Garage Storage Ideas

The garage was supposed to be where you park the car. At least, that was the original idea. Somewhere along the way, it became the official holding area for bicycles, holiday decorations, half-empty paint cans, three coolers, a treadmill that's now a coat rack and things nobody remembers buying.

And the car? It's out in the driveway, wondering what happened.

Unlike every other room in the house, the garage doesn't come furnished. There are no closets, no drawers and no shelves. That's why everything ends up on the floor. The good news: garage storage doesn't have to be pretty or expensive. It just has to work.

Here are the best garage storage ideas, from $20 hooks to wall-to-wall cabinets, and how to choose the right mix for your family.

Before You Buy Anything

Declutter first. Buying storage before you've sorted is how you end up with 14 matching bins and absolutely nowhere to put the lawn mower. Get rid of what you don't use, then buy storage for what's left. Here's how in How to Organize a Garage.

Make a list of what's staying. Most garages hold some mix of tools, garden supplies, sports gear, bikes, holiday decorations, car-care supplies, camping gear and household overflow from the warehouse store.

Measure. Note how much wall space, floor space and ceiling height you have. If you park inside, leave room to open the car doors all the way and walk around the car. Check where the garage door tracks run when the door is open, and keep the electrical panel, water heater and any windows clear.

Garage Storage Systems at a Glance

No single system stores everything. Most garages need a combination: shelves for bins, walls for long-handled and awkward things, and the ceiling for the stuff you touch once a year.

Shelving

Freestanding Shelves 

Heavy-duty metal or resin shelving units are the workhorses of garage storage: inexpensive, easy to put together and big enough for the bins that hold everything else. Look at the weight rating per shelf before you buy. Cheap units hold 50 pounds a shelf, and sturdy ones hold several hundred.

• Anchor them to the wall. A tall, loaded shelf can tip, especially if kids decide to climb it. (And they will.) Use the anti-tip strap that comes with the unit, or screw a bracket into a wall stud.
• Heavy on the bottom, light on top. Gravity is remarkably consistent.
• Size them to your bins. Measure your bins first, and set the shelf heights so they fit with a couple of inches to spare.
• Make shelves a no-play zone. The kids know the rules: no climbing on the shelves. If the rule gets broken, the garage is off-limits for a day or two. You shouldn't have to say it twice.

Wall Storage

Wall-Mounted Shelves

Garage walls are the most underused storage space in the house. Every rake, ladder and lawn chair on the wall is one less thing to trip over.

Wall Hooks

Heavy-duty hooks screwed into studs are the cheapest way to clear the floor. Use them for ladders, folding chairs, extension cords, coiled hoses, wheelbarrows and bikes. One hook per item, so everything has a spot and goes back where it belongs.

Pegboard

Wall Track Rails

Track systems are horizontal metal rails screwed into the studs, with hooks, baskets and brackets that clip on and slide anywhere along the rail. They're great for long-handled garden tools, hoses, leaf blowers and bulky sports gear. And when your needs change, you just move the hooks. (Kids grow out of hockey and into lacrosse. It happens.)

Slatwall

Slatwall is grooved panels that cover part or all of a wall, with hooks, shelves and baskets that slide into the grooves. It's sturdier and better-looking than pegboard and more flexible than rails, but it costs more. If you want your garage to look like a showroom, this is it.

Cabinets

Cabinets are the most attractive garage storage, and the most expensive. Everything unsightly disappears behind closed doors and stays dust-free. For neatniks, they're worth every penny. A few tips:

• Choose deep cabinets if you'll store bulky things like luggage or big boxes, and use bins inside to keep small items from getting lost.
• Raise them off the floor on legs or wall-mounted rails, to protect them from water, snowmelt and spills.
• Get one that locks for pesticides, pool chemicals and anything else you don't want little hands to find.

Some people go all the way and install counters and cabinets like a kitchen, with a sink for washing up after gardening or working on the car. It's a splurge, but it's convenient. Friends of mine, a retired couple named Pat and Sam, use their garage as a hobby workshop.

Sam mounts and frames artwork, and Pat refinishes old furniture, neither of which is an indoor activity. They keep their equipment along opposite walls. When it's time to work, they back the car out into the driveway, pull their tools front and center and get down to business.

Overhead and Ceiling Storage

Look up. The space over the car and above the garage door is prime real estate for things you use once or twice a year.

• Ceiling racks: Metal platforms (often 4 by 8 feet) that hang from the ceiling joists. Perfect for holiday decorations, camping gear and out-of-season bins. Bolt them into the joists, not just the drywall. Check the weight rating, and make sure there's clearance for the open garage door, its opener and the roof of your car (especially if you drive an SUV).
• Lofts: A wood or wire platform built 4 or 5 feet below the ceiling, along a wall. Store the things you rarely need in the back, and things like luggage and pet carriers up front where you can reach them.
• Ceiling hooks and pulley hoists: For kayaks, canoes, rafts and bikes. A pulley system lowers them with a rope, so nobody has to climb a ladder holding a kayak.

Keep overhead storage for lightweight, sealed bins, and use a sturdy step ladder to reach it.

Racks for Specific Gear

There's a rack for just about everything: bikes, balls, skis, golf clubs, fishing rods, kayaks. Most families don't need all of them. But if your family has a passion (and expensive equipment to match), it's worth giving it a proper home.

