Overwhelmed Mom here for help organizing our garage!

[MearrhaJean]

Have been searching the Internet for months, trying to get inspiration or advice on how to organize our garage. My boyfriend is a mechanic and I flip furniture so combine we have an overwhelming amount of stuff in our garage and I have no idea where to even start. Someone recommended this page and I pray someone will have some answers before I lose my mind. We have a lift that is in the process of being installed, but can’t find any instructions on how to do so anywhere my boyfriend also collects brass swords and other things and trying to get him to get rid of stuff is like pulling teeth. Any advice is appreciated thank you.

 

[LeeG]

Go to Harbor Freight and get some moving dollies. Put the large furniture pieces on dollies so you can pack it in tight and still get to it. Get some heavy duty shelves from Costco/HD/Lowes/Amazon, and load up some of the loose pieces in 17 gallon totes. Label the totes, and take photos of what is in each one. Store those photos on your phone in an album, so you can find stuff by flipping through photos rather than looking in totes.

Don't stack the totes - you don't want to have to move a bunch of stuff to get to what you are looking for. Making access easy makes it more likely you will keep things organized. Don't try to do it all at once. Pick a corner or a wall and do that. Then expand from there.

 

[sparky 1971]

That looks a lot like my brothers shop, an overwhelming mess. Not much can be done easily but if it were mine, a roll off dumpster would be set outside before I even started. Then, about 1/2 the contents would get moved outside, but not necessarily to the dumpster yet, so I had some room to work. Then put shelving along the entire length of a wall and start putting things away while throwing out the trash, I see plenty of that and can all but guarantee that I would have that dumpster full and want to get another. If the shelves got full too soon, it's either time to reconsider what is important enough to keep or install another set of shelving about 3' away from the first set so there is a walkway between the shelves. Eventually, everything needs to get put away and stay that way. Stop throwing everything on the floor and walking away or it will be just like it is now, but worse.

 

[nadogail]

Where are you located? If you are anywhere near Metropolitan San Diego I will see if I can come put eyes on the problem and make suggestions.

Bye the way, Welcome to the Forum.

 

[PCustoms]

Have been searching the Internet for months, trying to get inspiration or advice on how to organize our garage.

Can't help with the organization, I would follow what @sparky 1971 wrote personally.

You may want to review the site rules and remove at least one of your pictures.

 

[The Cobbler]

@MearrhaJean pictures removed. no politics in this forum. zero tolerance .

 

[LXCam]

Go get yourself a few of these

A bunch of these


And on maybe a couple of the racks keep the lowest shelf up high enough to roll some of what you have under it.

 

[sparky 1971]

I've tried the totes and they just don't work for me. Even when I knew which tote contains what I am looking for, it's always on the bottom and I would always wind up dumping the whole thing on the floor to get whatever it was so I just tossed most of it. My wife has the same issues with her treasures, but doesn't seem to see the problem with dumping everything out and walking away (I have since found out that the artistic people are like that). That's probably because all the totes are in my home gym and I am the poor ******* that puts everything away, luckily for me, maybe her, it's only a couple of times a year. I will admit to pleading the 5th a time or 20 when questioned about throwing some of her **** in a dumpster that I have at another building five miles away.

 

[yhprum]

This guy has carved out a business around a storage system for the black and yellow totes. I don’t mind the concept. I like that it is easily modified to suit your space.
Anna White has a similar thing on YouTube with free plans.

Not available

Not available

 

[tool_scrounge]

If they have the size you need, totes at Costco can be pretty cost effective.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Don't waste your time and money on the homedepot or blowes shelving! Do yourself a favor and get true pallet racking. Also, you can find a pallet stacker on craigslist or FB marketplace for about $500. These 2 things will make your life so much better(and easier)! Everyone and their brother gives pallets away so stacking and organizing is a breeze. I keep the heavy, bulky, and not often needed on the top shelf and mostly tool organizers on the bottom.

My stacker is like the one pictured. It only has powered lift, but you can find them with power driven too. Also, there are some that don't straddle the pallet, I don't recommend those. Lastly, some lift higher than others, buy your pallet rack after your lift if you go that route so you know how tall to set your shelves.

 

[ambenz]

Sharing a garage is NEVER a good option...send him packing or allow him to build his own garage!
Ya, I know, easier said than done.
My wife has a product/detail business (Croftgate) out of our garage and she has to keep it all on her side of the garage.
So I set up shelving for her, all around were she parks.
Realizing there is "just so much" space comes the realization you can only store so much product. As I sell off/toss stuff I will never use anymore, she gains a little more space. We still park 3 cars in "all" the bays too.
Shelving is the key...all the way to the rafters!

 

[loganb]

It starts with sorting and disposal of the trash/junk. Without that you won't get anywhere.

Once you sort and dispose, organizing with racking/shelves and totes has worked well for many.

