For many homeowners, a garage can be one of the most embarrassing parts of a home as it becomes easily cluttered and chaotic. With old pieces of furniture, sporting equipment, gardening tools, craft supplies, and plenty of other household oddities littering this space, it’s common for owners to forbid others from venturing into their garage and for the exterior doors to be kept permanently shut. Whether you’ve just moved in or you’ve been avoiding the garage for ten years if you’re longing to turn your jumbled garage into a well-organized area of the house, here are a few ideas for maximizing your storage space.

Clean and Organize Household Items

The initial thought of cleaning out a messy garage can seem overwhelming. While it could take a few full days to tidy up an entire room, you’ll be rewarded with a whole new space once you’re finished. To start, toss out or donate all household items that you no longer use or need and place belongings that don’t belong in the garage in their rightful spots in the house. If you find yourself with too much stuff and too little space, it might be time to consider building a storage shed in the backyard or renting a cheap storage unit. Once you’ve gone through your belongings, categorize them into separate piles based on their purpose or use. After you’ve organized your items, take some time to dust and clean each one, especially if they haven’t been used in awhile. Then, dust, sweep and mop the garage floors, walls, and shelving.

Install Shelves and Cabinets

Once you’re done cleaning and organizing, you can start putting your garage back together by investing in smart storage solutions. If you don’t have enough shelving, try installing wooden shelves and cabinetry that can help you make use of your garage’s vertical space. While shelves are usually built against a wall, you can also install them at a 90-degree angle to create rows of shelving in the room, which can be ideal if you have a considerable amount of auto parts or garden equipment that you need to store.

Hang Objects From a Peg Board

The walls inside a garage are also ideal for hanging rakes, bikes, and other outdoor items. Installing a peg board can help keep these things organized. It’s a cost-effective storage solution that makes it easy to access the items you may need later and clears up floor space around the garage as well.

Use Ceiling Platforms & Mounts

Sometimes the best storage space can be found by looking up! Some homeowners find additional storage space by making use of the ceiling. Try installing a pulley system that raises and lowers a large platform This mounted rack can hold sporting equipment, hide decorations, and suitcases throughout the year until it’s time to bring them out again, which is perfect for storing items out-of-sight.

Be Diligent About Tidying Up

After you’ve gone to the effort to clean and organize your garage, be diligent about keeping it spic and span! Though it can be easy to fall into old patterns of merely tossing stuff in the garage and shutting the door, practice discipline. Now that you’ve defined a place for everything, it should be easier to keep everything contained!