Garages have become on of THE prime dumping grounds for our homes. Many are so stuffed with clutter that there is no longer room even to park the car. By designing a zone system based on the activities we pursue on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis, we can free up enough room in our garage for everything that needs to be there - even the car.  Imagine that! 

Garages should be organized into activity zones that make it very intuitive for the entire family.  I often ask clients to think of their garage as a hardware store. I tell them to picture how a hardware store is arranged, with like items grouped with like items. This common-sense approach to organization makes it easy for people to find things when they need them, and put them back in the right place when they're done.

1. Go Vertical!  Use the vertical space to implement shelving, cabinets, overhead racks.  You can also hang tools, bikes, sports equipment, etc.  Just do so safely!
2. Ahh, Beautiful Bins.  Use bins and containers to store like items together.  Clear can be great for easy viewing.  Label all containers so everyone knows where to find and put things away.
3. Safety First.  Store toxic, hazardous and unsafe items where little hands and mouths can't reach.  This includes paints, fertilizers, weed killers, cleaning products, etc.
4. Got Kid Klutter?  Not anymore.  Store kids items where they easily reach.  Use wall mount organizational units to store sports equipment, balls, bikes, skates, helmets, etc.  If they can reach, they can put it away.  How 'bout them apples?  You'll not only save yourself some time, but you'll start teaching the kids to be organized too! 
5. Keep What You Use and Toss the Rest!  Only keep the tools, equipment, toys, etc that you use on a regular basis.  Do you really need 7 sleeping bags, 2 snowblowers, 3 rakes, a rusty bike with a broken chain, and 3 gallons of miscellaneous nuts and bolts?