The garage is one of the most spacious parts of the home, often making it the best place for storage. But it can also be one of the most cluttered parts of the home if you don’t put effort into organization. Check out our 57 garage hacks below to maximize storage and revamp your space.
1. Upcycle a Wooden Pallet for Storage
If your brooms and rakes are falling over in one corner of your garage, try attaching an old wooden pallet to one garage wall. You can store brooms, rakes, and shovels inside it to keep them organized and ready for use!
2. Overhead Garage Racks
Overhead garage racks are a great way to utilize the space near your ceiling. Add hooks and clamps to your racks to hang bikes, duffel bags, or lawn chairs. Just make sure not to store items you need readily accessible.
3. Wrench Storage
To organize your wrenches, install a belt rack onto your garage wall. Hang wrenches on each prong of the rack so you can see all of your wrenches at a glance.
4. DIY Wooden Shelf
Install a DIY wooden shelf to allow space for power tools and other small accessories. Create small holes throughout the structure so you can string chords through and use the space as a charging station.
5. Use Pegboards
Pegboards are one of the most useful tools to free up garage space since they lie flat against the wall. Customize yours with hooks, nails, baskets, and bins so you can hang tools, cleaning supplies, and just about anything else from your walls.
6. Wall Tracks
Installing wall tracks allows you to store heavier items such as shovels, clippers, lawn chairs, and folding ladders. Tracks are customizable and typically work with J-hooks in any material and style.
7. Decorative Baskets
Baskets are an easy way to make space in your garage without any installation. Simply buy wire, plastic, or woven baskets and fill them with any accessories you want.
8. PVC Pipe Holders
PVC pipes can be repurposed for storage with almost no effort. You can weave chords through them to organize electronics, use them as knife holsters, or attach three-inch PVC piping to the bottom of a shelf to hold your drills.
9. DIY Fishing Rod Holders
Cut halfway through a pool noodle about every five inches to make a nice fishing rod organizer. Drill matching holes across a PVC pipe of similar length to hold the base of your rods. The PVC pipe will keep your handles stable while the cuts in the noodle hold the ends of your rods in place.
10. Mount Your Bikes
Use wall-attached bike racks to keep your bikes out of your walking space. Hang your bikes on heavy-duty hooks, or invest in a metal bike stand for something more reliable.
11. Car Door Protection
To prevent your car door from banging the wall, use a pool noodle as a door stopper. Stretch the noodle horizontally across the wall and attach it with nails. Next time you open your door too fast, the foam will cushion the blow and prevent damage.
12. Sort Sports Equipment
Declutter your sports equipment using laundry baskets to store hockey sticks, baseball bats, or any sports balls. Use wall-mounted ball claws to decorate your wall with your sports equipment and add some personality to your garage.
13. Use Mason Jars
Mason jars are perfect for holding small accessories like nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. Rest them atop or inside cabinets, or screw the mason jar lids into the bottom of shelves to leave them hanging.
14. Storage Bins
Storage bins are a universal storage tool, but can lead to lost items and confusion if they’re not organized properly. Label, color coordinate, and place your storage bins on shelves for extra organization.
15. Wooden Screwdriver Racks
Buy a screwdriver rack or build one yourself by drilling holes into an appropriately sized wooden plank. Mount your rack onto the wall closest to your workspace for easy access.
16. Add Brackets to Your Garage Door
The garage door is the most underused storage space in a garage. Install brackets and hooks along its surface to hold lawn tools, cleaning tools, and fishing rods.
If you’re still pressed for storage space after this hack, consider a garage alternative to store your vehicles.
17. Open Metal Shelving
Use an open metal shelving system to hold storage bins, paint buckets, crates, and anything else. When investing in metal shelving, be conscious about its weight capacity and dimensions to ensure it’s a good fit for your purposes.
