A few readers have asked for tips on garage organization so the last time I swept my garage out I took some pictures to share. When we first moved into this house I didn’t touch the garage much – I figured it was Kenny’s domain. But after a couple of years the randomness of all of our stuff piling everywhere totally drove me crazy! I spent two whole days gutting out and cleaning the garage – I still remember Ellie waddling around in her little walker the whole time I cleaned. :)
(Ellie – 2004)So – I organized everything in 2004 and since then have just worked hard to keep things clean. I usually sweep out and straighten the garage about once a month while the girls are blowing bubbles, picking flowers, or riding their bikes in the front yard. If I don’t do this, things get messy in a hurry. Garages are such catch alls for any and everything! It’s an area you definitely have to stay on top of if you want it to stay organized.
Most of our shoes are in our closets, but we have these by the garage door to hold most often worn shoes – especially for the girls. We never wear shoes in the house (best way to keep your carpets clean!) and the girls know that before they can come in the they need to take off their shoes and put them on their shelf (top is Addison’s, second is Ellie’s). Straightening all of the shoes on these shelves is also one of the little jobs my girls do to help out.
We store a lot of things on the roof and walls of our garage to save room and make more space.
Space for more important things like Christmas trees, bikes, baby joggers, and the Barbie Jeep.
Oh.. and I also organized all of the loose nails, screws, etc. And I labeled them. And I put them in alphabetical order although they’ve been messed up a bit since then. When Kenny came home from work and saw this he seriously wondered if something was wrong with me. Now years later he KNOWS something is wrong with me.
Kenny won’t admit it, but I know he loves not having to search all over the garage for a toggle bolt or a drill bit when he needs one. :)
**Re-organized shoe station here.
Okay, this is seriously, so awesome! You totally motivate me . . .
so, i was reading this post and thought “we TOTALLY are the same!” right up until I got to the last part where you alphabetized the screws. Yea. That’s like a WHOLE different level…you are the Jedi Master of organization. I am totally speechless! LOL!
i hope you know i mean that in a GOOD way!!! :-)
Oh my! I love the organization. I love that all of the nails, screws, etc are all organized and nicely labeled (which you have cute handwriting btw). Thanks for sharing. Our garage is an area that needs a lot of help.
I’m impressed you knew the names of all those man-things. :)
Erin you and your organization! I just love it!! We have that same exact shoe set up by our garage door, and that same exact coat rack/broom holder/gym bag holder/umbrella holder hanging above the shoes. And we have the same overhead storage that we had installed a couple of years ago and it is a life saver. It helps keep our garage so much more organized and things up and out of the way.
Loved your last comment on my blog, thanks so much! You’re so sweet. Part of why I love blogging so much are all the sweet lovely comments!
How the heck did you know the names of all the metal round things? Whatever! My husband must never read this post. He would love you too much. It would be awkward.
Butch would think he’d died and gone to heaven if I organized the garage and all his tools like that! Our garage is in need of a good gutting. We’ll see if I can muster up the energy for that in the near future.
Wow- I too am impressed you knew the names of all those things. Do you still park in your garage too? We both park in ours and between my van and Corey’s truck there isn’t room for hardly anything else. It makes for a clean garage, but a horrible messy backyard. My backyard is the place I never want anyone to see. Like that episode of Friends where Monica has that locked closet with everything piled in it. Seriously, so ashamed!
OK seriously….now I know what my weekend project will be :)
Quick question….what are you doind to scrapbook the girl’s school stuff? Are you just keeping up with your Project Life book or doing a separate book for school? I love all the new school products but not sure if I can keep up with all these projects!!! WOuld love to see how you are doing this!
Would you mind posting a photo of your whole garage? Or do you have messy areas like me (only our whole garage is messy)?
Love this post! That is the same vision that I have for our “catch all” garage. I’ve been nagging my husband to clean and organize but I think I’m just gonna try it myself. Thank you for the inspiration :)
Wow, Erin! I’ve got to try this. My kids keep pulling everything out and leaving such a hodge podge that makes me crazy. Boy, do I need a makeover.
