If you don’t organize your garage properly, then finding tools for your car when you need them can be an absolute nightmare. It’s important that you store your car’s tools efficiently so that they don’t get lost, or worse, damaged.
This article will explain how you can easily keep all of your car’s tools in your garage:
Create a Floor Plan
Experts recommend that you draft a floor plan for your garage before you begin storing things. You should record your garage’s dimensions, size, and the locations of doors, windows, and switches. You should also record how much space your car takes up. This will help you to organize your garage more efficiently.
Once you’ve organized everything in your garage, it’s worth sticking a map onto the wall. On this map, pinpoint where specific items are located. This will help you to find things in the future, and it will also help your family to do the same if they are unfamiliar with where you keep things.
Categorize Items
When you’re organizing your garage, it’s recommended that you group items together. Keep gardening tools with gardening tools, and car tools with car tools. Categorizing items will make it much easier for you to find them if you need to use them. If you mix all of your tools and items together, then it’ll be impossible to find them. You should also store bulky items in corners or against the walls and keep items that you use frequently closer to the front of your garage.
Don’t Leave Things Lying Around
When you’re storing tools in your garage, it’s important that you keep them off of the floor. A lot of people are very careless about how they store their tools. If you leave your tools on the floor, there’s a higher risk of them becoming broken or tripping somebody over. Make sure that your tools are on boards, in drawers, or on shelves.
Storage Products
It’s also worth investing in storage products, such as clear plastic bins, jars, and drawers. When you’re storing items, it’s also worth investing in a label gun. Meticulously label every storage container so that you can locate your tools when you need them. If you do not have a label gun or labels, you can mark each box or container with a memorable code.
You might also want to invest in vertical storage towers. These are towers that are designed to allow you to store storage containers more effectively. This will give you a lot more room, especially if you group towers together. This allows you to store your tools, whether they’re car tools or gardening tools, more effectively. You’ll need a ladder to access them, however.
Tool Cabinet
If you’re into DIY, then you could consider making your own tool cabinet. Tool cabinets are undoubtedly one of the most popular ways of storing tools. While you can purchase your own already made, by making your own, you can create specific storage spots for your tools.
Tool cabinets also allow you to make the most out of any vertical spaces that you have in your garage. Experts recommend that you use pegboard backings on the doors so that you can maximize internal cabinet space.
Brackets and Clips
A lot of people prefer wall-mounted brackets and clips over cabinets. They are easier to install, and they are easier to access. You also don’t have to worry about fumbling around in a cabinet. If you’ve got very few tools, this might be a good option. For large numbers of tools, however, storage cabinets, containers, or shelves are a much better option.
Workbench
Another good way to store tools in your house is to build or buy a workbench. You can organize your tools into separate drawers and sections. For larger tools, like drills, workbenches might not be the best option, however.
Wall Shelving
Wall shelving is something you’ll definitely want to install in your garage. Wall shelving, according to the storage specialists from ezgaragestorageusa.com, can give you a lot of extra storage space in your garage. There are many types of wall shelving units that you can use, from wooden shelves to mesh shelves. They can be used to store your tools, containers, garden chemicals, and anything else that you store in your garage.
Use Your Ceiling Space
Your garage’s ceiling is a great place for you to hang large, flat objects that you rarely use, like ladders for example. Some garages come with attics, which makes storage much easier. When you hang things from your garage’s ceiling, make sure that they do not hang too low and do not interfere with your garage door or your car. If you have large tools, you could consider hanging them from the ceiling.
Lock Your Windows and Doors
Tools are often targeted by criminals. Some of them can be worth a lot of money. If you do not lock your windows and doors, then your tools could potentially be taken. Always secure your garage’s entry door with a deadbolt, keep your windows locked, and keep your tools out of view.
Seal Up Any Gaps
If you leave metal tools lying around in your garage and water gets in, there’s a chance that they could rust. A great way to prevent this is to seal your garage’s doors and entryways with silicone or rubber strips.
Lockboxes
For more expensive tools, you should keep them in lockboxes. As we mentioned above, tool theft is very common. If you have expensive tools unsecured, lying around in your garage, then they could easily be stolen. It’s best to keep your lockboxes secured inside storage containers kept on your wall shelving units. This will make it very difficult for thieves to locate your more expensive tools. If you do draft a map, try to avoid writing down the location of your more expensive tools. You’ll be opening them up to theft if you do.
When you’re organizing and arranging your garage, it’s important that you do it meticulously. Once you’ve done it, you won’t have to worry again. Be sure to take good care of your tools, as they can be very expensive.