51 Brilliant Ways to Organize Your Garage

Maximize your garage storage space quickly and easily with simple and inexpensive shelves, baskets and hooks. And it will only take you one morning to achieve garage happiness. Here's how with these garage organization ideas.

Plastic storage bins are a great way to separate and organize your equipment by sport or season. Unfortunately, they usually get stacked against a wall somewhere, which makes getting to the bottom bins difficult, especially for your household's littlest teammates. Luckily, a permanent solution is only a weekend away with our easy-to-build storage towers that are an attractive and ingenious way to provide easy access to your bins. Consider different color bins for each sport to make finding what you need a breeze, and utilize the sides of the wooden frame for wall-mounted accessory items such as fishing rod holders or utility hooks for lightweight equipment.

Organize your auto lubricants, fluids and other items in this simple shelf/work table cabinet. You can mount a fold-up door on special hinges, but we'll show you a faster method that requires just a couple of bucks' worth of hardware. Find everything you need to know to build this cabinet here.

If you mount hooks, brackets and other hardware only on studs, you're wasting lots of opportunities. The best strategy is to add a layer of 3/4-in. plywood over the drywall or bare studs. That gives you a continuous fastening surface, so you can mount storage hardware easily, arrange items in a space-efficient way and cram more stuff onto the wall. See how we doubled the storage capacity of this wall with plywood and inexpensive hardware.

Protect bulky seasonal decorations like artificial trees and wreaths from garage dust and dirt by storing them in canvas storage bags. Tuck a dryer sheet in before zipping to deter insects and critters.

Get those big plastic storage bins up off the garage floor and onto the ceiling! Screw 2x2s to the ceiling framing with 3-1/2-in. screws spaced every 2 ft. Use the bins as a guide for spacing the 2x2s. The lips on the bins should just brush against the 2x2s when you're sliding the bins into place. Then center and screw 1x4s to the 2x2s with 2-in. screws. The garage ceiling is a perfect place to store light and medium weight seasonal items like holiday decorations and camping gear.

For more ways to use your garage ceiling for storage, check out these 14 products for garage ideas.

This storage system solves two challenges: first, how to design storage space for the narrow alley between the garage side wall and your car; and second, how to create a solid mounting surface to hold shelves and hooks that are capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of stuff.

The solution is to create a framework of horizontal wood strips and inexpensive shelf standards. It can hold almost any arrangement of shelving and hooks, at any point on the wall, and it's easy to rearrange.

Find out how to measure, plan and create this type of storage wall in your garage right here.

The garage is so frequently used as a catch-all for home improvement projects and off-season gear, these easy cabinets will be well worth your time and dollar. We've come up with plans for an easy storage system that can be modified to suit any garage. The best part? An 8-foot tall unit clocks in at only about $27 per linear foot–less than what pre-assembled shelving at the home center would run you. The materials include melamine, selected for its reasonable cost and the fact that is needs no finish, plus pine 1x4s. Plan out your configuration with masking tape on the wall and floors, ensuring that each cabinet has at least on stud behind it so it can be securely fastened.

Who couldn't use a few more shelves in the garage? You probably already have shelves in the obvious spots, but what about in the corners? This nifty corner shelf unit takes advantage of existing studs, and it's fast, easy and cheap. Use scrap plywood or oriented strand board to make shelves that fit snugly between the corner studs and support them with 1x1 cleats. These corner shelves are perfect for storing smaller items such as glues, oils, waxes and polishes, which get lost on larger shelves.

Stow bulky items overhead by cementing together a simple rack from 2-in. PVC pipes and fittings. Bolt the straight pipe to the ceiling joists to support heavy loads, and screw the angled pieces from the 'wye' connectors into the cross brace to stabilize the whole rack. The PVC's smooth surface makes for easy loading and unloading.

Cardboard concrete-forming tubes are inexpensive ($7 at any home center) and provide a great place to store baseball bats, long-handled tools and rolls of just about anything. Rest the tubes on a piece of 2x4 to keep them high and dry. Secure each tube to a garage stud with a plumbing strap.

If you have lots of rakes, shovels, brooms and garden tools cluttering your garage, but not a lot of wall to hang them on, try this. Cut two 16 x 16-in. pieces from 1/2-in. plywood and screw them to a wall stud at a slight upward angle. Then slide in your tools.