But until the junk is out, you won't be happy with results

 

[tooljunkie4]

Have been searching the Internet for months, trying to get inspiration or advice on how to organize our garage. My boyfriend is a mechanic and I flip furniture so combine we have an overwhelming amount of stuff in our garage and I have no idea where to even start. Someone recommended this page and I pray someone will have some answers before I lose my mind. We have a lift that is in the process of being installed, but can’t find any instructions on how to do so anywhere my boyfriend also collects brass swords and other things and trying to get him to get rid of stuff is like pulling teeth. Any advice is appreciated thank you.

What are the interior dimensions of the building?

What is its primary function: Home auto shop, or furniture warehouse?

 

[Allenw]

For mouse proof long lasting storage these are my choice, they do make larger sizes. Plano Storage Trunk I have one that is in the back of my pick up with a small floor jack, chains, grease guns, and more for four plus years now, still looks good. The lid latches are a weak point but not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Allenw]

I'm following this so maybe I can pick up some ideas.

 

[Shiftless]

I'm following this so maybe I can pick up some ideas.

Me too.
Whether a guy has 100 sq. ft. or 10,000 sq. ft., organization is vital.

 

[californiamilleghia]

I assume you own the property ,

I have pallet racks down both sides of my garage , they are 8ft tall and 3 ft deep .

I got them off craigslist from a shop that had too many , just make sure you get the crossbeams and uprights from the same company as there are at least 3 styles and they do not attach to each other ,

I have the Home Depot 27 gallon totes , they are not the same as Costco , Staples and others and the tops do not interchange ,
Also its easy to make them too heavy so you cannot lift them ! , I just leave the heavy ones on the floor !

I like the wooden shelve set-up above , just not sure if its strong enough for boxes of tools etc , it seems more made for household stuff !

Good luck , many of use are going thru the same thing

 

[bugnut]

Any affordable shelving with clear plastic wallyworld totes at $7 will get you started. Buy a good size trash can and start sorting.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

My personal opinion:

1) Define what should be in that garage together.
2) Everything out that should not be in that garage (hire a skip). If you have stuff that can be sold, keep in one place and sell.
3) Define spaces & limits for ‘mechanic’ and ‘furniture‘. Don’t shy away from a bit of framing/drywall to define such spaces and limits clearly.
3) Sort, pack & store. Many great options for that already posted.

If boyfriend is not willing to pull through/ do his part - abort the whole ‘garage-cleanup’ endeavor before it starts & sort that first.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[tyyost]

Looking closely at the pictures you and along the lines of the other posters you need shelves and totes. You have several bins, cabinets, milk crates, and drawer cabinets of all sizes and shapes. You appear to have high ceilings, I’d start by getting some 8’ or taller pallet racking, a pile of the yellow totes mentioned and start sorting. I don’t think you will be able to contain all the stuff in the pictures unless you use the high ceiling and walls for shelving for long term storage somehow.

In your pictures all the “good” storage, the existing cabinets and shelves look like stuff is just tossed in there randomly. Use the totes, or even decent cardboard boxes to start cleaning out the existing storage. Label a bunch as you go, ratchet straps, solvents, tools, etc and start emptying the existing storage. Start making logical groups or areas in the garage, mechanics tools, welding/fabrication, woodworking, fasteners storage, and when you move things get them in that zone and then clean the zone.

Even temporary things like stacks of labeled milk crates may help as you try to work through. To your advantage - you are starting with a ton of usable cabinets, tool boxes, bins, and totes.

 

[rsparks64]

Some of the shelving units could be on wheels, which makes them useful to move around. I have several of them I got from Costco and it allows me to move them around without unloading them. A shelf unit that is loaded can’t be moved easily. Some heavy duty units can’t be moved easily when empty. Most of the units on wheels look like baker’s or restaurant shelves, and although not necessarily heavy duty, can hold a fair amount of weight. I also use storage totes in them as discussed above and label the totes. Even my for tools I have a Milwaukee tool chest and bench on wheels and a large 2 piece tool chest on wheels. I can move a lot of things around in my garage by myself without having to unload them first or needing to use some kind of dollies or lifts. Of course, you may need some heavy duty shelves or dollies if you have very large or heavy items, but things on wheels work well.

 

[gleman]

Any affordable shelving with clear plastic wallyworld totes at $7 will get you started. Buy a good size trash can and start sorting.

One of the best things I did for organization was buy three Brute garbage cans with lids and liners. One for garbage, one recycling and one for returnable cans. That leaves me no excuses for cleaning on the go.

I did the HD shelves and totes too.

Waste management and others has the Bagster instead of a rolloff, that may make things easier for the initial cleanup.

 

[Allenw]

I'm considering a storage container for the 'stuff' and items not used on a regularly. We still have stuff scattered between two places and things haven't went as we were told here, but at some point this will be ours.

