If you’re like most of us, your car is a five-figure investment that you can’t do without! Those cold Saskatchewan winters are also very unforgiving! Those summer days can also be unforgiving – if you’ve ever burned yourself on your leather seats, you know what we mean!

Why leave your cars outdoors?  Why leave anything outside when you have a garage?

Storing it in a garage will keep it a lot cleaner and could help prolong its life. Follow our DIY garage organization guide below for step-by-step instructions to rid your clutter and keep a safe, clean garage.

1. Draft a Floor Plan of Your Garage

Most manufacturers of garage-organizing systems offer free space planning. If not, you can get as creative as drawing it out on paper, then measuring it, then tapping it off in your garage. 

Before buying anything, take down your garage’s dimensions and note the size and location of windows, doors, switches, and receptacles, as well as how much space your car takes up. Then use the following rules of thumb as you assign things a home.

• Items you use together, such as gardening tools and lawn chemicals, should be stored close to one another.
• Put bulky equipment, like lawnmowers, in corners, where they won’t get bumped or knocked over by your car.
• Place frequently used items, like bikes, close to the garage door.

Stash seasonal or rarely used items in the hardest-to-reach spots.

2. Keep Your Garage Floor Clean

Keep items off the floor whenever possible. This also helps keep your space clean and less broken items as you are less likely to drive over things. 

You’ll free up much more room for your car and avoid sloppy, impossible-to-sort-through piles. If you purchase ready-made shelving units or cabinets, make sure they’re raised on legs so that you can clean the floor beneath them easily.

This is a must when you want to remove the winter slush, salt and sand from your garage.

3. Research Great Storage Products for Garages

Stackable clear-plastic bins with lids that are heavy duty. 

Clear jars in different sizes for sorting hardware and small items. Simply save food jars and clean them out thoroughly before using.

A lockable cabinet for storing lawn chemicals and other stuff you don’t want your kids to get into. 

Label makers come in handy so that you don’t have to decipher sloppy handwriting. Plus, if you get the punch out label maker there is less likely a chance there will be smudging.

4. Plan For Open Shelving Units

Shelves are less expensive, easier to access and let you easily scan what you’ve stored. 

Cabinets with doors allow you to hide sloppy storage. It can also be harder to close doors if bins are not exactly the right size. Use closed doors sparingly—like when the things you’re storing need to be protected from airborne dust and dirt.

5. Use Overhead Space Wisely

The garage ceiling is a great spot for hanging long, flat stuff you don’t use every day, such as ladders and seasonal sports gear. We have even seen people build a special shelf to host their Christmas trees. 

Make sure that any shelves you hang from the ceiling don’t interfere with your garage door’s operation and that there is enough clearance to avoid scraping the roof of your car.