49 Brilliant Garage Organization Tips, Ideas and DIY Projects

Garage organization is not difficult nor is it expensive. It is however, essential if you want a clean space where everything is relatively easy to find. Whether you have a large garage or just a small space, there are many things that you can do to utilize that space and give yourself a bit of additional storage without taking up the area that you need for cars and other items.

For many, cleaning and organizing the garage is a mundane task that is so dreaded it simply never gets done. We have found a collection of different ways that you can easily and quickly get that garage in good order. Not only are these methods easy and effective, many of them will cost you nothing but a little time.

From hangers for your garden tools to adding a splash of color to brighten up your dull garage, we have just the tips that will make organizing and cleaning that area a joy and something that you will want to brag about when you are finished.

Great Shove Rack for Organizing Garden Tools

Garage organization starts with getting large tools out of the way. You can build a great rack for rakes, shovels and other gardening tools and you only need a few pieces of wood and some nails. Just cut slots for the tools to stand in and you can get them off the floor and make them a bit more organized. Via: Familyhandyman – Garage Storage Project: Shovel Rack

Floor Tile as a Wall Covering

You can really clean up your garage space by simply adding something to the walls. Tile is a great choice, and you can find tile pieces really cheap at most hardware stores or you can check your local Dollar Store. Just apply the tile to the wall like you would to the floor and you have a great space that looks much better than it did with concrete walls. Via: Handmadecharlotte – Weekend DIY: Simple Tile Flooring For Your Garage

Garage Organization for Real Families

You can find tracks with hooks on them at your local hardware store and these are great for organizing the garage. Just hang the track on the wall and the hooks store all sorts of things. They are easily changeable, too so you can keep things organized no matter what the season. Via: Maryorganizes – Garage Organization for Real Families

Pretty Up Garage Space by Painting Steps

Your garage doesn’t necessarily have to look like a garage. You can paint and add a bit of color if you want to help brighten up that space. If you have steps going into your home for instance, you can paint them a bright color and add a little message to anyone who steps over them. This is a great way to brighten up an otherwise dull and boring space. Via: Landeeseelandeedo – Garage Steps Can Be Pretty Too

Easy Storage and Organization Solutions

A few strategically placed metal shelves and some plastic totes will really help you to get that garage organized. Plastic totes are really cheap and when you label them, you will always know what goes into them so you can find what you need much faster. Remember to stack things that can stack and use totes for things that cannot. Via: BHG – Budget-Friendly Bins

Add a Tool Tower Rack

A tower rack in the corner gives you the perfect storage solution for brooms and other long handled items. Many of these are on wheels so you can easily roll them wherever you need them or get a stationary one to keep in the corner for permanent storage. Shovels, rakes and other longer tools store perfectly. Via: Amazon.com – Rubbermaid 5E28 Deluxe Tool Tower Rack with Casters, Holds 40 Tools

Utilize Wall Space for Storage

You really don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a garage organization system. You can make one yourself and save money, plus you get to make it exactly how you need it. Just adding a few shelves will help immensely with storage issues and when you utilize wall space, you have much more floor room for larger items. Via: Familyhandyman – Garage Storage Solutions: One-Weekend Wall of Storage

Hang Everything

The key to keeping your garage organized is having a place for everything. Hanging things takes up little to no floor space and utilizes wall space that is typically left forgotten. Putting up a few shelves and hanging systems gives you a place to store plastic bins with items in them as well as larger items like bikes that will hang right on the wall to save space. Via: Monkeybarstorage – Hang Everything

Ceiling Storage Saves Space

One of the best places to store things, if you want to save floor space that is, is the ceiling. You can easily create a sliding storage system that hangs from the ceiling and saves all of your wall and floor area for other things. A few plastic bins and a tracking system will instantly turn your garage ceiling into the perfect storage and organization solution and this system is easy to build so you can do it yourself. Via: Familyhandyman – Create a Sliding Storage System On the Garage Ceiling

Build a Mud Room

If you don’t already have a mud room, the garage is the perfect place to set one up. A few locker cabinets and some canvas totes give you the perfect place to keep jackets and muddy shoes from entering your home. You can set this system up just inside the garage door and save yourself from mopping every time someone comes in. Via: BHG – Cubbies for Kids

Install Cabinets

Cabinets are really not that difficult to install yourself and you can save a virtual fortune by doing so. You can purchase cabinets already built and then just hang them on the walls yourself. The cabinets are great for storing things and keeping the garage neat and tidy and depending on the size and number of cabinets that you get, you may be able to store everything away so that your garage always looks completely clean. Via: Familyhandyman – Installing Large Garage Cabinets