When you need storage above your wall unit, Monkey Bars has the solution. Engineered of steel for durability, the system offers custom solutions to get tools and materials off the garage floor and out of your way—but still within reach. You can modify the hook-and-bar system to fit changing storage needs in the future.

Check out 14 more overhead garage storage products.

Image courtesy of Monkey Bars

This compact rack is strong and simple to build. You can store shovels, rakes, a sledgehammer—any long-handled tools—conveniently up and out of the way. The unit holds up to 14 items, giving you more flexibility and storage capacity than nails pounded in the wall. See how to build it.

Gladiator GearTrack wall storage offers flexibility: You can mount the horizontal track, then choose suitable hangers and slide them where needed. See how to build your own flexible garage wall storage system.

Image courtesy of Gladiator

Storing large, awkward items such as wheelbarrows can be challenging. Gladiator's GearWall makes it simple to peg a wheelbarrow safely and securely to the wall.

Learn how to make a DIY wheelbarrow hang-up, plus 10 more space-saving garage storage tips.

Image courtesy of Gladiator

Talk about heavy duty, this Gladiator shelving unit is made of welded steel and holds up to 2,000 lbs. per shelf. It's available in various widths: 48-inch, 60-inch and 77-inch (shown).

And check out these super sturdy DIY storage drawers.

Image courtesy of Gladiator

Got power tools such as leaf blowers and cultivators? Rubbermaid's FastTrack power tool hook can take care of them. It holds up to 50 pounds, and the powder-coated finish resists rust and chipping.

Image courtesy of Rubbermaid

Visit any sporting goods store and you will likely see walls of vertical slats with various hooks and bins that can be rearranged easily based on the display needs. Why not incorporate this easy-to-manage system in your own home with our DIY customizable garage storage? Incorporating many of the same features which make the retail systems so useful, this system is a great weekend project that can grow and change as your needs evolve—and is a cinch to install. Plus: Here are even more garage makeover ideas to fuel your inspiration.

Balls that roll and bounce are great for play, but not so much for storage. Luckily there's this garage ball storage rack, which can be mounted anywhere and will corral all those balls to prevent them from rolling all around your floor. Plywood, dowels, and elastic cord are the simple main components of this easy-to-make storage hack. Customize the size based on your own needs and store away!

This sturdy ball corral holds a herd of balls and lets kids easily grab the balls at the bottom without unloading all the ones on top. It's built from 3/4-in. plywood and 2x2s. We made our ball corral 24 in. wide x 33 in. high x 12 in. deep.

The hooks on Bungee cords can be a safety hazard for kids and adults alike. So cut the hooks off the cords (or use elastic cord available at camping, sporting goods and hardware stores). Thread the cord through predrilled holes and secure with knots. Drill the holes slightly larger than the cords to make threading them easier.

We added plumbing hooks and short gutter troughs on the outside of the corral to make it easy for kids to stash smaller balls, helmets and mitts.

Looking for ways to store bikes? Check out eight products that can help.

Shelves and cabinets are great, but when you're in a hurry (and kids always are), it's nice to just throw and go. Find complete instructions, including diagrams for cutting the wood, here.

Recycling bins tend to take up way too much floor space. Here's an easy project that will get them up off the floor and out of the way, and it costs almost nothing. Find simple DIY instructions to build this project for your garage here.

This DIY garage storage system has the versatility of expensive store-bought systems, but you can make it yourself for a few hundred dollars in a single weekend. You'll find everything you need to know to create this system here.

Rollout shelves and sliding bypass units can make more efficient use of the sidewalls of your garage. The bypass unit adds 50 percent more storage for long-handled tools and all sorts of items that take up too much wall space. You simply slide the shelves to either side to access the stuff behind. Check out more features of this system and get complete how-to-build instructions here.

Shelf brackets designed to support clothes hanger rods aren't just for closets. The rod-holding hook on these brackets comes in handy in the garage and workshop too. You can bend the hook to suit long tools or cords. Closet brackets are available at home centers and hardware stores. Small garage? Check out these amazing space-saving ideas.

