Getting Started with Garage Storage, Shelving, and Organization

The iconic American garage has a a way of collecting all your extra  stuff. It’s almost as if that is actually what the architects had in mind when they designed the garage; not a place to put your car, but a place to store a second refrigerator, install bike racks, shelving, old books, gardening and landscaping equipment, a broken heated dog bed, and anything and everything else you might want to keep but don’t need in the house.

Unfortunately, despite the best intentions, this often leads to a familiar situation: a garage full of….junk! Well, maybe not exactly junk, but when it’s all thrown together with no rhyme of reason, it certainly starts looking like a bunch of junk, even if smack dab in the middle of that junk is something valuable like an old CZ Eternity Ring from your first marriage.

Anyhow:

So where do we get started when we are trying to set up a garage storage system for all these items?

At the Garage Storage Systems Guide, we will advise one thing to you before all else: take an inventory of everything in your garage first, and divide it into two pile – a pile of items you use and a pile of items you don’t use. This a kinder way of saying we are going to keep the first pile and sell, donate, or trash everything in the second pile? (And on that point, why not consider having an online garage sale? I mean do you really need to keep those moving blankets you bought when you first moved into the house 10 years ago?)

This serves a dual purpose for preparing for a real garage storage system. First you’ll find you have a lot more space to work with if you get rid of everything you don’t actually need, and secondly, it’ll be much easier to organize that items you will keep when you don’t have as many items in general. (Added bonus: you might walk away with a couple hundred dollars after selling those unused items. That money can go a long way in purchasing some garage shelving and storage units, but more on this later.)

After taking an inventory of what we will keep, we then need to come up with a plan to organize it. What sort of storage units would serve best? For bikes, we can install bike rakes. For loose items, shelving units. For landscaping items, closet shelves or steel shelving units work well, as well as a place to hang watering hoses and other watering equipment. Ceiling racks and top shelf units work wonders for keeping items off the floor – what do you have that you would like to move out of the way?

And let’s not forget how helpful simple things like plastic storage bins can be in grouping up loose items, not to mention they are a great form of cheap storage!

Once an inventory is made in this way, you can start looking at garage shelving and storage items and make an educated purchase, organize your storage, and then…hey, maybe you can fit your car back in the garage.

A Look at The Different Bike Racks & Bike Stands

Bikes are often a clutter culprit when it comes to garages. They take up a decent of space even when they are properly up with the kickstand and much more space when left to lie on the ground. If your garage has multiple bikes, even stacking them next to one another can be a sloppy solution, making it very hard to get the bikes out when needed and just generally creating an eyesore. It’s because bikes are such a common garage item and such an ackward piece of “furniture” to store in an organized way that they are often the first item to deal with when sizing up your garage for storage and organization options.

Let’s take a quick look at the different types of bike racks and stands out there and what the benefits are of each type..

Ceiling Mounted Bike Racks

Ceiling mounted racks are the ultimate solution towards creating extra space in the garage! Suggested for kids and adults bikes who only use the bike in the summer or outside of that, use there bikes sparingly. Most ceiling mounted racks are used to secure the bike long-term, as opposed to a place you put the bike up with when you’re done using it for the day and will then get it back out tomorrow. This is not a child friendly option – having an adult secure the bike in and out place is necessary.

Recommended for those who don’t use their bikes often yet don’t want to get rid of them and also want to organize their garage storage space.

Wall / Side Mounted Bike Racks

Racks that are mounted into the wall are a great option for keeping the bike organized and secure, and directly off the garage floor, while also keeping it easily accessible for kids and adults, a function which some ceiling mounted racks (literally) put out of reach.

Wall mounted rack models work differently, allowing for a bike to hang on the wall directly or by pushing a rack out from the wall in which to secure the bike. Bikes can be placed vertically or horizontally depending on the rack style.

Bike Stands (that sit on the floor)

Let’s break down bike stands into two different types.

2 Tier / Double Up Rack – An option for storing two bikes in the floor space of one by stacking one bike on top of one another. Different models offer a variety of designs, including the aptly titled gravity stand.

Simple Bike Rack – An option for keeping the bikes on the floor, side by side, similar to the bike racks used in public cities. Simple and elegant if there is adequate space in the garage to keep item on the garage floor. Often a good solution in combination with long-term storage racks (ceiling racks) to use in the summer when bikes are getting in and out of the garage a lot.