28 Genius Garage Organization and Storage Ideas

These garage storage tool organizer racks mount to the wall and can hold six sections of items weighing up to 265 pounds. Made of heavy-duty steel, this rack's hooks can also be easily repositioned by sliding along its tracks. Use it for chairs, skis and snowboards, strollers, shovels, rakes, even power tools and garden tools that have something to hook on.

Group like items together in easily accessible bins. Categorize them using these 12 plastic bins in 4 tiers. The sturdy, steel frame holding the bins will allow for you to store even heavier items.

The best garage storage systems make the most of all the available space, without creating additional clutter. If you’re not utilizing ceiling space, you’re missing out. Consider setting up overhead storage racks to hold luggage, pet carriers, seasonal sports equipment, and any other items you want out of the way most of the year — so you can actually park your car in the garage.

Sometimes the organization situation within a garage can seem overwhelming, simply because there isn’t any designated space for storing smaller items out of sight. This is why utilizing cabinets with doors and shelves in the space can be a great solution, and one that feels familiar and easy to use.

Pro tip: Start with one or two storage cabinets and and scale up to three, four, or more if need be. This way you won’t overwhelm yourself and you can organize gradually.

Are all of your long-handled cleaning tools (think: brooms, mops, snow shovels) leaning together in a corner of your garage? It’s time to change that. One of the simplest, but most helpful changes you can make to your space is putting up a rack that will separate and store all of the tools off the ground. Plus, you can also use the space to hang rubber gloves, gardening tools, and anything else you could think of. Invest in a few of these and you’d have an entire garage storage system for a steal.

Installing a magnetic strip in your garage is a great way to keep track of the items that all of us tend to misplace — heavy duty scissors, screwdrivers, hammers, and various screws and nails. It’s easy to install and an item that helps spaces stay organized longer — so what’s not to love?

For garages, things that tend to roll (skateboards, basketballs, etc.) can at best be easily lost, and in some scenarios can be a safety hazard. Creating a catch-all area for things that roll is a great way to make sure no one gets hurt and you don’t lose track of favorite items, like sports balls and equipment.

Bikes should never be taking up precious floor space in your garage. Buy a bike rack for the wall or ceiling to make extra space and ensure your bikes never fall and scratch the side of your car again.

The biggest mistake you can make when organizing any space (but especially one as large and storage-focused as a garage) is to forget to label things. It’s incredibly easy to organize an entire space and find yourself months or years later having no idea where anything is, despite having spent so much time storing it away.

This is why labeling everything from Christmas decorations to old books to donations is key. Buying a label maker can make this process easy, but don’t be afraid to use duct tape and a Sharpie as well.

It’s amazing how much easier sweeping and vacuuming can be when the floor is finished and smooth. By refinishing the garage floor with an epoxy, not only will everything in the space look a bit cleaner, but it will make the area that much more pleasant to spend time in — and less likely to get dirty again in a few days.

Who among us hasn’t avoided the garage because of creepy, barely there lighting or a misplaced flashlight? Like basements, the more dark and musty the garage is, the less you’ll want to be there — whether you’re going to retrieve a seasonal decoration or spending an afternoon organizing. Installing some easy lighting will make the space feel safer and brighter. Plus, it’ll be much harder to avoid dirt, dust, and hidden pockets of clutter.

There’s nothing less aesthetically pleasing than dozens of messy half-used buckets of paint. By storing leftover paint in glass mason jars, you can keep paint organized and easily glance at the colors — less waste all around! Just remember to keep the paint in a dark place to avoid the color changing too much.

When organizing your garage, it’s important to think seasonally. How often are you using the thing you’re storing away? Frequently? Then consider placing it in an easier-to-reach location. Only use that fake Christmas tree once a year? Then it can be stored further away.

As Kevin Busch, VP of Operations for Mr. Handyman, a Neighborly company, says, sometimes you can even use exposed rafters to store seasonal items. “Lay a piece of plywood across the beams of exposed rafters to create a makeshift shelving unit,” Busch tells Woman's Day. “The extra space can be used to alternate storing your summer items and holiday decorations depending on the season.”

If you find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options for how, exactly, to organize your garage, narrow your organizational options down to one option. For Busch, this means choosing shelves over cabinets.

“For cramped places like the garage, shelves are the more practical choice for any storage needs,” Busch says. “They don’t require any additional space for swinging doors and they give you a full view of the contents.”

“Rubber-coated hooks are the gold standard when it comes to bike storage. To ensure that the hooks are safely secured, make sure to pre-drill a starter hole before installation and secure them into ceiling beams for added support,” Busch says. “No bike to hang? Those rubber hooks can also be used to store ladders, shovels and brooms.”

Another tip from Busch? Make sure you’re using every surface available — and that includes the areas you aren’t really thinking about.

“Utilize the underside of your surfaces. Install hooks or glue the lids of glass jars to the underside of the surface so the jar can be screwed on and off,” Busch suggests.

If you have a large family or are looking for an easy, built-in way to organize items, lockers could be a good solution. You can buy them new or find them secondhand, and they add a bit of vintage flair to a traditionally bland space. Plus, you can label each cubby for different uses or members of your family.

YouTuber and organizational expert Julie Deru says that digitizing items and going through papers and documents is key to having an organized space. Manuals sitting in your garage can definitely be run through that process. But for those important documents you want to have physical versions of, a filing system will do.

“I you have storage bins or cardboard boxes full of random things, it's time to dejunk and put them into a digital filing system. It is very important to have all of your paper documents organized because you never know when you're going to need to grab a birth certificate, your college degree, or your social security card,” Deru tells Woman's Day. "Not only do I have paper documents in a box, but I also have a separate backup area online with all of those documents. For items that may have been sitting in a cardboard box for far too long but there's still sentimental value, consider taking a picture to ensure you have a copy of it and then tossing it out."

"I tell my clients to invest in plastic tubs," Natalie Carneal, owner and operator of Neat with Nat, tells Woman's Day. "These are an easy way to organize your stuff and are easily stackable, creating more room in your garage." She also advises labeling and dating everything. "This way, if one year passes and you haven’t opened a particular tub, you know it’s time to let it go, and maybe one day you can finally fit your car in the garage," Carneal says.

“In general, the number one problem we find with existing garages is the lack of used vertical space. An affordable and easy solution is plastic or wire shelving from Lowe’s, Home Depot, or any similar store,” Krause says. “They are easy to assemble, height adjustable and can quickly quadruple your garage by making use of the unused vertical space.”

If you’ve ever walked into a garage and realized you have no idea how to get from point A to point B because of all the clutter, you’re not alone. To avoid this scenario, it might be worth mapping out a “walking path” in your garage with tape. This way, no matter what else happens, your family knows that clutter can’t land in that walking path.

The easiest way to make sure any space in your home doesn't become cluttered is to create a set of rules for those who use it. By setting a firm list of garage guidelines and rules, you can make sure everyone in your household is on the same page when it comes to what the garage is for, what it isn't for, and where everything goes. You can write reminders on a small whiteboard in the space, so no one forgets.

One of the best ways to ensure that your garage stays organized year-round is to actually schedule time to organize it... year round. If you don’t already, create a household chores calendar and map out a few weekends a year that are dedicated to cleaning out the garage from top to bottom. You can even coordinate this with neighborhood garage sales or other relevant events.