18. Repurpose Plastic Bottles
Cut off the tops of old plastic bottles for a larger hole to help you store small items like nuts, bolts, and nails. Just make sure to put them in a safe space where you won’t accidentally knock them over.
19. Invest in Lockers
Check Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for inexpensive lockers. Place multiple side by side and label each one according to its storage use.
20. Display Your Kayak
Use a high-lift system to hang kayaks or canoes from the ceiling. This prevents your watercrafts from taking up unnecessary space and adds personality to your garage.
21. Hang Your Tires
Tires are hard to maneuver and take up a lot of space. To keep them out of the way, use peg-shaped mounts to hang them from the wall. This helps with accessibility and declutters your floor.
22. Sports Balls Storage System
For a sports balls storage system, attach one end of a bungee cord to a low wooden shelf or ledge in your garage. Clip the other end to a high shelf, making sure that the cord is taut. Repeat this process with about three other cords, leaving several inches of space between them. Once your cords are connected, drop your sports balls in the middle and you’re set.
23. Hanging Planters
Hanging planters come in a variety of designs and colors, and most can double as a garage storage solution. While you don’t want to hang items that are too heavy, you can use planters to store small objects in a visually appealing way.
24. Arrange Snowboards Vertically
Invest in a snowboard and ski rack to keep your gear tidy. This prevents them from getting damaged in the clutter of a messy garage.
25. Corner Shelves
Install corner shelves to take advantage of that often overlooked space. Use them to store small items such as compressed air, cleaning sprays, and glues. Alternatively, you could use this space for decor such as candles and framed photos.
26. Folding Workbench
If you’re tight on space, a folding workbench can be a lifesaver. There are folding benches you can install on your wall with steel brackets, and others that are mobile, standing on their own like a TV tray. Just be conscious about the weight limits of a bench before you purchase.
27. Storage Cubbies
Use cubbies to store toys, sports equipment, shoes, and more. Categorize each cubby for more accessible storage.
28. Cardboard Paper Tubes
Cardboard paper tubes are inexpensive, easy to install, and great for holding longer tools such as rakes, shovels, or brooms. Simply attach them to your garage wall with plumbing straps for convenient access.
29. Reuse Kitchen Cabinets
If you recently remodeled your kitchen, it could be a good idea to transfer your cabinets to the garage. Just make sure to coat them in damp-proof paint to protect them from outdoor conditions.
30. Rehome Your Freezer
Make room in your kitchen by moving your freezer to the garage. Just make sure to keep it away from direct sunlight and windows, which can strain the unit. For ideal conditions, make sure your garage has proper ventilation.
31. Revamp Your Lighting
Dark and stuffy garages are uninviting. Adding natural lighting sources or LED lights can bring your space to life. This is particularly helpful when you use your garage for recreation or work.
32. Tennis Ball Parking Aid
Twist an eye hook into a tennis ball, attach it to a fishing line, and hang it from the ceiling so it barely touches your parked car’s windshield. This way you’ll know when you’re in the right spot when you tap the ball while parking.
33. Garbage Bag Storage with a Twist
For an easy DIY storage solution, install an old paper towel rack on your garage wall and store garbage bags on the rack instead of paper towels. Whenever you need a garbage bag, simply tear the next one off its neat roll.
34. Magazine Holders
Use old magazine holders to store sandpaper, books, pens, snacks, or to organize your mail.
35. Parking Wheel Stop
Install a parking wheel stop to help guide your car into your garage without bumping into anything important. Wood stops are easy to DIY, but will require maintenance over time. Rubber wheel stops are more sturdy and are better at protecting your tires from damage.
36. Upcycled Hose Holder
Use a large metal pail or an old flower pot to wrap your hose for easy storage. This will prevent your hose from being an eyesore in the garage while still allowing you easy access.
37. Repurpose Coffee Cans
Use old coffee bean containers to store different sizes of rope and twine. Simply make a hole in the center of its plastic lid and weave the end of your string through to create a string dispenser.