Here's how to store your lawn and folding chairs so they're out of your way. Take two pieces of 1x4 lumber (any scrap lumber will do) and create some simple, cheap and useful brackets on the wall. Cut each board 7-3/4 in. long with a 30-degree angle on both ends. Fasten pairs of these brackets with three 2-in. screws to the side of the exposed wall studs, directly across from each other, and you've got a perfect place to hang your chairs. Get more ideas for garage storage.

If all the stuff in your garage is within easy reach, you're probably wasting lots of storage space. The high spaces may not be prime real estate for often-used tools, but they're perfect for long-term storage. Deep shelving or cabinets near the ceiling can hold a ton of seasonal stuff like holiday decorations or camping gear.

If your garage does double duty as parking space and work space, a rolling workbench is essential. It lets you convert your garage into a workshop quickly and rolls up against the wall to restore parking space. The version shown here began as a standard rolling bench made from 2x4s and plywood. Then we added a slick feature: heavy-duty shelf brackets that make it the Swiss army knife of workbenches.

You don't have to be a cabinetmaker to build big, sturdy cabinets— especially if you build them in place. All you have to do is screw 2x2s to the wall and ceiling and then screw plywood panels to the 2x2s to form the top, bottom and sides of cabinet boxes. This approach is simple, fast and economical; the materials cost about $250.

Sometimes the best cure for garage chaos is to add storage space elsewhere. A small locker that holds garden gear, for example, provides big relief to a crowded garage Find step-by-step directions for building an outdoor storage cabinet.

Here's a slick use for that old wooden tennis racquet that's gathering dust in the garage. Drill a hole in the handle and screw it to the underside of a workbench. Position the racquet so it can swing in and out from under the table. Use it to hold tools, parts or other small items. Do you enjoy finding unusual uses for everyday things? Here's a collection of DIY home hacks you'll love.

These simple box shelves work equally well in a formal setting and a utilitarian room, like the laundry or garage. They offer an unlimited number of uses and arrangements. Hang some above the washer and dryer to store detergent, dryer sheets, and other laundry room necessities without taking up any valuable floor space.

Maximize the overhead garage storage space under your garage doors, by adding on to your existing garage door track with J-style hooks like these Praxis Model Add-a-Hooks. Hang long items like ladders, yard tools, even few spare pieces of 2x4.

Nothing is more versatile and cost effective as basic coated garage hooks for garage ideas. Screw-in hooks to rafters or ceiling beams to hang anything from bikes to tools — just make sure to install properly and not exceed load recommendations.

Use spring action to grab your bike by mounting a claw-style bike hook on your garage ceiling or rafters. This hook, made by Gladiator, is available at Home Depot.

Add a simple shelf for additional overhead garage storage with an adjustable height ceiling storage rack. This garage ceiling storage rack by Suncast is available at Target.

No two garages are the same, so choose a ceiling storage rack with adjustable heights to fit your needs or garage space. Hang a shallow rack above the open garage door and deeper shelf where your garage door track stops to maximize your vertical space.

To maximize the overhead garage storage space above garage rafters, install attic decking panels to create a useable and accessible surface for storage. Before you start this project, though, consult a knowledgeable building professional to make sure your rafters are rated for the extra loads.

When auto mechanics need a trouble light, receptacle or compressed air, they just reach for the ceiling and pull down whatever hose or cord they need. Now you can too. The Chamberlain Garage Power Station mounts on your ceiling and has a 25-ft. multifunction pull-down/retractable 'hose' to provide light, power and compressed air.

The base unit plugs into a nearby receptacle and houses an air compressor capable of putting out 100 psi (great for bike tires). Pop two MR16 halogen bulbs into the ceiling unit to get 100 watts of area lighting in addition to the LED work light on the retractable hose. Find the Garage Power Station at home centers and online.

Hanging bicycles from the rafters is a great way to save garage space. But even hanging bikes can take up a bunch of room. Here's a cool space-saving product that puts a new twist on the humble bike hook. The Saris Cycle Glide is a system of hooks mounted on glides. Once the bikes are on the hooks, they can be slid closer to the wall on the glides that mount perpendicular to the wall. And because the hooks slide back and forth on the lower set of glides, the bikes can be nestled neatly together, taking up a lot less space.