Make Use of Small Spaces

Even the smallest spaces can help you to get organized. If you have a narrow space beside the garage door, why not utilize that space with a metal cabinet or shelving system? The key is to use as much space as you can to get things put away. A rolling cart that will fit under a workbench is a great way to keep things handy when you need them and out of sight when you don’t. Via: BHG – Storage-Packed Space

Make a Garden Closet

If you tend to keep garden items in the garage, why not give them their own little home? In just one weekend you could build the perfect place to keep those garden items and get them completely out of your garage. The closet gives you space for larger garden tools, hanging plastic bins and a number of other things that you may need to store. Via: Familyhandyman – Garden Closet Storage Project

Consider an Add-On

If you just really don’t have enough space in your garage, you can add-on easily. You just have to ensure that you are set where building codes are concerned and then you can add just a small section to give you the extra storage that you need. A simple wooden foundation takes just a little time and is fairly inexpensive.Via: Familyhandyman – Get More Garage Storage With a Bump-Out Addition

Create a Peg Rail Organizer

Adding simple pegs to the wall or to boards to hang on the wall is a great way to get the garage organized. You can add different levels so that you have room to hang longer items and then keep shorter or smaller items closer to the floor. This keeps everything off the floor and makes it look much neater and tidier and, pegs are relatively inexpensive so you can hang as many as you need. Via: Marthastewart – Peg-Rail Organizer

Use a Pegboard to Make Space

If you have little room to park your car, cleaning up and getting things organized will help immensely. You can hang a pegboard, which are really inexpensive by the way, and make more floor space. Just get a few hooks to hang tools and garden supplies. You can also hang baskets and small totes from hooks to keep smaller items put away. Via: MSN – Reclaim Your Parking Space

Add a Wall Organizer

If you have brooms, mops or garden supplies that you want to hang out of the way, an inexpensive wall organizer is a great choice. You just attach it to the wall and slide items in by their handles. This is a great way to keep brooms and other cleaning tools off the floor and keep them easy to access.
Via: Amazon.com – Evriholder Magic Holder 5-Position Wall Organizer

Add Color by Staining Your Concrete Floor

Staining a concrete floor is not difficult and does not have to be expensive. It can however, help you to add just a little color that will make your garage seem much more organized and neat. You just have to choose your color, move everything out and get to work. Remember to clean the floor well before you begin. Via: Younghouselove – How To Stain A Concrete Floor

Hanging, Boxing and Sorting

Before you can begin cleaning and organizing the garage, you have to sort what you have stored in there. Grab a lot of boxes and start organizing things by similarity. Once you know what you have and what you need to store, you can hang hooks, put up shelves to hold plastic bins and otherwise get everything perfectly organized. Via: Abowlfulloflemons – Home Organization 101: Week 2 “The Garage”

Create a Complete Pegboard System

Ok, so we’ve mentioned pegboards a few times but they are honestly the easiest and most efficient way to organize garage items. You just have to hang the board on the wall and add the included hardware for storing just about anything. Some systems even include hooks and small bins to keep you completely organized from start to finish.
Via: Amazon.com – The Bulldog Hardware 131588 Peg-A-System Ultimate Kit

Update Your Garage Doors

Just adding a little style to your garage doors will instantly transform them. You can actually give those doors the carriage house door look without spending hundreds on actual carriage house doors. Many home improvement stores sell kits that allow you to instantly transform your doors and the kits are relatively inexpensive and really easy to install. Via: Garrdenoflove – Garage Door Makeover

Magnetic Strips Can Hold Tools

If you have loads of smaller tools and drill bits and you don’t really have room for an extra-large toolbox, you can just add a small magnetic strip to the wall or just wherever you have room. This strip will keep those drill bits perfectly organized and handy so that you can just grab one when you need it. If you have a tool bench, this is the perfect way to keep drill bits close at hand and out of the way. Via: BHG – Every Little Bit

Steel Pegboards for Tool Storage

Steel pegboards are functional and they look great in the garage. If you need a handy solution for tool storage and you want to stick with the steel look, these are great and they are inexpensive. You just mount the pegboard to the wall and hang tools from steel hooks. You can also add smaller bins and baskets for nail and screw storage. Via: Amazon.com – Wall Control 30-WGL-200GVB Galvanized Steel Pegboard Tool Organizer

Grab a FastTrack Organization System

Rubbermaid, as well as a few other companies, make systems that you can hang on the wall to organize tools, garden supplies and other items in the garage. You just mount the system and use hooks to hang things up. This is a great way to make more floor space in the garage and keep it well-organized at the same time. Via: Flickr

