Best Garage Tool Organization Ideas

The garage is the perfect place to store many of your belongings. If you’re good at Tetris, you may even store your vehicles in there, too. 

Yet organizing it is a whole different story. Optimizing the space in your garage can be a big task because everyone’s garage and belongings are different. What organization works in one person’s garage may not work for you. So how do you get the most out of your garage? How do you organize it to optimize its space?

You may have asked yourself these questions at one point. If so, don’t worry. There is a solution to that ever-frustrating storage problem we all face. We’re prepared with all the tips and tricks you need to turn your garage into a well-organized and useful space.

Keep reading below to learn how to organize even small garages to make them feel more spacious in no time.

How Do You Organize Tools in a Small Space?

Garages come in all shapes and sizes, and fitting everything into your own garage requires proper planning. If you have a smaller garage, it’s especially important to organize your space well. Where do you even start, though? What steps should you take to clean up and sort a smaller garage? From a step-by-step guide to organizing to our favorite storage solutions, we have the top garage space-saving storage ideas for you below!

Let’s start the step-by-step organization guide to take any cramped garage and turn it into a functional garage.

Take Everything Out

First things first, take everything out of the garage. We mean everything! Taking everything out will allow you to start fresh, clean up well, and easily organize your tools and other items. If you have things hanging from your walls or ceiling, take those out, as well. 

By starting with a fresh, open space, you’ll have better control of where tools and items will go. Maybe they’ll end up where they were previously. Or you might just find a better spot for them later. The newly empty space will give you the ability to better organize.

Clean Up and Clear Out

Once you’ve taken everything out of your garage, move on to cleaning up the space. Sweep the floor and maybe even scrub it down, too. Remove the cobwebs and any trash from the corners and floor to freshen up the space. 

If you’re really in a cleaning mood, try giving your garage a fresh coat of paint to make it feel like new! Paint can do wonders in any part of the house, including your garage.

After you clean your garage, go through all the tools and other items you took out. Throw out anything you haven’t used in a while or have no use for anymore. The more clutter and unnecessary tools and items you remove, the more space you’ll have in your garage. 

Go through any boxes and bins you own. Toss out broken tools and old toys. Get rid of old building materials, like scraps of lumber and old paint cans. As you get in the mindset of decluttering, you’ll create a better opportunity to save more space later.

Sort

After you’ve cleaned up and decluttered, it’s time to move everything leftover back into the garage. It may seem tempting to simply toss everything back in and close the garage door, but if you want a functional and organized garage, take some thought into where you place everything. 

If you’d like to keep your vehicle in the garage, aim to place everything around the perimeter. Stack tools and other items where you can or hang them from the walls or ceiling. Make sure to place tools you use frequently in an easily accessible spot.

Sorting will also give you a chance to go through everything in your garage a second time. If you were on the fence about keeping a specific item or tool, you can consider keeping it or tossing it again and potentially saving more room! Sorting and organizing help you save space.

How Do I Organize My Tools in My Garage?

Most tools you probably won’t use regularly, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you should get rid of them. Who knows when that table saw will come in handy or whether a neighbor will need to borrow your 100-piece screwdriver set? Most of us prefer to hang on to our tools, so how do we organize them properly?

Every Tool in Its Own Place

First and foremost, make sure every tool has its own spot when put away. Garages easily become cluttered when we fail to put items in their proper places. If a specific tool goes into your toolbox, make sure to put it back in the toolbox after use. Avoid the urge to toss it on top of the toolbox, the floor, or somewhere else.

Keep Tools Off of the Floor

What other garage storage hacks can you use? Keep tools off the floor. This doesn’t work for every tool in your garage, of course. You will likely need to store your lawnmower on the floor, but most other tools can find a home off the floor. 

Keep your shovels and garden tools off the floor and out of the corner by hanging them up. Store your hammers, screwdrivers, and ratchets in a toolbox or on a workbench. There are many storage solutions to help keep your garage organized. We’ll even go into more depth about different ways to store and display your tools below!

Organize Your Tools By Use

And lastly, organize your tools by use. Keep saws and saw blades together in one area. Keep your hand tools together in another spot. Look for ways to group certain tools and other items together to save you from tearing your garage apart while you search for the sledgehammer you haven’t seen in years.
Of course, these aren’t the only tool for organizing solutions. If you want a great way to display your tools for easy access, as well as a way to organize your garage, we have our favorite storage solution suggestions below.

How Do I Display Tools in My Garage?

The best garage space-saving storage ideas involve getting a few key items to help you organize your tools. From handy and durable shelves to protective, out-of-sight storage bins and more, with the suggestions below, you’ll have an organized and functional garage in no time.

Storage Shelves

Storage shelves are great for organizing and displaying the tools in your garage because they provide multiple levels of storage. From two-level shelves and up, storage shelves can store almost anything you want to keep up and out of the way. 

Place the larger, heavier tools and items on the bottom shelves while you place the lighter tools and items you don’t use frequently on the higher shelves. You can line your walls with shelves to help provide even more storage space if you need it. 

The great thing about shelves is that you can buy pre-made shelves or design and build your own. Shelves are simple enough to build and can go just about anywhere in your garage.

We do recommend getting heavy-duty shelves made of metal or thick wood planks. Not only will they last a long time, but they can also hold heavier objects and won’t break as easily. Remember to secure them to the walls as well to prevent them from tipping over onto one of your vehicles, or worse, you or a family member.

Storage Bins

Storage bins are perfect for keeping your garage looking organized. If you want tools and other items out of sight, then storage bins will do the trick. They’re also great for stacking onto each other to save more space, or better yet, put them on shelves to take your garage organization to the next level. 

Storage bins also come in many different shapes and sizes to fit whatever space you have. You can find clear bins to help you easily see what’s inside, as well. If you’re looking for a great way to store holiday decorations, tools, or other items, storage bins will help you stay organized and keep your garage looking clean.

Hanging Storage Systems

Hanging storage systems are just what you need to keep your garage organized. If you want to display your tools for quick and easy access, consider installing hanging storage systems. Not only will they help keep items off the ground, but they also provide more space by allowing you to hang tools and more from your garage walls and ceilings.

From overhead shelves that store all of your holiday decorations to special wall attachments and hooks that hold your bicycles, rakes, shovels, and more, if you’re looking for something to hang a specific tool or item, there’s a good chance you can get it. 

Hanging storage systems do wonders for smaller garages with limited space or if you have a garage with a high ceiling. Getting tools up and out of the way saves you space and makes your garage look more organized and clean.

Racks

Similar to shelves, racks provide a lot of storage for smaller spaces. Racks are typically durable and can hold a lot of weight, so you can place large tools and items onto them without worrying about them breaking.

You can also get racks with multiple levels to give you even more storage space. Since they’re sturdy, you can even add large storage bins to them without any problem.

Again, we recommend getting durable metal or thick wood racks to hold all of your heavy tools, as well as securing racks to your garage walls to prevent any harm to vehicles or you if by chance one should tip over.

Compartments

Last but certainly not least, are compartments. Compartments are similar to the cabinetry found inside your home. Compartments offer many different drawers and cabinets to store all of your tools. They also come in many different sizes to fit your space and your storage needs. From custom compartments that span an entire wall in your garage to simple, build-yourself compartments that provide a little extra storage, compartments are great for keeping your garage organized and your tools safely put away. 

Many compartments come with cabinets with locks to keep little children away from sharp objects and other potentially dangerous items you might store in the garage. So if you have a family with little ones who like to get into things, we recommend finding compartments that lock. 

These useful storage items also work well for both larger and smaller garages. By adding some shelves here and some hanging storage systems there, you’ll love how organized your garage will be. The other great thing about these storage solutions is the fact that you can combine many or all of them into your garage for total organization. 

When most people feel like their garage is stuffed to the brim with tools and other items, in many cases, all they need is a little organization. With the tips, tricks, and storage solutions offered in this guide, even the most cramped garage can be turned into an organized and useful space. All you need is a little work and maybe even some storage help and you can have a well-organized garage of your own.

Take Your Garage to the Next Level

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At Next Level Homes, we design and build beautiful and spacious homes, complete with spacious garages for all your storage needs. From large two-car garages to enormous three-car garages, whatever space you need in a garage, you can find with a Next Level home. 

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