Getting organized is important. Making sure your spaces are organized is also very important. Getting your life organized starts with organizing the things that are around you. In this post, we will be discussing the importance of organizing your outdoor and automotive items in one of the most used places in your home. That place is the garage, and more specifically, we will be discussing the importance of your garage shelving because important decisions about placement and organization of your items starts here. You will be organizing a variety of different types of items within your garage likely: outdoor/recreation, tools, lawn/garden, supplies and misc. items. Let's get started.
Where to Start
Overwhelmed at first, this is what most people ask themselves: "Where do I begin?" The truth is you could ponder all day and that is just a form of procrastination. First, look at the space and try to see it without the junk and clutter as just an empty open space, full of opportunity. Or just empty the whole space and start there, with all the items outside so you can literally see inside the garage space. You will get a vision of how you want the space organized this way. Next, plan out your shelving space by what items you want where. Consider the functionality of the items in regard to their location. Also think about size of items. This will help you determine the proper size, mounting/placement and location of your garage shelving installation. Then all you have to do is mark those spots using your shelving as a template, or draw lines on the walls for a custom job.
Outdoor/Recreation
There are many types of outdoor and recreation items that will sit well on a shelf or on hooks in your garage space area. These items inlcude things like skis/snowboards, bicycles, toys, swimming/pool supplies, cooking/grilling gear, sporting equipment (tennis, golf, football, basketball, etc.), telescopes and other sorts of outdoor and recreation gear. Some of these items, like balls, can be stored in boxes or chests at the bottom under a garage shelf. Golf clubs, tennis racquets, skis and bikes can be hung or placed on very large garage shelving units.
Tools/Automotive
One of the most frequently needed spaces for organization in the garage is automotive equipment and tools. If you don't have dedicated shop space, you will need custom garage shelving or garage shelving that can handle both large and small items such as wrenches, spark plugs, nuts/bolts/washers/screws/nails, saws, drills, other power or air tools and hand tools of a variety of sorts. There are also gizmos and other types of gear needed here such as lubes, oils, gas and other more dangerous materials that should be kept out of the hands of small children.
Lawn/Garden
Lawn and garden tools, equipment and items related to these functions should also have their own space and dedicated garage shelving units. This includes space for scissors, shears, shovels, leaf blower, weed-wacker, spades, rakes, brooms, pots/planters, seeds, fertilizer or other growing materials.
Supplies/Misc.
Lastly, you should have some shelves dedicated to all the items that don't fall easily within a category above.