This system also makes it easier to take down the bikes when they're hanging over a parked car, a boat or a big mess like in my garage. That's because you can pull or push the bikes clear of the obstruction before you lower it. I've been using mine for almost a year now, and I love it. You can buy a Saris Cycle Glide for $245 at bike stores or online.

If this style isn't to your liking check out other bike storage ideas.

Jeff Gorton, Associate Editor

When it comes to garages, there's no such thing as enough space. One product we find useful to free up some floor space is a bicycle hoist. It's easy to install and very easy to use. When shopping for a hoist, beware of models that have undersized ropes. They can slip off the pulley wheels and jam. Look for one with a good, hefty rope.

Like a lot of other people, my wife and I love large plastic bins. But remembering what's inside each bin is tough, and reading a small label is nearly impossible when your bins are stored high on garage shelves. We solved both problems by labeling our bins with large numbers. Each number corresponds to a page in a binder that lists the contents of each bin. It's simple to change the list, and it's a heck of a lot easier to find what you need by checking the binder than by rummaging through each bin.

Gerald Naumann

Editor's Note:
When it comes to bin I.D. tags, we like adhesive storage pouches that let you slip index cards in and out easily. You can find these at office supply stores or online retailers.

Find out another reason why three-ring binders come in handy around the house.

Most home centers carry only hardboard pegboard, but you'll find other materials by searching online for 'metal pegboard' or 'plastic pegboard.'

• Metal pegboard has 1/4-in. holes and L-shape edge flanges that create built-in standoffs. The panel sizes are normally in 16-in. and 24-in. increments. Metal pegboard has a cool industrial look and is darn near indestructible.
• Metal pegboard strips are ideal for situations where you need a single, sturdy strip of pegboard—like in the garage for hanging long-handled tools. The strips have 1/4-in. holes and built-in edge flanges for standoffs, and they're outrageously sturdy.
• Plastic pegboard has 1/4-in. holes, folded edges to create standoffs and center ribs for rigidity. Many systems come with slide-in connectors for joining panels. It's at least as sturdy as hardboard pegboard.

Create pegboard walls by running 1x3 strips horizontally at the top and bottom of the panel and every 16 in. or 24 in. between. Use 1/4-in. pegboard and attach it to the strips with washer-head screws. The strips will also allow you to mount screw-on hooks to the wall for very heavy items like bikes and wheelbarrows.

Don't waste all that space between joists in a basement or garage. Screw wire shelving to the underside of the joists. An 8-ft. x 16-in. length of wire shelving and a pack of plastic clips (sold separately) costs about 20 bucks. Don't forget that wire shelving also shines on walls. Learn the best practices for installing wire shelving here.

An extension ladder is one of the most difficult things to store. When you need to use it, it has to be easy to get to. But there are long stretches when it just gets in the way of everything else in your garage. Here's a good solution: Mount it on your garage ceiling on sturdy racks made of scrap 2x4s that are screwed into the ceiling joists. Use two 3-1/2-in. screws at each joint to make the rack secure. These racks make it easy to slide the ladder out when you need it. Just make sure to position the racks where they won't interfere with your garage door.

If you have kids, you have balls—basketballs, soccer balls, rubber balls and other round objects that roll around underfoot. Here's a perfect way to use that narrow gap between a pair of garage doors (if you're blessed with such an awkward spot). Just install angled “ball ramps” made from scrap wood. The balls fit neatly in the gap, and because the ball ramp is right there at the edge of the garage, kids are more likely to use it.

Here's a tool storage technique for all those slender tools and shop accessories. Cut short lengths of PVC pipe (1-1/2- and 2-in.-diameter pipes work well for most items) and slide them over pegboard hooks. Then load them up with files, hacksaw blades, zip ties, pencils, stir sticks...you get the skinny. Build this compact pegboard storage container in an afternoon.

Here's a slick way to store a whole cluster of tools on pegboard with only two pegs. Cut some 2-1/2 in. wide mini shelves; drill holes or slots for router bits, screwdrivers, chisels and files; then drill a couple of 1/8-in. holes in the edges for the 1/8-in. diameter pegs. With a vise and pliers, bend the pegs to about 85 degrees and hammer them into the holes. Be sure the pegs fit tightly in the wood so the shelves can't fall off.