The Easiest Place To Start Decluttering A Crowded Garage This Fall

We all know the "messy room" phenomenon. Where do you start when there are piles upon piles of things to organize? Standing in front of a disastrous garage can make this feeling hit you to a paralyzing degree. It's best to rip the bandaid off and jump right in — but where? Kick off your cleaning extravaganza by tackling your collection of gardening tools and supplies. Over the course of the growing season, the corner of your garage you've relegated to gardening paraphernalia has probably become a catch-all, as we have pressing things to attend to, including ever-growing lawns, flowers to deadhead, and weeds to massacre. Plus, why put it all away when you're just going to use it again in a day or so? No more excuses now: Gain some traction for a fall garage gutting with gardening supplies as your starting point.

There are plenty of reasons to prioritize this category of clutter. Many of our tools take up lots of room, we still have at least a few months left to use them, and a pride-inspiring organization system can give us the spark we need to jump into the next growing season. It's time to sort, hang, and toss your way to a tidy space. Since you could probably use creative storage solutions to get the job done, see which of these garage storage ideas inspire the handyperson in you.

What are the largest items in your gardening arsenal? Perhaps it's a mower, wheelbarrow, edge trimmer, or a blower. Perhaps it's all of the above. Carve out a spot for them first, even if you don't park those items there at this point. Plan the rest of your organization around those objects. If you haven't considered going upward for your storage, now's the time. Plan vertical storage around large equipment that takes up valuable floor space.

Shelves are great, peg boards or slat boards are better, but this Dollar Tree cooling rack hack could be the best. Cheap and easy to assemble, it's ideal for a collection of lightweight tools like trowels, hand rakes, pruners, and gardening knives. Among the cluster of long-handled tools, is there an old garden rake that's vintagey-cool but not that usable? Repurpose its tines as hooks for a perfect garage wall organizer.

If it really is time to invest in a storage system, it's money well spent. Storage systems are among the four most-wanted garage features to add value to your home. Plus, the best storage products should offer the space to accommodate enough stuff to help you organize the rest of the garage with less stress and sweat.