Do you need to reclaim your garage as a garage? Have you accumulated so many things in there that you don’t know what’s in there anymore? Here are seven tips to help you reclaim your garage and get organized.

1. Shelves – This is pretty common sense and one of the easiest ways to provide you with some storage space. Simply attach some shelves to the garage walls or you can even purchase shelving units that stand alone.

Shelving units for the garage should be heavy duty plastic or even metal so that they can withstand heavier items that are usually found in the garage like sporting equipment and tools.

2. Overhead storage – This is a great way to store seasonal items such as holiday decorations. Another item that can be stored up here is suitcases which tend to not be used all that often. If you object to building permanent shelves another option is to purchase shelf units that are made to attach to your garage rafters. An overhead storage unit that allows you to raise and lower the shelf easily is worth the investment.

3. Pegboard, etc – Your garage usually has an array of items in all shapes and sizes. It’s these variety type items that can easily get cluttered and leave things in disarray. Utilizing pegboard, slotboard or slatwall is a great way to create organization in your garage. You can use hooks and baskets to store tools, parts, cleaning supplies, etc.

4. Tool hangers – Not only do tools cause a lot of clutter if you don’t have them organized and stored in a tidy fashion, but it can also be dangerous. A great option is tool hangers. These will allow you to store your tools in a couple different ways. You can purchase standard hooks which hold the tool and then the handles hang down or there is also the roller version where it grabs the handle and holds them in place.

5. Store-Pod – If you haven’t heard of store-pods before they are large plastic bags but they have shelves inside of them. It’s a clear plastic door on the front that zips closed. To help keep pests out and away from the items being stored and to help reduce dust and mildew they have ventilation slots in them. So where do you use them or where would you place them? Store-pods get attached to the overhead beams.

6. Sports storage – Most families are involved in sports one way or another. If your family is, you know that there are balls, gloves, shoes and other sporting gear lying around. Now-a-days you can purchase items that are specifically designed to hold sports equipment. For example you can purchase bike racks that mount on the wall or ceiling, there are holders designed to hold sporting balls, etc.

7. Cabinets – Last but certainly not least are cabinets. These work perfect in the garage and will allow you to hide possible clutter. Let’s face it, there will be things that just don’t ‘belong’ anywhere else so what better way to ‘hide’ that clutter than putting it in a cabinet and closing the door? Many cabinets come with locks which will help keep items protected but small children safe also.