Looking for smart garage organization ideas? By decluttering, zoning, and utilizing effective systems, you can transform your garage into a tidy and functional space.
The Garage Dilemma
It can be easy to drop stuff and put it down in the garage. Garages can quickly become a giant pile because nothing’s easy to put away. The goal is to declutter, zone, and create real organization so that the garage stays tidy all the time.
What’s working in the garage? It’s big, three times bigger than the last garage. That’s part of the problem.
The desire is to park in there, and also to have a place for many bikes and sporting equipment. It’s important to not have to climb over things in order to get there.
Zoning for Functionality
First, zone some things.
There is access to garbage bins right off the kitchen, which is great. It’s easy to throw out the trash and then wheel it out.
There’s a shop downstairs that’s working.
The vision is to have this whole side zoned for sports and play, which means hockey bags, all of the bikes, and all of the sporting equipment in one area. Over here it will be zoned for the vehicle and all vehicle-type stuff.
Let’s get real, most people don’t need vehicle-type stuff.
The Decluttering Process
Clearing things out is essential. Gear ends up on the floor, and kids come home and just chuck their hockey stuff. This makes it impossible to park in the garage.
Step one: Clear everything out.
It can be tempting to simply shuffle things around, but it’s important to find a permanent home for everything, avoiding just moving things in a circle.
Introducing New Organizing Pieces
New organizing pieces are being moved in from The Container Store. It’s the garage plus stuff, so it’s heavy-duty. It’s being put on this wall, so the siding is being removed from just that wall.
The goal is for it to go all the way to the ceiling.
There is the option to put more siding up or take that siding down. The decision was made to take all that off. Then the shelf comes down.
Installing the Alage System
The wall looks amazing and has texture. It looks like exposed brick. The alage is being installed. There were some errors made in measuring, but it’s okay, it’s being made to work and adjusted.
Garages are big but they just don’t come with enough storage, which is why they are organizing nightmares. This is going to change the space.
Ceiling storage water to ceiling.
The first thing to notice is how heavy this is; it’s so beefy. This is the first time using the alpha garage plus system.
Lots of alas have been installed, tons of alpha. It’s a favorite system. This can hold a ton of weight, so it’s perfect for a garage where storing really heavy things.
Just like a regular Alpha, start with the back at the top and then hang the standards off of it.
The great thing is extender pieces can be acquired so it can take it a full 12 feet, which is amazing.
Setting Up the Rails
Now that the top track is in place and it’s level, grab the rails or the standards and hang them off and slide them into place where they are wanted.
Then start adding all the components. These brackets are totally adjustable; just drop them in, and they can be used to put on shelving or drawers or a workbench top, anything needed. These can be moved around anytime.
A bracket is being put at the very bottom so it is easier to start at the bottom for measuring distance.
A shelf is being put on the floor because this is the garage, and the location gets ice and snow and water, and the plan is to put a hockey bag right here. So just by getting it off the ground, it won’t be wet.
It seems like kind of a waste of a shelf, but it’s strategic, and it’s going to keep everything dry, which is honestly why the alpha system was chosen in the first place over just traditional shelving because nothing’s on the floor, not even brackets.
Nothing’s on the floor, so everything’s protected. Even if getting water, it’s the perfect solution for a garage.
The drawers are amazing, powder coated, and beautiful looking.
Optimizing the Space
Always organize for the space, not the stuff. Optimize the storage with these components.
This is one of the biggest mistakes when it comes to organization: people worry too much about the stuff they have, and they try to make their home fit their stuff. Stuff is always changing. Live in the home for 20, 30, 40 years, and things are always going to be rotating, so always maximize the storage for the space and then make your stuff fit your organizing system.
This whole wall is really for sporting equipment.
Utilizing Hooks and Pegboards
This bag will clip on here to this rail. It’s just like the top rack and then locks into place, and then it can be filled with balls. There are a lot of hooks to choose from.
Pegboards are great, especially in garages, for those quick-access items. All sporting equipment that is forgotten about or is needed to grab fast is being hung, starting with the badminton rackets that are loved so much, but because they were hidden, they were never used.
Tons of balls are needed to be seen really fast, and the lacrosse sticks as well.
These little trays can be used for pegboards for those quick access items like the laces in case they break and extra mouth guards. Of course, hockey tape is a must-have.
Shelves are being installed to turn this into a golf cabinet so the golf clubs don’t get dusty.
Tackling the Messy Middle
Now that the Alpha garage plus unit is done, it looks fantastic, and there is so much storage. This side of the garage was a total hot mess.
It was like everything was shoved over here while this was being put together, and now it has to be organized and sorted.
All the sports are being zoned over here, spots are being found for car stuff, and things that aren’t being used are going to be donated.
To make life a lot easier, all the totes that are going to be used to organize are being laid out on the garage floor so as things are being picked up, they can immediately be tossed in the tote. It’s not going to be where it’s going to live forever, but this is the fastest way to organize a big mess.
Grab all the containers, lay them all out, and as things are being brought over, dedicate each tote for a different category of home, like life jackets or hockey pucks. This makes organizing and tidying a huge mess super fast.
It’s all about just picking something up and not stuff shuffling it, putting it in a home, a good enough home. If a perfect home isn’t available, put it in the place it is looked for at first. The garage isn’t going to be perfect, but it’s going to be so much better.
Dealing with Shared Spaces
When dealing with a spouse who tends to dump and pile, macro organize it, put things where they should go, and put a cabinet up so instead of putting it down, they can put stuff away, and then they can go back and tweak it and make it perfect later.
Make sure to label it so they know where things are, but that can really prevent the piling till later.
If something is come across, and it’s not known where it should go, it’s okay to have a random I don’t know where this goes bin. Just trust your gut, make a quick decision, and put things in a good enough home.
If something isn’t working, it’s got to go. It’s not right, so it’s going to go.
Bike Rack Installation and Final Touches
Now that all the sporting equipment has a place to go, this wall is free, so the new heavy-duty bike racks from The Container Store are being moved in, and all the bikes are being put along this wall.
