How To Organize Your Garage Using What You Already Have

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By J.Blackstone · Updated October 16, 2026

Quick AnswerTo organize your garage with what you already have, empty it, sort everything into keep, donate and trash, group what you keep by use, and store it on shelves, hooks and in bins you already own, with everyday items closest to the door.

Do you have a garage that’s cluttered and crammed full of stuff? If so, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with organizing their garages. It can be tough to know where to start.

The following are simple steps to get the clutter sorted and helpful tips for storing your belongings. Depending on how much clutter and the DIY projects you are doing, it may take a couple of weekends to organize your garage.

🗂️ Sort Your Belongings Into Four Piles:

Keep
Toss —Establish a list of what you will toss (such as dried-up paint, rusted tools, broken small appliances, outdated baby equipment, etc.). Doing this before you begin sorting will help make decisions easier. Remember your beautiful, expensive car is sitting exposed to the weather for this stuff.
Give Away–Stuff still in good condition, but you don’t use it. If someone is storing things in your garage, call them to remove them.
It doesn’t belong in the garage.

Get the family involved in the process to help speed things along. Assign each person a specific task and/or section of the garage to declutter.

Once you have removed everything but the Keep pile. Sort your belongings into groups–for example, lawn and garden, toys, car care, sporting equipment, recycling, pool supplies, tools and hardware, holiday items, etc.

📏 Planning Storage Space

Open your car’s doors and mark clearance space around your car with tape or chalk. At the front of the car, include enough space to walk comfortably past. Remove the car from the garage and mark clearance space around your water heater, washer, dryer, and any other appliance stored in your garage.

The leftover space you have after marking space for your car and appliances is your available space for storage. Measure the depth. This measurement is the max depth your shelves, tables, etc., can be.

Helpful tip: While the car is in the garage, suspend a golf ball from the ceiling to touch the middle of the windshield. The ball will alert drivers when to stop.

Helpful tip: If your garage is small, cut pool noodles in half and use them as wall bumpers.

📍 Designate Areas

Create zones for your groups. For example, lawn supplies by the back door, bikes on a wall by the garage door, camping gear on shelves, etc. Keep flammable materials far away from appliances with flames.

Use narrow spaces, less than twelve inches, for hooks or storage between the wall studs. Keep the hooks high so heads and eyes won’t bump into them.

Use areas two feet or wider for bulky items you can’t get off the floor, such as lawnmowers, trash bins, etc.

🧹 Cleaning The Garage

Before stacking everything back into the garage, sweep the floor and remove stains. Eliminate oil stains with dish soap, coke, or GoJo hand cleaner. Wipe off containers and remove cobwebs.

💡 Quick Tip: For a more thorough cleaning, consider renting a power washer to remove tough stains and grime from your garage floor.

For more cleaning tips, check out our article on Easily Organizing Kitchen Countertops.

Remember, some links in this article may be affiliate links.

Garage Organization Tips

Gardening and repair work requires a workbench. If you lack space for a permanent table, you can use a rolling cart; two sawhorses, and a door; or build a flip-up table.

🌱 Gardening Tools Storage

Long Handle Tools

Store long-handle garden tools such as rakes or spades in a tall garbage can or use pieces of a hose or PVC to mount to a wall. Or store the garden tools in an old file cabinet, in an old golf bag, or between wall studs. Use hooks screwed into the studs with bungee cords attached or nail strips of wood between studs to hold tools against the wall.

Short Handle Tools

Store your garden hand tools on a peg board, in a pot, in a shoe organizer, or hanging from the tongs of an old rake.

Helpful Tip: inserting your garden tools into the sand will remove soil and moisture.

Garden Twine

Put twine balls in a funnel, pull the string out from the bottom, or hang the balls on narrow rods.

You could also use plastic containers with lids nailed to a shelf. Poke a hole in the bottom of the container to pull the twine out.

Large, Bulky Garden Items

Wheelbarrows

Secure wheelbarrows to the wall with two slide locks.

Folding Lawn Chairs

Hang folding lawn chairs on homemade pegs that are placed high on the wall.

Garden Hose

Nail a bucket to the wall and wrap your hose around it. The bucket can hold sprinklers.

For more Gardening Tool storage ideas, please visit Dobibe Pinterest

🧸 Toys/ Sporting Equipment

Bikes

Hang your bikes up on hooks. Buy those used for extension ladders rather than curved hooks as they hold items better. Again place the bike hangers high to avoid heads. Make a homemade one out of pipe pieces.

Fishing Pole

Use PVC to hold rods.

