Garage Organisation: Budget-Friendly Ideas for a Tidy Space

The garage. For many of us, it’s less of a place to park the car and more of a chaotic dumping ground for everything that doesn’t have a home. Think half-empty paint tins, forgotten toys, and rusty tools you haven’t seen in years. If the thought of tackling this space feels overwhelming, you’re not alone.

But what if you could transform it into a beautifully organised area that the whole family can use, without spending a fortune? With a bit of planning and some clever DIY tricks, you can reclaim your garage and turn it into a functional, tidy haven.

Here are our favourite budget-friendly tips to get you started.

Start with a Ruthless Declutter

Before you can organise, you need to see what you’re working with. This is the most crucial - and often the most difficult - step. Be prepared to be ruthless. Pull everything out and sort it into three piles: keep, donate, and toss.

• Keep: Items you use regularly or have sentimental value.

• Donate: Anything in good condition that you no longer need. Sports equipment the kids have outgrown or tools you never use are perfect candidates.

• Toss: Broken items, expired chemicals, and anything that’s beyond saving.

This process will likely reveal you have a lot less to store than you initially thought, making the next steps far more manageable.

Maximise Your Wall Space

One of the biggest mistakes people make is underutilising vertical space. Floors are for parking cars, not for piling up boxes. Getting things off the ground is the key to creating an open, usable garage.

Find the Right Shelving

Shelving is your best friend when it comes to garage organisation. It provides a home for everything from storage bins to car care products.

• Industrial Shelving: If you need to store heavy-duty items like power tools, paint cans, or large equipment, industrial shelving is an excellent choice. It’s incredibly sturdy, durable, and offers a clean, utilitarian look. You can often find affordable units online or at home improvement stores.

• Free-standing Shelving Units: For lighter items, plastic or resin shelving units are a budget-friendly and practical option. They’re easy to assemble, lightweight enough to move around, and resistant to rust and moisture. They’re perfect for storing gardening supplies, kids' toys, and cleaning products.

Get Creative with Wall Storage

Beyond shelving, your walls offer a canvas for creativity. A simple pegboard can be a game-changer for hanging tools, brushes, and small equipment. You can customise it with hooks and baskets to suit your needs, keeping your most-used items within easy reach. Wall-mounted racks are also fantastic for storing larger items like bikes, ladders, and garden hoses, freeing up valuable floor space.

Use Smart Storage Solutions

Once your shelving is in place, it’s time to think about how you’ll contain your items.

• Clear Bins are a Must: Invest in clear plastic storage bins with lids. Being able to see what’s inside saves you from having to rummage through a dozen boxes just to find the Christmas decorations.

• Label Everything: It may seem tedious, but labelling each bin will save you countless hours in the future. A simple label maker or even just a marker and some tape will do the trick. Group similar items together—all your camping gear in one bin, all your painting supplies in another.

• Repurpose Household Items: Get creative with things you already have. Old jam jars are perfect for storing screws, nails, and other small hardware. An old filing cabinet can be repurposed to store smaller hand tools and instruction manuals.

Create a Space for Everyone

An organised garage is a family-friendly garage. By creating designated zones, you can ensure everyone knows where their things belong.

Set aside a specific area for sports equipment, another for gardening tools, and perhaps a small workbench for DIY projects. When everything has a home, it’s much easier for the whole family to help keep the space tidy. It also means you’ll finally be able to find the football when you need it!

Your New, Organised Oasis

Creating an organised garage doesn’t have to be a daunting or expensive task. With a good declutter, some clever shelving, and a few smart storage solutions, you can create a functional and inviting space that adds real value to your home.

Take it one step at a time, and you’ll be admiring your handiwork before you know it.

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Jenny Kakoudakis is a seasoned interiors blogger that follows and writes about design trends. She launched the award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2015 and the luxury property and interior decor blog www.alltheprettyhomes.com in 2024 to cover all your interior design, travel and lifestyle inspiration needs.