38. Add a Pop of Color
Paint your garage floor or add interlocking tiles to revamp your space. There are plenty of garage flooring options available for recreation and work.
39. Use Clothespins
Simply hang a wooden planter on the wall and attach some clothespins along the side for a place to hang lightweight accessories such as gloves, handkerchiefs, or hats.
40. Organize Painting Supplies
Install plumber straps along your wall to hold your paint brushes and rollers. For a simple way to store your paint buckets, search for appropriately sized bookshelves that fit your garage’s style.
41. Hang Plastic Tubs
Plastic tubs with rope handles can be hung easily on hooks for storing light objects. Label the outside of each container to remind yourself what you stored inside.
42. Golf Bag Repurpose
An old golf bag can be used to store lawn tools and cleaning supplies of all shapes and sizes. Use the side pockets for clippers, gardening shovels, and gloves, while storing long-handled items like shovels and rakes in the space where your golf clubs would go.
43. Spray Paint Holders
If you have lots of spray paint, it’s worth investing in a holder. To save some money, you can purchase or reuse a hanging shoe organizer for your cans, fitting two cans per pocket.
44. Canvas Bags
To protect important items from dirt, dust, pests, and moisture, cover them with zip-up canvas bags.
45. Extension Ladder Hooks
Extension ladders are difficult to store because of their heavy weight and large size. To keep them out of the way, install some L-shaped ladder hooks on your wall or U-shaped ladder hooks on your ceiling.
46. Nail Storage with Plastic Jars
If you want to organize your nails, screws, washers, and other small items, try putting them in clear plastic jars with lids that fit into a pegboard. That way, you can see what you have at a glance and access each jar in seconds.
47. Organize Your Car Care Products
Use wooden shelves to organize car care products such as interior wipes, air fresheners, and wheel cleaners.
48. Use Chalkboard Paint
Chalkboard paint is easy to use on wooden surfaces to label categories of stored items. If you need to replace a label, this paint should easily wash off with a scrub from a sponge dipped in soapy water.
49. Towel Rods for Clamp Storage
Install towel rods into your garage as an easy place to store tools like woodworking clamps or C-clamp pliers.
50. Create a Mudroom Area
As one of the most-trafficked entrances to your home, garages can easily get covered in mud. Set aside a space by the door where you can store muddy shoes and wet clothes on hangers before you enter.
51. Kitchen Magnet Strips
Install kitchen magnet strips across your wall to hang drill bits, screwdrivers, wrenches, and other small metal tools.
52. Rags in a Basket
You can make a handy dispenser for your rags by cutting a hole in the bottom of an old plastic laundry basket. Nail the basket against the wall or hang it on a hook so you can pull the next clean rag through the hole in the bottom.
53. Arrange Your Extension Cords
Use wall hooks and chains to hang your extension cords from the walls and prevent them from tangling.
54. Color-Coded Garage Breaker Box
Use small, colored stickers to label what each switch does in your garage breaker box. On the inside of the panel, you can write out and attach a key explaining what each sticker color means.
55. Organize Wood with a Ladder
You can repurpose your ladder as a shelf for any wooden planks you plan to use for future projects. Just lay planks at 90-degree angles across the steps of your ladder. Make sure to move your ladder to a convenient location before you use it for storage, since it will be more difficult to move once it’s weighed down.
56. Arrange Bins by Season
If you have seasonal decorations or tools that go into storage for long periods of time, use colored labels to categorize bins by season. For example, put a blue sticker on a bin containing ornaments for the winter holidays, and an orange sticker for bins with fall decor.
57. Joist Space Storage
Take advantage of the space between your garage’s joists. To improve storage capabilities, you can install wire shelving underneath the joists.
While the above hacks will help you maximize your space, sometimes a standard sized garage doesn’t offer enough room. Check out our customizable metal garages and sheds to find the perfect building to fit your storage needs.
