Garages are meant to keep cars safe and protected. However, for many people, the garage is so full of tools, bikes and old computers that there is no room for the car.
According to the RAC Foundation, there is an ever-increasing trend to use garages for storage instead of parking.
The reasons for this are numerous, including laziness, a lack of parking skills and the tendency to store items in the garage that leave little or no room for a car.
We all know the car belongs in the garage. In its proper place, it will be safer from theft and damage along with everyday wear and tear from the weather. What can we do to make room for the car?
Storage solutions
There are plenty of inventive solutions that can enable people to store items in a more economical space, allowing the garage to be used for its intended purpose.
For example, you can use the walls for storage. There are plenty of ready-made shelves and brackets that will allow you to hang your tools, bikes and other equipment on the walls, where they are safe and ready to use. Even installing hooks and pegboards will do the job for many.
If you’re a DIY buff and use your garage for this purpose, you can even make a foldaway workbench that fits neatly into the wall space when not in use.
If your walls are already full, why not extend your storage to the ceiling? A ceiling storage system consists of special brackets on which containers rest, letting you store a huge number of items out of the way. This is great for seldom-used items, such as Christmas decorations.
Once you’ve got more storage, check that everything is working okay. You may find that you need garage door repairs in Watford from firms like https://garagedoorsrus.co.uk/garage-door-repairs-watford/.
Get organised
One of the best ways of freeing up your garage is by getting organised.
You will probably find much of what’s taking up room can be thrown away or moved to the loft. What is left can then be organised into zones – such as DIY, hobbies, cycling gear or frequently-used items – away from the middle of the garage.
Once you’ve got yourself organised, you might even find that you have room for the car!
Using the ceiling and walls
When floor space runs out, look up. The ceiling is often the most overlooked storage area in a garage, and overhead racks or brackets holding sturdy plastic boxes are ideal for things you need only occasionally, such as seasonal decorations or camping gear. Keep the heaviest items lower down, and make sure anything overhead is fixed securely into joists.
Walls can do much more than hold a shelf. A simple rack made from a couple of lengths of timber with hooks or notches will keep long garden tools upright and tidy, and pegboard is ideal for smaller hand tools, because you can see at a glance what is missing. If you need a workspace but cannot spare the room, a fold-down bench fixed to the wall gives you a sturdy surface that disappears when the car comes back in. Clear drawer units and labelled containers finish the job.
Deciding what belongs in the garage
Before buying shelving, decide what should be kept in the garage at all. Most garages get very cold in winter and warm in summer, so anything that suffers from extremes of temperature, such as paint, electronics, photographs or important papers, is better stored in the house. Valuables are also safer indoors, and it is worth checking your home insurance, as cover for items kept in a garage or outbuilding can be more limited. Avoid storing food unless it is in sealed containers, as it can attract mice and rats.
Once you have cleared out what does not belong, plan the shelves around zones. Keep one area for tools, another for garden equipment, a space for car care items and somewhere a fold-down workbench can go. Put the things you use most at a comfortable height near the door, and heavy items on lower shelves. Planning it this way makes it easier to find things, and much easier to put them back.
Clearing out before you start organising
Storage solutions only work once the clutter has gone, and decluttering a garage takes longer than most people expect. Set aside a full day, or even a weekend, depending on its size and state. Getting the whole family involved speeds things up and means everyone understands the new system.
Sort everything into four piles: keep, give to charity, sell and bin. If you are unsure about an item, ask whether it has been used in the last year. Keeping something because you might need it one day usually means giving up valuable space for years.
When it comes to putting things back, follow the old rule of a place for everything and everything in its place. Keep the items you use most within easy reach, on hooks by the door or shelves at chest height. Bulky things such as the lawnmower belong in a back corner, heavy items on the floor or bottom shelf, and rarely used things up high. Group items that are used together into zones, and make sure everyone knows where things go.