I looked online for a product that would meet my needs, and I settled on this Garage Workstation System. It's one of the best garage organization ideas I came across! It's the storage and organization system of my dreams.
I modified it a little to fit my needs better, but I used the pre-made system as a base for my changes. I added an extra shelf to the bottom for more storage, since my ceilings are 9.5 feet tall. That also raised the workbench counter a bit, but it works perfectly as a standing workbench!
I labeled all the drawers and bins at the workstation so everyone is on the same page about where things go! Otherwise the screws will end up in the washer bin, and things will get lost!
The Corner Cabinet and Large Items
Then we figured out that my husband's hunting cabinet could go in the far corner, since it doesn't need to be accessed very often.
Several of our large items go in front of it, like the saws, shop vac and lawn mower. Many of these things are on wheels, so they're easy to move around when we need to get something out!
The Long Shelving Unit and Track System on the Garage Wall
Getting that set up in the corner showed us how much room we had for vertical shelving units on the back wall. I also knew I wanted a track system under the shelves along the back wall for hanging our chairs, extension cords and more. This helped me decide how many shelves to buy.
I love that our camping and beach chairs are no longer in a pile on the floor. They were always falling over before!
The Yard Tool Track System and Bike Rack
We wanted the yard tools near the outside door, so it made sense to put them on the largest wall closest to the garage door. That left us just enough room to hang our bicycles.
The Freezer, Golf Clubs and Sporting Gear
Then, on the opposite wall, we had to work around breaker boxes and a window we didn't want to cover. So it was the perfect spot for our deep freezer, trash can, golf bag storage and some outdoor toy storage.
And in the spirit of “no wasted space,” we used the wall space above the 4-wheeler as the home for our wall-mounted fishing pole storage. I refused to keep our fishing gear in a tangled pile ever again!
That's how we stored each category of stuff in our garage. Let me know if you have any questions about any of it in the comments!
The Products Used for Garage Organization Ideas
I've used a variety of products over the years to organize a garage, and I can vouch for two specific brands we love! (Not sponsored, just products we love and buy with our own money.)
Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage Systems
Rubbermaid FastTrack systems are the brand we use for all of our track and shelving. It makes it easy to stay within one brand family because everything is interchangeable. We used this system in our last garage, liked it, and used it again!
- Garage Track System – the starter system, with several hooks and holders included
- Steel Multipurpose Hook – perfect for rakes, brooms and other long-handled tools
- Vertical Bike Hook
- Shelving System
Golf Bag Organizer
For as long as we've been married, we've propped our golf bags up against the wall. They were always falling over or getting in the way. I LOVE this golf bag organizer with shelves for shoes or other things. We have an extra-large organizer that holds our two golf bags plus our kids' golf bag. It's made to hold two extra-large bags.
Elfa Utility Garage System with Workbench
This utility garage system with workbench is a bit more involved than the track and shelf systems. I measured my space and then checked the dimensions for the workbench system. There was room for some extra storage on the bottom because my walls are taller than 9 feet.
I also decided I didn't want the track systems on the left side at the top. Instead I wanted a hook for our ladder there. And I moved the lower left track to another wall for sports equipment and toy storage.
The whole system was also out of stock when I went to buy it, so I had to piece it together. It took me quite a while on the website to figure out each piece I needed. If you want to order the components, I'm sharing the individual pieces I ordered, so you can copy my setup and DIY it too!
Garage Utility System with Workbench Pieces
I love these Elfa systems because you can attach the vertical rails to wall studs, then hang whatever shelving configuration you need on the rails. It's an easy system to DIY, so don't let it intimidate you!
- 4 – Elfa 84″ Hang Standard – These are the vertical pieces that run along the back of the system. I wanted longer pieces since I have 9.5 foot walls, so I ordered the 104″ hanging pieces.
- 5 – 32″ Elfa Top Track
- 1 – 80″ Elfa Top Track
- 3 – Elfa Wood Screws Pkg/10
- 4 – Elfa Utility Fittings for Utility Track Set of 2
- 22 – 16″ Elfa Ventilated/Decor Shelf Bracket – I ordered 4 more since I added the extra baskets at the bottom.
- 4 – 20″ Elfa Ventilated/Decor Shelf Bracket Platinum
- 3 – 16″ x 2′ Elfa Ventilated Shelf
- 1 – 16″ x 4′ Elfa Ventilated Shelf
- 5 – 2′ x 15″ x 5/8″ h Elfa Utility Board
- 8 – Elfa Classic 2’/60cm Hanging Drawer Frame
- 6 – Elfa 24″ 2-Runner Mesh Hanging Drawer
- 3 – 20″ x 2′ x 1-1/4″ h Elfa Utility Work Surface Grey
- 2 – Elfa Classic 2′ Mesh Hanging Drawers & Frame
- 4 – 16″ Elfa Center Bracket Cover Platinum – These cover the drawer frames between the drawers
- 6 – 16″ Elfa Left Bracket Cover – these finish off the edges of the left-side shelves
- 6 – 16″ Elfa Right Bracket Cover – these finish off the edges of the right-side shelves
- 1 – Elfa Utility Mesh Storage Bag Grey
- 2 – 16″ Bracket Hook-5 – I added these hooks to the sides for extra storage
- 2 – Elfa Utility 16″ Bracket Posts – Set of 2
- 4 – Elfa Drawer Label Holders Pkg/4
Utility Pegboard Components
- Hooks Multi-Pack of 12
- Long Board Hook Platinum Pkg/3
- Large Tool Holders Grey Pkg/2 – great for paint rollers
- Small Tool Holders Grey Pkg/2 – great for hammers
- Long Tool Hook Grey Pkg/4 – I love these for paintbrushes and scraping tools
- Pliers Hook Grey Pkg/2
- Multi-Tool Holder Grey – great for screwdrivers
- Round/Cord Hook Grey – I use these for my drill and nail gun
- Slim Hook Platinum Pkg/6
- Straight/Handled Tool Hook Grey
- Pegboard Tall Boxes
- Pegboard Short Boxes
- Wrench Holder
- Magnetic Divided Pencil Cup – Comes in more colors, just search the site for them!
Extra Baskets at the Bottom
(Must have 3 – 104″ hang pieces instead of the 3 – 84″ hang pieces to make room for these baskets.)
- 3 – 16″ x 2′ x 3-5/8″ h Elfa Classic Shelf Basket Platinum – this is if you want to add extra baskets at the bottom, like I did.
- 6 – 16″ Elfa Shelf Basket Dividers Clear Pkg/2
I hope it was helpful to see how we took a blank garage and turned it into an organizational workhorse! I beam with pride every time I walk through the garage because it turned out so well. I'm glad we took our time and made sure it would work for our family's needs.
Let me know if you have any garage organization ideas of your own! Leave them in the comments below so we can all benefit from them!
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