Smart Garage Ceiling Storage Ideas To Remember During Your Next Declutter

Go into your garage and look down. Sports equipment, tools, gardening supplies, and buckets of paint take up a lot of the real estate, right? When you're done stepping around the clutter, look up. Check out that refreshingly empty space. Even with cars parked inside, you've got several feet of headroom awaiting your creative storage solutions. We've been hanging bikes, shovels and skis for a while, so let's maximize the storage space in your garage by going vertical in other ways. Free up floor space with pulley-operated racks, rails to slide in tote boxes, DIY hanging shelves, or even motorized lift systems to help you make the most of wasted space.

If you have limited mobility, you may have mentally crossed off ceiling organization from possible methods. However, with the help of a motor and a switch, you can also take advantage of ceiling-mounted racks. Whatever your budget or needs, going upward is a surefire way to snag some extra space.

Save some money with DIY garage storage ideas that will inspire the handyperson in you. One of the cheapest ways to hang storage is by creating your own sliding racks for bins. These rigs are ideal for the space between your ceiling and the garage door when it's open. While store-bought options can cost hundreds of dollars, you can cobble together your own for under $50.

Chances are, you already have items squirreled away in outsized plastic bins. If yours are the type with lip edges that extend a bit beyond the container's body, you can craft wooden flanges similar to the tracks in a drawer. Affixed securely to studs in the ceiling, the bins slide between two flanges and depend on the lip to hold them in place. This project is great for lightweight items, but you may want a sturdier build if you're storing heavier things.

You can still harness that dead space above your garage door with a build like the one shared by Jays Custom Creations. Instead of flanges, they crafted a heavy-duty hanging shelf that can accommodate items of many sizes and weights. If you're itching to pick up your tools but are short of time and skill, you can nab a couple of metal brackets like these adjustable ones for around $60 from The Home Depot. Rest a piece of plywood you purchase separately inside the two brackets, and your shelf will be ready in no time.

If you don't have much faith in your handiwork, you can find affordable ready-made systems that follow the same design as the DIYs above, as well as other clever designs to add overhead storage space. For under $100, Koova's ceiling mounted storage racks from The Home Depot will save you lots of time. This rig can hold two bins and a total of 40 pounds. You can find shelves or racks like Jays' wooden creation made of metal or durable plastic. Try Gladiator's GearLoft adjustable rack if you have at least 23 inches of gap between your open garage door and ceiling. You can extend the arms to fit larger items to hang in areas where you have more space. Plus, these racks have bars that can hold hooks, giving you even more hanging capability.

There's no need for a ladder if you snag a unit that you can raise and lower with a hand-operated pulley or a motor. EZ Garage Storage makes a retractable platform that can hold up to 800 pounds. Store Your Board markets a variety of hoistable harnesses for gear like canoes, and raisable shelves that operate by Bluetooth.