Regain Your Garage: Tips and Tricks to get Organized

The garage, the one place we can never seem to keep clean. It is just about that time of the year for the annual tradition of cleaning and organizing the garage after winter storage. If you are thinking of selling your home the garage is one of the last places you think to organize and clean. However if you can show off a clean and organized garage and show off it’s full potential, it’s just one more thing that could help someone fall in love with the home. Recently there has been some slight balancing of the market but it still remains with the sellers. Competition has started to move to the upper-level of homes and the entry/middle level homes have experienced a slight decrease in action and some price balancing. That means more people are taking a positive approach to the market and are resuming their searches for Windsor homes. Search bars are starting to fill up again with houses for sale in Windsor and homes for sale Windsor, Ontario as their Windsor REALTOR® advises them now may be a good time to try and seize an opportunity. However, people may start to be more patient with homes as supply increases and the value of turnkey features is always helpful to buyers. On the flip side maybe you recently moved into your home and it’s your first spring and you want to get that garage looking perfect, or maybe you’ve been in your home for a while and it’s time to make room to actually walk around the garage or fit a car inside. We have some tips for you below that no matter your situation, your garage will look amazing.

Divide, Sort, and Store
- First things first, go through EVERYTHING you have. This sounds daunting but you have to decide what stays (things you need) and what goes (things you do not). As you're deciding what to keep and what to toss, make sure you are also organizing your keep items into categories like gardening, cleaning, equipment, etc. Once you have what you are keeping, help keep them organized by using organizational tools like totes. This helps in the long-term keep everything organized and with similar items. As you put these totes away or stacked keep in mind what you need often and what isn’t. Make sure what is needed often is readily accessible and what is not, think seasonal items like christmas lights, is more stowed away.
Off The Floor
- It’s easy to just put everything in totes and call it a day. But take the time to think about installing things like pegboard for tool areas to keep those organized and accessible. Open shelving can be used to help organize the totes or bigger items that sit by themselves. Closed cabinetry is great for things you do not want seen or are safety hazards for kids and pets as they allow harmful things like fertilizer or chemicals to be stored out of reach and even behind lock and key.
Look to the Sky
- The often forgotten storage area of the garage is the ceiling. Depending on the type and construction of your garage you have different storage options. If you have exposed joists and beams you can lay plywood on them and create a kind of attic storage. If your garage is finished, various hook or pulley systems are available in hardware stores to help hang ladders, bikes, or any other big items you want out of the way and not used often.

The weather is getting warm, take a sunny weekend, empty the garage, and get to sorting, hanging, organizing, and cleaning. No matter if you are selling, just moved in, or have lived there for 20 years, nothing feels as good as a clean and organized garage. Plus who knows what kind of treasures you’ll find hidden in there.

Here at Jump Realty our agents will give you honest advice on what course of action is best for you in their professional opinion and will always put taking care of your best interests first! With offices in Windsor, Tecumseh, Kingsville, and Chatham, no matter where you are a Jump agent is ready to help. Please contact us for any housing needs and let us give you a better real estate experience!