 

[kyrbz]

I've used the Simpson Strong-Tie corner brackets for years to build shelving, work tables, and benches for years in my wife's studio and my shop. What I like about them is you can quickly and inexpensively build shelving, tables, and benches to any size and configuration needed. Plus they're easily reusable if your needs change. For the shelving in my wife's studio, I made grommeted light weight panels out of shower board that she can hang on the shelving to hide her mess if she's having clients or friends over.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Depending on the height of the building maybe there is room for a mezzanine to increase deep storage space.

I’ve been trying to empty my 34x21’ shop as much as possible. I’ve gotten my 34’x21’ garage basically as cleared out as it can get. Using the Costco 27 gallon totes and some Akro Mils flip top totes on the 77” Costco shelving in my unfinished basement is working well. Things I don’t use more than once a year can easily go in deep storage in the basement. My goal is to get rid of the shelving unit in my shop entirely to reclaim that floor space.

 

[bobg03]

I'd guess the OP was a one and done...

 

[MearrhaJean]

What are the interior dimensions of the building?

What is its primary function: Home auto shop, or furniture warehouse?

We have multiple other buildings for storage so I would say its main purpose should be for auto repair/ fabrication stuff.
T

 

[mike93lx]

One of the best things I did for organization was buy three Brute garbage cans with lids and liners. One for garbage, one recycling and one for returnable cans. That leaves me no excuses for cleaning on the go

A brute trash can with the Rubbermaid dolley is one of my favorite workshop tools. I keep the box of heavy duty contractor bags right in the bottom of the can so I never have to go looking for them.

I did a big renovation project for my folks last year and the same setup was the first thing I brought over when starting

 

[tooljunkie4]

We have multiple other buildings for storage so I would say its main purpose should be for auto repair/ fabrication stuff.
T

If you can provide interior dimensions (L, W, and H), the folks here can provide more narrowly-tailored suggestions.

Cleanup is key in the short run, but organization is what will allow the benefits of that work to last.

 

[MearrhaJean]

There is so much trash because I have been decluttering all of our outbuildings for free dump day coming up. I didn’t want all of it outside under 2 feet of snow. Gotta love Michigan winters. But thank everyone for all of the feedback. I have like 25 heavy duty totes that fold closed and you can stack them, but I always have to take down everyone and go through them to find what I’m looking for like someone mentioned in an early response to this.
Believe it or not this garage was completely empty just over a year ago. My boyfriend got the cement poured and was very eager to bring and all of his tools and other random stuff. Not that I’m not guilty of that as well, so I took everyone’s advice and put the furniture on dollies and have that on one area and have all the trash ready to go out and I’m already seeing a big difference! Just reading everyone’s comments, gave me the motivation to start it a little at a time.

 

[jblnut]

Just reading everyone’s comments, gave me the motivation to start it a little at a time.

That is the key to keeping yourself sane.

My Grandma would often say “How do you eat an elephant ? One bite at a time.” Take it one area at a time and it’ll be done before you know it.

 

[Fixr]

There is so much trash because I have been decluttering all of our outbuildings for free dump day coming up. I didn’t want all of it outside under 2 feet of snow. Gotta love Michigan winters. But thank everyone for all of the feedback. I have like 25 heavy duty totes that fold closed and you can stack them, but I always have to take down everyone and go through them to find what I’m looking for like someone mentioned in an early response to this.
Believe it or not this garage was completely empty just over a year ago. My boyfriend got the cement poured and was very eager to bring and all of his tools and other random stuff. Not that I’m not guilty of that as well, so I took everyone’s advice and put the furniture on dollies and have that on one area and have all the trash ready to go out and I’m already seeing a big difference! Just reading everyone’s comments, gave me the motivation to start it a little at a time.

Getting started is huge. Now just keep going.

 

[TheRealZeus]

Quest items worthy of procurement.

 

[TheRealZeus]

Kids, cousins, neighbor’s kids… raise an army, more the better, but remember to shell out for promised pizza. monitor for safety.

 

[MearrhaJean]

I'm considering a storage container for the 'stuff' and items not used on a regularly. We still have stuff scattered between two places and things haven't went as we were told here, but at some point this will be ours.

I would like to get another one. I have one right now that I got at an auction last spring for only $300 and it’s 20 feet long but I use it for my reselling business. They are amazing though!

 

[MearrhaJean]

Does anyone know how I would go about posting to get more information on this Graco paint sprayer bought it at an auction with my shipping container last spring and I don’t know anything other than it does work.

 

[Mike65]

My wife & I had the same problem 5with our holiday/seasonal decorations, the ones we wanted were always on the bottom. I built shelves against one wall with 2x4's so now the totes are each on seperate shelves & not stacked on top of each other.

 

[MearrhaJean]

Kids, cousins, neighbor’s kids… raise an army, more the better, but remember to shell out for promised pizza. monitor for safety.

I have a six month old in a three year-old so far they are no help