Got a garage? Then how come your car’s not in it?
Oh, that’s right — you have too much stuff, and it’s all crammed into your garage!
We think it’s a crime to own a garage that you don’t use for your car. Nobody in Chicago likes to keep their car outside on the driveway or in the street all winter. Scraping ice, shoveling snow, and warming up a freezing car – no thanks! So why not get started cleaning out your garage today, while the sun’s still sunny and the air is still cool — and before the snow flies?
We’ve got some tips to help you get started. But before you do, watch this short video from HGTV (the Home and Garden network). This story of one man’s journey to clean out his garage will get you really excited about creating an all-new space in your own garage. Your car will thank you for doing it (and so will you, on those freezing cold mornings!)
1. Getting Started with Garage Organization
Just like organizing a closet in your house, organizing your garage is all about taking everything out of the space first, throwing away what you no longer need, and then organizing all the remaining stuff into two piles: things you need to keep but not on-site (send these things to a self-storage center like LifeStorage!) and things to keep that you use often and need to go back into the garage.
Once you’ve got your two piles (one for storage and one for the garage), then you can begin the real organization work.
2. Set Up Shelves and Wall Racks
Before you can move your stuff back in, you have to find some storage solutions to organize your space. Metal shelving can be found inexpensively at home-improvement stores, as can wall racks and peg boards for hanging items. And here’s a great tip: old kitchen cabinets work great as garage storage units! Mount them to the walls, and instantly you’ve got more storage than you’ve ever dreamed of in your garage!
3. Organize “Keeper” Items into Categories
The trick to keeping a garage organized is separating all your keeper items into categories, then making dedicated spaces for those categories inside the space. HGTV recommends sorting into categories like Car Care, Lawn Care, Household Storage, Seasonal Storage, Sporting Equipment and Tools.
4. Set Up Your New Space!
While your garage is empty, freshen it up with a new coat of paint. You’ll be amazed at what paint can do! Then, start putting things back into the garage. Keep the things you use most frequently toward the front of the garage. Seasonal items can be stored in the back or on hanging plyboard under the ceiling.
When setting up your new space, HGTV says to make sure to put similar items near each other and then label the location for each category, making it much easier to find your belongings. For example, don’t put the hammer on one side of the garage and the nails on the other! And always label, label, label!
5. Head to LifeStorage with Everything Else!
Once you’ve cleaned out the garage and driven your car into the sparkling new space, it’s time to head to LifeStorage with all the items you want to keep but don’t have space for. We’ve got boxes and moving supplies, too. Plus, our 21st-century, climate-controlled facilities mean that your things will now be safe and secure from the elements all winter long – just like your car!
