Two of the most neglected and unappealing areas to get organized in the home are the garage and the basement.
You’ve got stuff down there you wouldn’t even recognize as something you own because you haven’t seen it in years. There’s no time like right now to get out the cleaning equipment, some large garbage bags and start sorting out and organizing.
After you’ve had a chance to go through everything and decide what you’ll keep, it’s time to figure out how you will do your storage. Large plastic bins work best for storage because they protect your items from mildew, moisture and even the occasional pest. While getting everything sorted, organized and put away into boxes now is a great time to be cleaning around everything as it’s moved.
Items should be sorted based on their use. Are they seasonal? Are they baby items being saved for a younger sibling or cousin? Maybe they’re something that you almost never use, but you just can’t bare to throw out for sentimental reasons. Label these types of things well and store them at the back of the storage area.
Items that you use often and will need easy access to can be stored up front or on easy to reach shelves. You can find many storage units that can be self assembled and work very well for basements and garages. Metal or plastic work well because they are durable and can last through some less than perfect conditions.
Again when setting up your garage storage, it is best to organize everything based on it’s use and frequency of use. Set yourself up so that seasonal items can be easily rotated as they are needed. You can purchase shelves to go overhead that are made specifically for garages. Make sure before you purchase one of these shelves that you do check to make sure it will work with your garage door opener.
Pegboards can be used to organize tools and many other items. This is a system that can be customized and made to suit your needs. This also helps to keep clutter on workbenches and similar areas down to a minimum.
Used baby food jars and a thick shelf on the wall is a favorite old time nut and bolt organizing solution. Get a nice one inch thick board, about one foot deep and two foot wide. Use an awl to poke a hole in the lid of the baby jars and then use a short screw to affix the jar lids to bottom of the board and use a simple pair of shelf brackets screwed firmly into the wall to support it at eye level. Now you can put your little screws and nails into the baby jars and twist them into place under the shelf. And you have two extra feet of shelf space.
