Garages can be used for a variety of purposes, from providing a safe place to store your car to locking away valuable tools. But no matter what you’re looking to store in your garage, keeping it neat and tidy can be easier said than done.
This is particularly the case if you use your garage to store large quantities of miscellaneous, yet important, items as garages can be at risk of becoming a bit of a dumping ground for things we don’t use on a daily basis.
In this article, leading national garage door manufacturers and suppliers Rollerdor will provide you with our top five storage tips for keeping your garage clear, tidy and functional.
What shouldn’t be stored in a garage?
Before we take a look at the best storage tips for your garage, let’s first outline a few things you should not keep in there.
- Paint – Many people use their garages to store leftover paint, however, this should be avoided. The fluctuating temperature of most garages can ruin the paint, making it unusable. Instead, you should keep paint cans in a utility cupboard indoors.
- Gas bottles and cylinders – If you’re someone who likes to light up the barbecue in the summer months, you may need a place to store gas bottles or cylinders. If you’re tempted to do so in your garage, however, you should think again. Storing gas in your garage is extremely dangerous, and any leaks could cause a fire to occur.
- Paperwork – Paperwork tends to take up a large amount of storage space which is why people often keep it in a garage. However, the conditions in a garage are usually unsuitable as they can cause pages to curl and spines to warp. Plus, insects like silverfish that may live in your garage have been known to eat paper, and so could damage books, photo albums or important documents.
- Food – Not only are fridges and other food storage units large drains on energy, but storing food in garages can attract pests like rats and insects.
How to start organising your garage
Organising your garage can seem like an overwhelming task, but by following a few simple steps you can ensure you do so most effectively. First, start by setting aside plenty of time. This might be an afternoon, a full day or even an entire weekend depending on how much clutter you’re dealing with. Then, sort your items into three categories, keep, sell and donate. This will help you establish what you’re going to be keeping in the garage. Once you’ve done this, you can narrow down the items you’re keeping into further groups depending on what they are. This can include sports equipment, tools, gardening items and more. Following this, you can consider exactly how to store what is left.
Here are five tips for great storage techniques:
Create a rough floor plan
Planning is an important aspect of garage storage, and before you begin physically placing objects, drawing up a rough floor plan is a worthwhile exercise. Note how much space you need for certain items, and logically work out the most convenient location for them. Items that are used together (like garden tools) should be placed together, bulky equipment can be put in corners, put items that are used on a regular basis near the garage door, and place items that are seasonal or not widely used in the hardest-to-reach areas.
Keep things off the floor
Wherever possible, you should never keep items on your garage floor. As well as looking cluttered, they can also create trip hazards if the floor is covered in items. Instead, use shelving units, cabinets and other storage options to keep objects tidied away.
Stack vertically
One great way to save on floor space is to use storage options that stack vertically. Plastic boxes inside a vertical storage unit are an effective and aesthetically pleasing way to keep your garage neat and tidy, and you can purchase options online or even DIY your own. Consider using different coloured plastic boxes to coordinate different types of items.
Utilise your ceiling
Overhead storage is a great way to effectively keep your garage tidy. Long, flat objects like ladders, sports equipment and even luggage can be placed here, keeping them off the ground and out of the way.
Make sure that any overhead storage options do not interfere with your garage door operation.
Use magnetic storage strips
People often use their garage to store their tools, and an innovative way to do this is by installing magnetic storage strips. In addition to assisting with storage, it’s also a great way to keep track of all your tools and ensure they are less likely to be misplaced. They’re also extremely easy to install and look fantastic.
In summary
In addition to these tips, having the right kind of garage door installed can also help you with storage. Roller garage doors are fantastic at saving space at the front and on the ceiling of your garage. This is due to the innovative way they operate which sees them retract vertically into a neat box on the ceiling.
Rollerdor supply and install quality roller garage doors for customers nationwide. To find out more about what they do, get in touch with their team of expert technicians today.