• Bikes: Vertical wall hooks (one per bike, hung by the front wheel), a horizontal wall rack or a ceiling hoist. Kids' bikes are light enough to hang low, where kids can reach them.
• Balls: A ball cage, bungee-cord bin or tall laundry basket. Basketballs, soccer balls and footballs all go in, and the kids can toss them in from across the garage. (They will.)
• Garden tools: A rack that holds long-handled tools head-up, or a trash can with the tools standing in it.
• Hoses: A wall-mounted hose reel.
• Extension cords: Coil them and hang each one on its own hook, or store them in a labeled bin.
• Skis and snowboards: A wall rack keeps them off the floor and the edges from getting nicked.

A friend of mine, Kimberli, has a family that's really into sports. One whole wall of their garage is a sports wall: bikes, skis and hockey sticks hang on sturdy hooks, balls go in bins along the bottom, gym bags sit on the counter packed with clean towels, and running shoes, hockey skates and hiking boots go in cubbies. A canoe and a rubber raft hang side by side from the ceiling. This is a family that's ready to play anytime. Tennis, anyone?

Bins and Containers

The garage is a dirty, dusty place, and it's open to bugs and mice. Protect anything that isn't sealed by storing it in plastic.

• Use clear, lidded plastic bins so you can see what's inside.
• Skip cardboard boxes. They soak up moisture, collapse and make cozy homes for mice.
• Buy the same size and brand so they stack neatly and fit your shelves.
• Label the front and the top, so you can read them whether they're on a shelf or stacked.
• Use a small parts organizer (the clear drawers sold for screws and nails) for hardware.
• Try wheeled bins for outdoor toys, so the kids can roll them out and roll them back.

A Workbench (If You'll Really Use It)

A workbench with pegboard above it and drawers or shelves below makes a great home base for tools and projects. But only build one if you'll actually use it. Otherwise, it becomes a 6-foot-long flat surface for collecting clutter. Short on space? A rolling tool cart or fold-down wall-mounted workbench gives you a workspace that tucks away.

What Not to Store in the Garage

The garage is tempting. Some things just don't belong there:

• Paper and photos: Heat and humidity curl, fade and mildew them. Keep important papers, old financial records and family photos inside.
• Clothing and bedding: Garages are often damp enough for mildew, and rats would love to nest in your expensive duvet. Let them find a B&B farther down the block.
• Food: Including extra potatoes, onions and pet food. Ants, mice and rats think a cool garage is a great pantry, too. If you must store pet food in the garage, keep it in a sealed metal or heavy plastic container.
• Wine: Temperatures swing too much.
• Paint: Latex paint is ruined if it freezes.
• Propane tanks: Keep them outside, never in an enclosed garage.
• Electronics: Heat, cold and humidity are hard on them.

For the full list, see my Garage Storage No-Nos.

Garage Storage on a Budget

You can get the floor clear for less than the cost of a fancy dinner out:

• A few heavy-duty wall hooks for bikes, ladders and chairs.
• One freestanding metal shelving unit.
• A sheet of pegboard and a hook kit.
• A set of matching clear bins.
• A big trash can for long-handled garden tools.
• A shoe organizer hung over the door to the house for small stuff: gloves, sunscreen, dog leashes and flashlights.

Shop garage sales and online marketplaces for used metal shelving and cabinets. Somebody else's garage makeover is your bargain.

Common Garage Storage Mistakes

• Buying storage before decluttering. You'll organize junk you should have tossed.
• Hanging heavy things on drywall alone. A shovel falling off the wall is annoying. A bike falling on your car is expensive.
• Forgetting the garage door. Ceiling racks and tall shelves have to clear the door and its tracks when it's open.
• Filling every shelf. Leave a little room to grow, or your new system will be overflowing by spring.
• Setting things directly on the floor. Water, snowmelt and spills ruin cardboard and rust metal. Raise things on shelves or pallets.
• Creating a system nobody can follow. If the kids can't put it back in 10 seconds, they won't.

Garage Storage Ideas: Quick Answers

What's the best way to store things in a garage?

Get as much as you can off the floor. Use shelves for bins, wall hooks and rails for bikes and long-handled tools, and ceiling racks for things you use once or twice a year. Store items you use most often closest to the door.

What's the cheapest garage storage?

Heavy-duty wall hooks, a freestanding metal shelving unit, pegboard and clear plastic bins. You can clear most of the floor for under $200.

Is pegboard or slatwall better?

Pegboard is cheaper and great for hand tools. Slatwall costs more but holds heavier items, looks cleaner and makes it easier to rearrange. Neither is strong enough for bikes. Those go on hooks screwed into studs.

Are overhead garage storage racks safe?

Yes, if they're bolted into the ceiling joists, loaded within their weight limit and placed so they clear the garage door and your car. Use them for lightweight bins, not heavy tools.

How do you store bikes in a garage?

Hang them vertically on heavy-duty wall hooks screwed into studs, use a horizontal wall rack or lift them to the ceiling with a pulley hoist. Hang kids' bikes low so they can reach them.

Keep Going

Finish the garage, and the rest of the house, with these related guides:

• How to Organize a Garage: Declutter, clean and store it all.
• Garage Storage No-Nos: What never belongs in the garage.
• Garage Cleaning With Kids: Put the whole family to work.
• Garage Chores for Kids by Age: Sweep, sort and stay safe.
• How to Organize Storage: Without losing track of what you own.
• Entryway Organizing Tips: Stop clutter at the door.
• How to Clean and Organize Your Car: A family guide.
• How to Declutter Your Home: Room by room, without losing it.