Editing Your Garage For The Summer
Throughout the seasons, garaging can become a dumping ground for any and all clutter that accumulates during the year. Whether it’s seasonal decor from the fall and winter, sports gear, furniture or clothing that you’ve been meaning to donate, it’s easy for a garage to get a little out of sorts.
The summertime is the peak time of year where having an organized garage can be a huge help. Yard equipment, bikes, outdoor games and furniture are brought out yet again for the season, and having easy access to these things is essential!
Yearly garage maintenance is the key to ultimate functionality in your space. If you do a little upkeep each summer, your garage can be a long-lasting organized space. We’ve compiled a list of our top five practices for maintaining your garage organization this summer!
Follow our tips below for an elevated garage that best serves your lifestyle this season.
Step 1: Pencil it in! Set aside time in your calendar to truly go through your garage. Whether it's one day or over the course of a few weekends, pencil in a timeline that works best for your schedule. With the time outlined, the task of organizing your space will become concrete and doable. This way, you can decide what is realistic for you personally, and you can design a schedule that supports you. Blocking time off in a calendar creates visual incentive, whether it's on your phone or putting pen to paper, because it takes the task off of your mental plate and makes it something physical that you can check off.
Step 2: Elevate your items (literally). Getting things off of the floor and on shelves, in cabinets, or hanging on the wall not only declutters your space, but it also protects your items from wear and tear and prevents them from piling up. Giving every item its own home, off of the ground, will free up so much space for walking around, your car, and simply room to breathe in your garage. Utility tracks, cabinets, and shelving units are all great options for this.
Step 3: Increase visibility. Rather than storing your items in opaque bins or behind doors, place your items on a slat wall or in clear baskets and bins. Visibility is the key to easy access. If you can see all of your items, locating where things are when you need them will become easier than ever. Being able to see your belongings will also encourage greater use and functionality of your space.
Step 4: Purge, purge, purge! As you go through your garage and decide where things will be stored, consider how often or how long ago you last used certain items. If you haven't used it in years, or potentially forgot you had certain items, you might consider donating them. Ensure that anything broken or damaged is discarded as well. This will ultimately save you mental and physical space for items that get more use in your garage.
Step 5: Prioritize prime real estate and vertical space. When deciding where items will go, place things that you find yourself reaching for at eye level and below. Items you use less often (maybe every few months or a handful of times a year) can be stored up high vertically to maximize the space you have while also ensuring that it is functional for you. This will make accessing what you need on a regular basis much simpler and more sensible for your lifestyle.
We hope that these tips will help you get started on refreshing your garage this summer! There is nothing better than a freshly organized space. For more tips on organizing your garage, be sure to check out our Garage Organization 101 blog post! You can also check out our list on our amazon storefront for our favorite garage organization products here! Happy organizing!