Garage Organization Given the fact that the purpose of a garage is to hold one or more vehicles, it is surprising how many of us are unable to fit even a compact car into our garages. Organizing the garage is not an easy task, or one most of us look forward to, but once it is done you may find that a well organized garage fits your lifestyle, and allows your cars to fit as well.

It is certainly easy to see how a garage or workshop can become cluttered, and even the most organized among us often fall prey to the temptation to simply toss our unwanted items into the garage. If your garage has become too cluttered to be useful, it is important to get a handle on the problem and start organizing as quickly as possible.

Tips for keeping your garage clean

There are a number of tips for keeping even the most cluttered garage neat and clean, including:

-A plastic garbage can be used to store bulky sports equipment. Sports equipment like baseball bats, balls and hockey sticks fit well into these cheap and easy to buy containers.

-If you've got lots of screws, nails and other small items lying around, try organizing them using butter containers or small food containers. These containers are inexpensive (or even free) and very useful.

-Large and bulky items can be hung on large hooks placed around the perimeter of the garage. It is a good idea to install a number of these hooks, and to hang ladders, lawn chairs and hoses from these hooks. Coat hooks are perfect for this purpose.

-You can use inexpensive plastic office in and out bins to store flat items like sandpaper, and to store other small items as well.

-Boxes designed for holding reams of paper can be the perfect storage boxes. You may want to check with a local office to see if they have any to spare.

-Unfinished garages have their own benefits. If the garage has not been finished, you can store large items in the spaces between the studs, as well as using the space to install shelves. These small shelves work great for paint cans and other small items.

-For small items like nails, screws and the like, baby food jars are a good solution. Placing jars or canisters on the workbench is another way to keep the items in the garage organized.

-To store screwdrivers and other items, simply staple some twine or heavy string to a board at 1" intervals, being sure to leave a little bit of slack. This slack is great for hanging commonly used items.

-Be sure to label everything you can, especially storage boxes. Masking tape and markers are great, and cheap, labels.

-Finally, after everything is in its place, sit back and enjoy a job well done.