For most of us, the garage is much more than just a place for keeping the car — it’s a man cave, a garden shed, a bike rack, gym or an extra wardrobe. But in most of our households, the multiple functions of a garage get out of control easily, with excess stuff piled so high that getting to the car is an exercise in orienteering.
To help you make the most of your garage space in your house in Sydney, we’ve come up with some useful ideas for organising and de-cluttering that won’t cost too much or take a lot of your time.
A place for everything and everything in its place
Plastic storage containers are an easy solution to most storage issues; they’re cheap, lightweight, stackable and you can see through them.
Make sure the containers are strong and durable, so that you can pile them up, with less used things on the bottom row. Label the boxes clearly and store them in sections – camping gear, documents, old toys, etc. You’ll be amazed at how satisfying your new wall of containers is, and how much more space you’ll have in your garage.
DIY – Workshop
A tidied up workshop seems to drive some man crazy, yet it’s not that hard to achieve. Probably the most important element is a clearly defined area of the garage that is set aside for tools and DIY. It doesn’t have to be big, particularly if it’s well organised.
A great idea is to have a wall set aside for storing tools. It doesn’t take up floor space, you always know where things are and, more importantly, if they’ve gone missing.
Break the vicious cycle
Nothing clutters up a garage more than bicycles, particularly if you’ve got kids. Plus, there’s all the outgrown bikes, old bicycle parts, helmets and the other bits that go along with cycling.
There are some easy bike storage solutions, such as wall-mounted wooden racks or pegboard attachments that hold bikes, helmets, spare rims and other accessories. Even installing a proper bike rack into the floor when you build your garage is a smart solution to the ongoing issue with bicycle clutter.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Once you’ve organised your garage, you’re left with a pile of stuff you’ve outgrown, or you’ll never use. Now it’s time to organise a garage sale in your Sydney house or take it to the local recycling depot.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling when you stand in your garage and you know where everything is and you can see some clear space on the floor and the walls.