LOVE the nails and screw container. Beautiful.
Hi Erin! Oh, this is killing me!!! Every week for the past several months, the garage has been on our “to do” list!!! So when are you going to start your professional organizing business? You are awesome!
Oh man, I sooo need to do this!! Our garage has always driven me crazy.
You know you’ll make way more money doing this than teaching, seriously.
Maybe if I did something like this I would know the answer when Joe asks, “Where is ….”. I seriously doubt I will be able to make myself do it even though it looks so great and would be so nice! You are a bright spot in my day!!!
Erin, you never cease to amaze me. Or make me laugh. I’m impressed you know all the names of the different screw part and thingies. You should win an award for that one.
The labeling of all the tools is way impressive … alphabetizing – WOW! Agree, love an organized garage.
Your fall changes to your blog are awesome, and of course all the pics of your family are too cute! I especially love the girls in their dresses and brown boots. Aren’t they too hot to trot?! ;-) LOve it all and you!!
love the garage post. but had to tell you that i absolutely ADORE your new fall blog decor. your fall pictures are just lovely! and i love all the browns and oranges!!! (i love fall if you couldn’t tell!!)
Erin-I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your new background!!!! I love the colors and the feel of it! You did such a good job. And I also love the organized garage. I seriously think you could have a career in this. Can I hire you??
Where did you get the cover for your barbecue in the first picture?
love the fall remodel of your blog. those pics of the kiddos are adorable!! did you get family pictures taken recently? seriously SO CUTE!!
Fantatic garage organizing and I love the new “fall” look on your blog. Can you tell us the name of the scrap kit and what font you used over there on the side? Thanks!
Oh my gosh, where did you get those dresses the girls are wearing in your new header? And Kole’s hat and sweater? I adore them! The new look is gorgeous, love the fall colors. I am burning my pumpkin spice candle right now and it fits right in.
Love all your tips on organization around the house! It really gets me motivated to change up a few things. I love your new look on the blog too! Your fall pictures are beautiful. You are really blessed. Enjoy this wonderful fall weather! :)
Love the new blog post with the new header and darling pictures of your family. Ok, this gargage looks fantastic. There’s no way you could keep your garage that organized if you had all of the stuff/crap that our garage has in it! I sure could use some of your organization lessons, but I love to cook, sew, swim and spend time with my kids/grandkids and that puts organizing on the bottom of the list. You would be disgusted if you came and looked at my house, much less my garage. I Love you Erin, but don’t love organizing!! Sorry!
I love it! And so motivating!!
Where did you find that nails organizer unit? I have a similar one, but need another and can’t find one.
Where did you find this plastic drawer organizer? I love it.
You should check us out at DIYGarageShelf.com! You could definitely use one of our garage shelving kits to consolidate all of the stuff in your garage and give you ample room for storage!
Boy, am I impressed at organizer unite. Where did you buy it and how did you know all those storage boxes would fit so perfectly in there? Come on, tell us your secret!Must have cost a fortune for all those storage boxes unless you caught them on sale. We have a heavy tab card cabinet that my DH keeps a lot of stuff in that he got from his work when they were getting rid of them; they let the employees have the filing cabinets, old adding machines, filing cabinets for real low prices. They are heavy duty cabinets. To move the cabinets, you have to remove all the drawers to lighten the load and even one drawer full of stuff is heavy. It’s made of heavy grade metal. You won’t find anything that nice and heavy now days. They just don’t make them like that anymore.
I love seeing people organize their garage. Its insane how messy they can get so quickly.
Great job with the organization! Love the drawers/bins you used.
Where could I purchase the bins/drawers you put your small items in…..screws, bolts, etc. I love the organization you have done in your garage…awesome!
Please post where the shelving unit can be purchased…
Hi Janie – thank you! I bought the organizer for the nails/screws at Home Depot.
Anonymous – the shelving unit was also bought at Home Depot.
But I have to tell you both that I bought those items 10 years ago so I’m not sure if Home Depot still carries them! Hope so. :)
Where did you get the hardware organizer?
Home Depot. :)