It's March. Do you know  where your trowel is?  Will you trip over boxes of holiday decorations to get to it? Come spring, the garage is headquarters for yard work and outdoor activities.  In winter it's easy for our garage to become a giant catch-all--we chuck recyclables, wreaths, and Santa’s rejects out there quickly so we don't let cold air in the house!  Approaching warm weather brings outdoor activities we want and need to do.  An organized garage will make these endeavors easier and more fun.

Start Broad

Get started with a broad sort.  Designate spots in the garage or driveway for categories such as sports equipment, toys, small tools and hardware, large tools, yard tools, seasonal, donate-ables and recyclables.  Keep your trash bin lid open and immediately toss any trash. Pick a place to start (pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey style, if necessary) and sort, sort, sort. Work from left to right.

Sort By Category, Then Size

Next, focus on each major category and sort it into subcategories; i.e., 'small yard tools' may consist of hand tools, long-handled tools, lawn chemicals, flower pots, seed packets and gloves. Then, sort sub-categories by size, large to small; i.e. 'painting supplies' breaks down into paint trays, large paint cans, small paint cans, rollers and brushes.

Store It, Hang It, Find It

Viewing your sorted stuff will help you select the right storage place and the right storage method. Is it seasonal? Store it high in plastic bins.  A child's bike? Low and near the garage door. Golf bag? On a hook near the trunk of the golfer's car. Recycling bins? On shelves within easy access of the kitchen.  Most importantly, get everything possible up off the floor to eliminate unnecessary tripping, shimmying, and parking problems.  A variety of wall-mount hooks and systems are available to hang every type of garage item in underutilized vertical space.  Open wall-mount shelving is a great way to house clear, labeled, critter-proof bins with tight lids containing everything from holiday decorations to seasonal clothes to seed-starting supplies.  You can spend a little or a lot, depending on your resources and ingenuity.

Not only will you be able to put your garage to its utmost functional use (including indoor parking), but realtors agree that a clean, organized garage will be a great selling point at resale time.

So, you’ve found your trowel.  Reward yourself with a trip to the nursery for a flat of blooming annuals.