Most people start out with good intentions when it comes to utilizing the space in their garage: They sit vehicles alongside lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment, with space for a few boxes or other items that aren’t typically needed in the home. This plan works well for a few years, until all of a sudden, ever so gradually, the garage has become cluttered and is no longer an effective place to park, work, or store equipment. Most people look at the mess they’ve created and resign themselves to simply accepting it, but this doesn’t need to be the case. There are some great ways to keep all of those items in the garage without sacrificing space, storage, or sanity.

Embrace the Walls of the Garage as a Perfect Storage Option

Many of the items stored in a typical garage don’t need to take up space on the floor in a limited amount of square footage. Everything from rakes and shovels to wheelbarrows and even lighter walk-behind mowers can be stored on the wall. For lighter items, consider purchasing a sheet of pegboard that can hold a few heavy-duty hooks. Then simply hang these items on those hooks and get them down only when they’re needed. Lawn mowers and heavier pieces of equipment will typically require brackets drilled into the wall, but even this is a minor procedure compared to the major amount of storage space gained as a result.

Further Embrace the Walls with Small Renovations

Hooks and pegboard are just the beginning when it comes to turning every wall of the garage into an opportunity for better use of space and superior organization. All of those old boxes and bins can be taken off the ground and stored aloft with the use of heavy-duty shelves anchored to the wall. When choosing these shelves, ensure that they’re made of real, durable wood, or that they’re made of stainless steel and other heavy metals. This will protect them from buckling, warping, or even falling down, under the weight of heavier boxes. Remember to install these shelves above both car-level and eye-level to safeguard against unwanted bumps and dings to the head and those allegedly dent-resistant side panels.

Turn a Work Surface Into a Cabinet Area

A lot of homeowners reserve a small part of the garage as a work space, perfect for DIY projects and home improvement work. This should be encouraged, since it’s indoors, protected from the elements, and a fine place to get the job done in close proximity to the home’s busiest rooms. Unfortunately, most of these workspaces are characterized by work tables that have no storage underneath the work surface. This is a pretty big opportunity for extra storage that is being completely missed.

Either replace that old work table with one that comes with under-counter cabinets, or install cabinets underneath the table for added capacity. These cabinets are certainly small, but they’re perfect for smaller boxes, tools, DIY supplies, and loose objects that simply don’t make a good use of shelf space or wall hooks.

Go Through Old Boxes with a Keep-or-Toss Mindset

Though the garage is a perfect place for storage, there’s a good chance that many items in the garage haven’t been looked at, thought of or used in many years. They’re probably not very important, and they likely won’t be missed if they end up in a recycling facility or dumpster somewhere. If the time has come to add wall hooks, build new shelves, and add under-counter storage to the garage, then the time has also come to start going through old boxes and determining what can stay and what must go. Be honest: If it has sentimental value or a great deal of utility, keep it. Otherwise, it’s prime material for that week’s garbage and recycling collection.

Prepare Drivers for New Parking Realities

Changes to wall storage, shelving, and cabinets, will certainly affect the way cars park in the garage. Eliminate the risk of damage to the vehicle by hanging a tennis ball on a string in the garage. Place it in such a position that it hits the car’s windshield gently as an indication that the car should stop pulling forward. This will keep the vehicle from hitting new items on the walls, running into some kind of shelving, or ramming into the cabinet-inclusive work surface stored somewhere inside the building.

There Are Great Ways to Reclaim the Garage From Years of Storage

The time has come to take control of the garage and reclaim its utility from the lawn equipment and storage boxes that have taken over. With a combination of honest keep-or-toss processing and new ways to think about wall storage, it’s never been easier to turn the garage back into a place worth using, parking, and even showing off.