Storage Wars - Garage Edition

Contributed by Tiffany Becker, The Hive Overland Park

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I don't know about the rest of you but my garage is a magnet for all the random things I don't know what to do with - like gardening equipment, deflated sports balls, half bags of driveway salt that I may need next winter, old dirty shoes, unused planters with dirt in them, bottled water, various tools, camping equipment from the 90s when we had time to camp... the list is very long! The thought of cleaning it out, or even just organizing it a bit, is totally overwhelming! So, I did a little research (mostly to procrastinate getting started) and found some really helpful tips to get the job done in manageable steps.

1. Pull things out - Some sources say to pull everything out of the garage first but that is like a month long process in itself and then it's all in the driveway instead of the garage. So, I started by taking out just the items that did not need to be stored in the garage.

   1. Some of this was trash/recycling (broken items, cardboard boxes, etc).

   2. Some of this included items to be relocated (tools that belong in the basement workshop, gardening items that belong in the back yard, etc).

   3. And finally, I removed items that we no longer needed and could be donated (old sports equipment, camping gear, shoes we don't use, etc). This made a big dent in what I actually needed to store/organize in the garage!!

2. Sort Into Categories - I put everything that was left in the garage into piles based on categories (pickle ball and other sports equipment, ladders, cleaning tools, camping/outdoor equipment like chairs and coolers, yard work tools, winter items like ice-melt, shovels, sleds, and a few other categories). This helped me determine how much storage space I needed for each group/category of items.

3. Do a Little Research - Next, I researched many types of storage systems (there are so, so many) and found some great items (see below) that would keep the garage organized but still give us easy access to the stuff we use often. I measured the garage walls/floor/over garage doors to ensure the storage systems I wanted would fit in the space. Then, I ordered everything online so I didn't have to schlep big boxes of heavy storage equipment to/from my house. While I waited for my items to arrive, I cleaned out any spiderwebs, leaves, and dirt I came across so the garage would be nice and clean too.

4. Install Storage Systems - Once everything arrives, get started on the installation. Some of it was simple to put together and I just followed the directions but some of it was a little trickier or heavier and I needed some help. (luckily I have a very handy hubby - but you can always hire a handyman/woman to install for you.)

5. Put Everything In Its Beautifully Organized and Clean Place! Then stand back and admire your hard work and amazing garage!!

This is a more-than-one-weekend type of project but it actually went much quicker than expected and the result is very satisfying. Breaking the task down into steps really helped me get my head around tackling it and made it much less overwhelming!

Here are some of the products I used to whip our garage into shape:

Heavy Duty Storage Shelves

This is a very heavy duty, metal storage shelving unit that is adjustable to fit your space in many different configurations. It holds up to 2000Lbs so its great to put all the really heavy stuff on. I used 3 of these.

Overhead Garage Lifting Storage Rack

This storage system mounts to the ceiling and raises and lowers with a hand crank so you can easily place items on the shelf without using a ladder. It holds up to 300lbs of weight and has been rigorously tested for safety and durability - it can handle the big stuff.

Overhead Garage Static Storage Shelving

Each shelf is made of heavy duty steel that is powder coated and made to last. It mounts to the ceiling and holds up to 250Lbs of weight. I used four of these and they fit above my garage door, which is a great place to store items you don't need regular access to but you want to keep where you can see them.

Rubbermaid Wall-Mounted Storage System

The FastTrack Rail Storage System is the absolute bomb! The kit includes the rails, multiple types of hooks, a ball holder and all the hardware you need for installation. This is fairly easy to install and fully adjustable so you can hang items wherever you want along the track. The hooks snap into the track and can be easily repositioned as needed. There is a hook for just about anything you can imagine. Rubbermaid also sells a variety of other attachments such as baskets and shelving that are compatible with the Fasttrack Rail system. We used two of these with two baskets and a shelf kit.

Rubbermaid Storage Bins

Storage bins are essential to a clean and organized garage. These storage bins are durable, stackable and have tight fitting lids with snap-in-place handles to ensure the lids don't pop off unexpectedly. We chose to use clear bins so we could see what was inside and it was helpful to have a variety of sizes. We used a few 95 quart, 71 quart, and 30 quart bins.

So, if you are feeling overwhelmed at the state of your garage and even more overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning it out and getting it organized, just break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. You Can Do It!!

Are you having a Storage War - garage addition? What tips do you have to make cleaning out the garage less overwhelming? Let us know in the comments!