Organizing Your Garage

For many people, their garage is not a place to park their vehicles, it's a storage area of the home. Sometimes, if the garage is large enough, it can be both, especially if the garage has a loft or second story on it. However, what we don't think about is how hazardous it can be if your garage is in total disarray.

Primarily, a garage is easily accessible by mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons, possums, spiders and insects. Even if you don't see them... It does not mean that they're not present (and they mostly come out at night, as most vermin are nocturnal animals). Garages are also huge harbors for things like molds, mildews, fungus, spores, and other air borne allergens and bacteria.

Therefore, it's really important to keep your garage as organized and clean as possible. Now, more often than not, that's easier said than done. The good part is that once it's done... That's it. It's done. You will only need to maintain it, instead of overhaul it. So here are some handy tips to getting your garage organized, and keeping it that way. :)

1. Use long cement nails and hang them along the wall in an even line. Use these to hang long handled yard tools on (rakes, shovels, hoes, etc)
2. If you have Bicycles, use 2 large 'C' hooks for each bike. Hang them on the walls.
3. Purchase a few Rubbermaid 'toter' storage boxes that are lockable and stackable. These run anywhere between $5.00 and $20.00 each (depending on the size and quality of the toter you get). Put a few sachets of either moth balls or lavender inside each box. Use a thick Sharpie marker to mark the contents of the box on the exterior side of the box. (example: Halloween Decorations, Xmas, Hand tools..etc).
4. Do not leave any unused cords exposed. Wrap them up and put them into a plastic container (this includes small hand held power tools as well).
5. If you have any type of small boats (kayaks, canoes, small row boats, rafts, etc), place them along the top rafters of the garage (which are usual exposed), and tie them to the rafters. Make sure they are open side DOWN, to deter vermin from making their homes/nests inside your boats. Hang the oars along the walls of the garage using 'C' hooks.
6. Any large pieces of lawn equipment should be lined along the back or side walls of the garage (even if you do not use your garage for your vehicle). These will then be easily accessible for you, and the fluids used to run these items are 'not appealing' to vermin and bugs, and therefore will also act as a deterrent from them entering your garage via walls.
7. Keep several moisture absorbing tubs in your garage (placed randomly around the entire area of the garage). You can purchase these for about $5.00 each at almost any department store or grocery store. This will help reduce the amount of mold, fungus, spores and mildew that can build up in your garage.
8. If you have sporting equipment, place the longer items on the wall on hooks (hockey sticks, tennis rackets, baseball bats, etc) and keep the smaller items in plastic containers with lids on them (baseballs, soft balls, tennis balls, hockey pucks, etc). Items like Ice Skates, and snow shoes can be Hung on hooks on the wall, so long as you place either moth ball sachets or lavender sachets inside and/or on the foot wear.
9. Most garages have cement floors. The best thing to do before re-organizing your garage is to remove everything from the garage and place it on your LAWN (not the driveway), or in your home (if possible), and take a hose with a power nozzle and hose down the floor of the garage thoroughly. You can even add a soap mixture to it if there is a lot of dirt on the garage floor. The reason to do this is to deter molds and mildews, clean up any pollens, spores, fungi and vehicle fluids, and to protect the floor from natural wear from things like dirts, stones, wood pieces and so forth. You can either allow it to air dry, to sweep the larger amounts of water out of the garage and use an oscillating fan to dry the floor quicker.
10. Make sure that all unused electrical sockets are covered and that there is a smoke alarm inside your garage (hazardous chemicals can start serious fires, so having a smoke alarm inside your garage is a very safe measure to take that can save your life).
11. Make sure your garage is well ventilated and aired out at least once a month. For those who live in very hot areas of the country, twice a month is recommended.