Bats, Rackets, And Paddles

Store between wall studs using strips of wood or bungee cords attached to hooks screwed into the studs. Tall garbage bins, old file cabinets, and golf bags can be used to hold the equipment.

Balls

Store balls in a net laundry bag or a garbage pail. You can nail a square of wood between studs and another two feet higher. String bungee cords between and store balls in this cage.

🛠️ Tools

Hand Tools

Many organized garages use pegboards to hold miscellaneous tools. If you don’t have space for a large pegboard, you can make slide-outs made of pegboard, create a track pegboard system and attach it to the sides of cupboards or storage units.

Drills

Create a station for drills made of wood or can use PVC and slide the head into the pipe. Station this close to an electrical outlet.

Pliers, Wrenches, And Other Small Handle Tools

Hang over a wooden strip attached to the wall.

Screwdrivers, Wrenches, And Paintbrushes

Old tie racks get a second life when used to hang small tools on, such as screwdrivers and small wrenches.

Use a magnetic knife holder for screwdrivers, lightweight wrenches, and paint brushes.

Nails, Screws, And Other Small Fasteners

Store in plastic bins, flip boxes, jars with the lids nailed to the bottom of a shelf, muffin tins, or lightweight plastic containers with lids. Glue a washer to the bottom of the containers and attach it to a magnetic knife holder.

🎨 Tape And Spray Cans

Tape

Thread on an old hanger or on a rod. Or make a box to hold the tapes with a hacksaw blade attached, making the tape cutting easy.

Spray Cans

Store spray cans in a shoe organizer, in a used plant pot holder, or lined up in a gutter.

🔌 Extension Cords, Pipes, Dowels, And Wood

If you lack available space for floor storage, wood can be stored in between wall studs using wood slats or bungee cords to hold in the space. Store pipes and dowels in triangles of lattice attach to the ceiling or attach a Quik-Tube to the ceiling to store wood or pipes in.

Don’t store your extension cords over hooks. Use a chain or a bungee cord to attach. Or create a power cord caddy.

For more ideas, please visits Dobibe’s Pinterest page, Tool Organizing.

Storage Tubs

Garage storage may include items such as clothes, holiday items, camping equipment, etc., stored in plastic tubs. Try not to stack the containers and build a wood or PVC shelving. Create a shelf over your garage door or design a ceiling-attached track. Don’t store heavy items above your head.

💡 Quick Tip: Label your storage tubs with their contents and the date you last used them. This helps you keep track of what you have and when it’s time to declutter.

Misc Storage Containers

Long flower planters, wire baskets, and mesh hanging bags can be repurposed for storage. These versatile containers can hold a variety of items, from garden tools to seasonal decorations.

Organizing your garage does not have to be difficult. You can organize your space in many different ways, depending on what you have and what you need to store. By using pegboards, storage containers, and old tie racks, you can easily organize your garage in a way that works for you. For more ideas, check out our Creative Garage Storage Solutions article.

📦 Pegboard Magic

Pegboards are a fantastic tool for organizing your garage. They allow you to hang a variety of items, from tools to garden hoses, in an easily accessible manner. You can even use pegboard hooks to create a custom storage solution that fits your specific needs.

To get started, simply install a pegboard on a wall in your garage. Then, use pegboard hooks and accessories to hang your tools and equipment. This will free up valuable floor space and make it easier to find what you need when you need it.

📌 Remember, some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

📦 FAQ

I Have A Lot Of Small Items, Where Should I Store Them?

Small items can be stored in plastic bins, flip boxes, jars with the lids nailed to the bottom of a shelf, muffin tins, or lightweight plastic containers with lids. Glue a washer to the bottom of the containers and attach it to a magnetic knife holder.

I Have A Lot Of Heavy Items, Where Should I Store Them?

Heavy items should not be stored above your head. They should be stored on the floor in a storage container or on shelves.

I Don’t Have A Lot Of Space In My Garage, What Can I Do?

If you don’t have a lot of space in your garage, you can try to organize items vertically. This means hanging bikes up on hooks, storing balls in a net laundry bag, and using old tie racks to hang small tools. You can also try to use storage containers that can be hung up on the wall or ceiling.

For more information, please see:

How to Organize Your Garage Nearly on Any Budget

Do you have more ideas on how to store your belongings? Please comment below.

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About J.Blackstone

Jordan writes the gift guides, holiday checklists and home tips here at Dobibe, tests the ideas on his own busy household, and builds the tools behind FabaShelf, KeyHUD and Root And Coop. Have a question or an idea for a page? Use the message button in the corner; he answers every one.

How To Organize Your Garage Using What You Have

🗂️ Sort Your Belongings Into Four Piles: