How to Control Clutter and [Finally!] Get Your Garage Organized

Seattle Refined teamed up with Lowe’s to rescue the Barger family from their cluttered garage and give them a usable storage space that can even fit a car! Here’s what we learned in the process:

1.Pegboard is your friend

Inexpensive and versatile, pegboard allows you to get clutter off of tables and turns any wall into a storage solution especially well-suited to oddly shaped items. You can buy a variety of hooks, bins, shelves and rods designed to hook easily into a pegboard, accommodating whatever odds and ends you have lying around.

Lowe’s will actually cut pegboard to your desired dimensions as a courtesy to its customers, so you can achieve straight edges or cut-outs that work around the existing structure of the space you’re working on.

2.Look toward the sky

Most people don’t make use of the real estate on the ceiling, but specially designed storage racks give you the opportunity to capitalize on this tragically underutilized space. Check out available products and find racks especially tailored to what you want to store – there are great options for items like bikes, fishing rods and skis.

3.Put it on a shelf

Shelves and racks are the foundation for most great storage systems. Depending on your space, Lowe’s can custom-cut products to make use of every available inch. Many shelving systems also allow you to adjust rack height, which is great if your inventory will change as kids grow and find new hobbies.

Put like-items in boxes or clear plastic containers and label them to make finding what you need easy. Little sets of drawers keep tiny parts and supplies organized and visible on a shelf, while standing racks and carts with drawers give you a place for bulkier items.

4.Get rid of what you don’t need

Ingenious storage can only take you so far: the best way to keep things uncluttered and neat is to regularly audit and dispose of things you don’t need. It’s easier said than done, especially for the real pack-rats out there, but it’s a necessary part of keeping things tidy since most of us seem to accumulate as time goes by.

Ready to tackle your own garage? Head to Lowe’s to get the materials, tools and advice you need to corral clutter.