Make Over Your Mud Room

Shoe organizers, plastic bins or baskets and a few strategically placed hooks and shelves will help you to create a beautiful mud room area even if you don’t have a traditional mud room. If you have a space near the door of your garage, you can create a mud room where all of your coats and jackets as well as muddy shoes and other items can be stored. Via: Eastcoastcreativeblog – Garage Mudroom Makeover {For the REAL Family}

Make a Dispenser for Tape

Ok, so you’re bound to have duct tape in your garage. If you have several rolls of differently colored tapes or different types of tape, you can easily create a dispenser that mounts to the wall and keeps your tapes perfectly organized. A few boards and a hacksaw blade are all you need to create a great dispenser that not only keeps your tape organized, it cuts it the perfect length every time. Via: Americanwoodworker – Jumbo Tape Dispenser

Organize Paint and So Much More

A few shelves, a pegboard and some mason jars will go a long way in helping you to get your garage organized. If you have cans of leftover paint that you don’t really want to throw out, put it in mason jars. Just label the lids with the type of paint and color and you can keep those jars on a shelf to organize them and to give your garage a little color. Pegboards are great for keeping tools and even paintbrushes organized. Via: Hisugarplum – {Organized} Garage (the paint & tools)

Hang Bikes on Walls

Whether you have loads of bikes in your garage, garden tools or any other larger items, you can easily organize them by just hanging them on the walls. Even if you have concrete walls, hooks are relatively easy to install and you can use those hooks to keep your garage clutter-free. Utilizing wall space is a great way to keep things organized and still have room to park your cars. Via: Organizingmadefun – Interview with a Professional Organizer

Plastic Tubs and Grouping

When you begin organizing, it is important that you group like items together. This ensures that you can easily find what you are looking for. Don’t forget the labels as well. You can keep things in plastic tubs and when you label those tubs, you will always know where everything is. Tubs will stack or fit into most shelving units which make them a great choice for overall organization. Via: Rookietorockstar – Garage Organization

Use Your Studs

The wall studs, that is. If your garage walls are partially unfinished and you have studs that you can utilize, this is a great way to keep things organized. Use those studs to hang heavier items or add a few boards to the front to make a semi-shelving unit. A few bungee cords hung on studs gives you a great place to store all sorts of sports equipment. Via: Designedtodwell – Making Use of Some Studs!

Hang Jars Under Shelves

Keeping nails and screws, as well as other small items, organized is easy when you simply take empty jars and mount them underneath shelving. You just use a screw through the lid of the jar and then the jar screws onto the lid. This not only keeps those smaller items within reach, it helps to give you more shelf space for other things. Via: Chezlarsson – Screw Organizing!

Labels Make All the Difference

Any time you decide to begin organizing, it is important that you think about labeling things. Without labels you are not likely to know what goes in what container. You can use labels on shelves, boxes and plastic bins or for smaller items like sidewalk chalk, label small buckets and hang them from the wall or the front of a shelf. There are many ways that labels can help you to become more organized. Via: Iammommahearmeroar – Garage Organization Tips

Make a Pallet Bike Rack

Have old pallets that you need to get rid of? Why not make a bike rack to get your garage organized? Even if you don’t have a couple of pallets laying around, they are really inexpensive and give you the perfect opportunity to better organize those bicycles. You just have to lean the pallets together, one on the ground and one on the wall. Then just park your bikes into the open sections. Via: Flickr

Use Nylon Tool Holders

Nylon tool holders on a pegboard give you the perfect place to store all sorts of things. You can hang your small garden shovels and other tools as well as brooms, mops and just about anything that is hang worthy. Add a pencil caddy to keep garden gloves organized and you will have a wall that contains everything you need when it comes time to get outside and get that garden going. Via: BHG – Hooked on Holders

Great Tool Storage Ideas

Magnetic strips are great for tool storage. If you have garden trowels or other items that you need to keep handy, you can add magnetic strips to a shelf or the wall to keep these tools within reach. You can also put many tools on hooks on a pegboard or keep them in a labeled plastic tote for better organization. Via: BHG – Organize this: garage gear!

