What are the best hacks for tool organization | Storage in a garage, outdoors, or in a shed

Last Updated on August 24, 2022 by

Garage Cabinet installation | Garage Storage Solution

If you’re anything like the majority of us, your car is a five-figure investment that you cannot live without. Why keep it exposed to the elements, where it may be harmed by UV rays, bird droppings, and tree sap? (And climbing into a scorching-hot vehicle during the summer is not enjoyable.)

Keeping it in the garage will keep it much cleaner and may even help extend its life. Follow our step-by-step DIY garage organization advice below to clear your clutter and maintain a safe, tidy garage.

What Items Are Not Appropriately Stored in a Garage?

Avoid storing the following goods in your garage for safety reasons:

Extreme cold or heat can deteriorate paint. Cans should be stored in a more peaceful location.

Propane storage: The vapors could be ignited by a spark. Propane tanks should be held outdoors at all times.

Paper items attract roaches and other insects. They should be placed in your pantry.

Refrigerator: A refrigerator is a significant energy drain in non-air-conditioned spaces.

Possums and other animals will smell it and enter. Keep it inside in a well-sealed container.

An item that can avail Garage storage solution to the fullest

Clear plastic bins with lids that can be stacked.

Keep hardware and small things in clear jars of different sizes, so they’re easy to find. Keep food jars and clean them thoroughly before you use them.

One can be locked to keep lawn chemicals and other things you don’t want your kids to get into.

You can take a label maker with you, so you don’t have to read sloppy handwriting.

Open shelves installation is better than closed garage cabinet installation for many reasons. Shelves are cheaper, easier to get to (you don’t need extra space to swing the doors open), and let you quickly scan what you’ve stored. To stay unorganized, cabinets with doors give you an excuse because you can hide the evidence. This means that the cabinets quickly become messy. Use them only when the things you’re putting away need to be kept clean and dust-free from the air.

Set up vertical garage storage solutions.

Pegboard:

Pros: It’s easy to put up and can be cut and even painted to make it look different. Many other manufacturers make hooks, shelves, and organizers that work with it.

Cons: Pegboard can hold lightweight hand tools and other goods, but it isn’t strong enough to hang heavy things, like bicycles.

Systems that use tracks:

Pros: The shelf standards hang from a single track attached to the wall studs. This means that these systems can hold the weight of heavier objects. The bars, hooks, shelves, and organizers can be moved easily.

If you want the standards to hang straight, you must ensure that the track is level. They’re best for garage walls that have been finished and plumb, so you can ensure that the way is level.

These are called “Panels.”

Because the whole wall is made of plastic panels with slots, you can use every square inch of wall space. Lockable hooks and shelves are built into the plastic panels.

Some systems must be installed by trained professionals, which adds to the cost; you can only buy organizing products that work with your system.

Be Careful with Overhead Space.

Ladders and sports gear that you don’t use every day can be hung from the ceiling of your garage. Make sure that any shelves you hang from the top don’t get in the way of your garage door or scrape the roof of your car.

Then, build a workbench.

An Ideal Wall-Mount Workbench (about $300; sears.com) is a fold-down workbench that can be mounted to a wall and folded down when not in use. It has a sturdy surface and can be stored away when not used.

People who want to buy a bench with built-in tool drawers have to pay a lot for it. In a simple work table, add shelves and pegboard to the top to hold your tools.

You can turn any table into a mobile workstation by adding casters. Make sure they don’t make the table too high.

Finish it with a cushioned stool that fits under the table to keep it safe from bumps.

Air leaks between the garage and home should be stopped.

There might be gaps in the walls of your garage and the ceiling if there is a room above the garage. Before you put in organizers, check for these things. These are the places where hot or cold air (and the moisture it brings) will get in. The best way to fill in small gaps is with caulk. For more significant gaps, you can use expandable spray foam.

Buy Door and Window Locks.

As soon as the garage door is left open, break-ins happen a lot. Always lock the entry door with a deadbolt and keep the garage doors closed.

When you’re away for a long time, put in a lock for your garage door that locks it to the side walls. Use it when you’re away for a long time. Permanently close the garage door, even if you’re outside cutting the lawn.

The Threshold will be sealed. It will let rain, bugs, mice, and leaves in if the bottom of your garage door isn’t level with the ground. It will be easier to clean up when you attach a rubber strip to the floor where the door comes down.

Improve the lighting and electrical systems.

A single bulb over each car space won’t do. As a general source of ambient light, choose 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with electronic ballasts, which provide a steady light source and work well in cold weather. Use as many as you need to see well at night. They should be 4 feet apart. GFCIs (ground-fault circuit interrupters) cut the power when there is a short in the system. Receptacles that don’t have GFCIs should be switched out.

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