How to Make Room in the Garage For Your Car

I've heard it said that only in America would people fill their garage with junk while their thousand dollar vehicle sits out in the weather. Amazingly, that is exactly what happens at many homes. People get overwhelmed with so much stuff, it spills out into every space available. And garages make great storage spaces because that's what they were designed for. A garage is a storage space, but it is supposed to be for your automobile. Sadly, as more and more things get piled into the garage, the car is what gets moved out. So you've got eighty or ninety dollar bicycles, wagons, and just plain junk safely stored inside while your second most expensive purchase sits outside.

You can remedy this situation. You can actually clean your garage out in a weekend. Warning, though, be prepared to make a lot of decisions about what is important enough to keep and what is junk. Start early in the morning and plan on getting dirty, in more ways than one. You may have to make decisions for your kids and spouse about what to keep and what to get rid of. Be tough. You will be glad you were later.

The first step in liberating your garage from all the clutter is to empty it out. Completely. Take all the boxes, bicycles, lawnmowers, and tools out into the yard. Sort them as you bring them out. For example, put all yard work related items together, the lawnmower, weedeater, trimmers, etc. Do the same with the kids' bikes, toys, and sports equipment. If you also store an atv or motorcycle there, bring them out also. The main idea here is to see exactly how much stuff you have. Also, if you get it all out in the beginning, you can't get tired and just quit. You have to deal with it.

Once outside, sort through quickly what you know needs to go. You know very well you will never fix that old broken chair. It's been out here for over two years. So toss it. Go through outgrown toys. Organize a yardsale area if you can have a sale quickly. But do not keep it if you can't have a sale within a week or two. Because the more time goes by, the more stuff you accumulate. Try to plan a sale for the following weekend. But if something is junk, put it in the garbage. Here's where you may have to be tough. Don't let sentiment let you keep things. If it is out in the garage, it must not be all that important.

If you have a storage shed or building, try organizing all your lawn equipment there. This will free up a lot of space in your garage. If you don't, consider purchasing a small one for your lawn tools.

Buy hangers for the bikes and use them, especially in the cooler months when they aren't ridden a lot. Get shelving installed and put boxes and other seldom used things up high out of the way. Use shelves on lower walls to store sports equipment and things you use a lot. Hang a coat rack beside the door for coats, hats, and umbrellas to dry.

Organize your tools. If you have a toolbox, use it. If not, pick a wall and hang your tools up. The pegboard wall system works great. And you can see what and where something is at a glance. Another useful idea is to outline your tools on the pegboard so you know at a glance where something goes back. Or if something is missing.

Try not to put any old furniture or things that need repairing back in your garage. Especially if they have already been there for a while. Get rid of them. Of course there will be some things that do end up back in the garage. Expensive things like an atv or a motorcycle should be kept inside for security reasons. Just try to arrange a certain spot for them. If your outside building were a little larger, you might even be able to put them in with the lawn equipment. A larger building might be worth the investment.

By the time you are finished, there should be room for your automobiles. If not, you need to do some more cleaning out. Believe me, you really will appreciate it on those cold, snowy mornings. You can get in your car and back out and go. Oh, and wave at your next door neighbor who is out scraping the ice and snow off his windshield.