10 Ways to Organize the Garage

Whether you are looking to keep tools neat and tidy, need a solution for bikes and other large items or you simply want a great way to clean up, there are a number of ways that you can organize your garage. Shelves are always great, especially when you add labeled totes. You can also use pegboards, hooks and even build a recycling center from a few strips of wood and plastic bins. Via: Babble – 10 Ways to Organize the Garage

Create a Garden Center

Dividing all of your storage into zones is a great way to really get organized. You can easily create a garden center by simply adding metal shelving and hooks. The hooks are great for storing garden tools and you can keep corral pots and other items on the shelves. A magnetic message board helps you to keep track of planting and harvesting schedules. Via: BHG – Garden Zone

Create a Workbench Space

You can build a workbench out of a few pieces of leftover wood and when you add a pegboard, you can get your space perfectly organized. Hang baskets from the pegboard to keep smaller items in place and you can even hang plants and other things from it for décor and organization in one project.Via: Thedesignfiles – Kim Victoria

6 Garage Zones for Maximum Organization

The zone system works well for keeping your garage organized. Instead of simply putting everything together on a shelf, create different zones based on what you use certain items for and how often. Frequently used things for instance, could go into the same zone. Larger items should be grouped together and so on. This will help you to keep everything in its place and ensure that you have a place for everything. Via: Easyclosets – 6 Garage Zones for Maximum Organization

Create Rolling Cabinets for Tool Storage

Tools are the most unorganized items in most garages. If you have a lot of tools, you may find that you have little room for anything else. Creating rolling cabinets for storing those tools is a great way to save space and keep things neat and tidy. You just roll the cabinet out when you need something and keep it neatly closed when you don’t. Via: Hometalk – I finally got tired of having all my tools scattered all over my garage

Metal Racks Hold Wrenches Securely

You can purchase, if you don’t already have a spare, a metal clothing rack from any store and use it for keeping your wrenches organized. Just hang the rack on the wall and the wrenches will fit on the hangers. This is a cheap and very easy way to keep those wrenches within reach but out of the way. Via: Familyhandyman – Clever Tool Storage Ideas

One Well-Organized Wall

Organizing the garage does not mean that you have to use all of the walls for storage. You can utilize just one wall and create a great organization center for practically anything that you need to store. Metal cabinets and shelves are a good start and you can add labeled totes or baskets for items that need a permanent home. Via: Versastyledesign – Shelving that works hard and looks great!

Plastic Cups on a Pegboard

Plastic cups that you can pick up for $1 for 3 are a great way to organize tools and other items. You just have to mount them on the wall or better yet, on a pegboard. Just drill 2 holes in each cup and secure to the pegboard using zip ties. You can create an entire board filled with cup storage to keep all of those smaller items organized. Via: Flickr

Paint the Floor Decoratively

If you really want to dress up your garage space, why not paint a decorative pattern on the floor? No matter what your garage flooring is made of, you can paint it – unless of course it’s carpeting but why would you have carpet in your garage? Anyway, painting gives the garage a fresh new look and if you choose to stencil in a few designs, it will look like you’ve had it customized. Via: Paisleywallpaper – Renovation

Label Metal Planters for Storage

Metal planters look great in the garage and when you add whimsical labeling, they create an attractive yet very functional organization center. Just label each planter with whatever you plan to put inside. Labeling is essential in organization and the planters can be painted if you want to make them perfectly match other shelving or whatever you have in the garage. Via: Housetohome – Modern utility room decorating ideas – 7 of the best

Add Inexpensive Storage Baskets

If you have a Dollar Store in your area, you can pick up these really cheap metal storage baskets that are great for getting the garage organized. Just mount them to the wall and then add a label or two. You can keep loads of smaller items in them so you can always find what you need. Via: Familyhandyman – DIY Tips for Your Garage

Use Colorful Duct Tape

Ok, so duct tape comes in so many different patterns and colors today that it is just as much fun as it is functional. You can get sheets of colorful duct tape and use it to dress up boxes in your garage. Instead of boring, white or cardboard boxes, you get colorful fun boxes that will help to make your storage a bit less boring and a bit more attractive. Via: Diyhshp – Duct Tape Fun

Choose a Corner for Organization

One single corner can help you to completely organize your entire garage. Just add a workbench, shelving or whatever type of storage that you need. be sure that you utilize wall space with hanging baskets or pegboards and before you know it, you will have a perfectly organized garage where you can find what you need quickly and easily. Via: BHG – Workshop Zone

Get a Gear Track

Tracks are a great way to keep things organized and out of the way. Whether you hang them high on the wall or on the ceiling, they allow you to utilize space that would otherwise be wasted. You just have to mount the track and then add whatever you want to store. The hooks are great for keeping larger items like bicycles organized or you can hang bins or baskets from them for smaller items. Via: Amazon.com – Gladiator GarageWorks GAGPUB2PPY Geartrack Pack for Garages