Garage Organization Preparations for Spring
Winter may have handed us Polar Vortex Round II, but never mind what Punxsutawney Phil predicted: spring is arriving and it’s just around the corner. This also means that it’s time to shed your garage’s winter coat and organize it for the spring.
Uncover Your Vehicles
If you’ve got a motorcycle you covered up for the winter because it was too cold and snowy to drive, the weather is turning around in your favor and it’s getting close to riding time. First, though, take a bit of time to do a good sweep-through in your garage to get that winter gunk out. When you uncover your motorcycle or any other vehicle that’s been sitting over the winter, clean under a cover, the last thing you want is to get it dirty with a grimy garage.
Make a Reorganization Plan
Just like wool sweaters and lace-up boots don’t really have a place in springtime, the same goes for your garage. How much longer will you need a snow blower or bag of salt? But instead of tucking it away in the overhead space or pushing it under a big pile, create a space where it’ll go once the last of the snow melts.
Likewise, move your spring gear—like gardening gloves, spades, shovels, hose—more to the front so it’ll be easy to access once the ground thaws. If you’re a cyclist or you’ve got kids, either move bikes and toys to the sides of the garage or create room in front of them.
Invest in Overhead and Wall Racks
There’s only so much square footage in your garage, and you can’t really do anything about that number unless you completely rebuild it. But what you can do something about is how the space is utilized, and racks are one of the easiest ways of going about it.
For large or not oft-used items, install overhead racks where you can store seasonal equipment you can still use in transition times, like snow or garden shovels. For seasonal items you might not use as much, place that gear on the sides of the overhead racks where it’s a bit farther away from the central path.
Conversely, wall racks are where you should be keeping small or often-used equipment, like tools, cleaners and sports gear. This way, you can see everything in one quick glance and access it easily, making the wall rack a tidy storage area.
Lockers
For those in-between items like paint cans, footwear, paperwork, wood boards, or large tools, lockers make excellent storage spaces because they keep items out of the way, but not so much you forget about them. The downside to a locker is it doesn’t have shelves, but you can easily get around this by stacking bins on top of each other or installing cabinets.