El Dorado Hills Garage Door Repair

Tag: Garage storage

  • Garages are Often Meant to Store Things, So Let’s Be Efficient!

    Let’s face it, our garages often collect things – and not always in the most organized fashion. Why should we be wasting what very well may be the largest room in our home? Thankfully there are several modern tips, tricks, and gadgets to clean up the garage and help you and your family get the most out of your storage space.

    Make Use of the Walls

    There are a multitude of useful garage wall organizers out there. And few of them will break the bank. Mount a tool storage rack to organize lawn care or household cleaning tools. For automotive or crafting tools – consider installing a pegboard for the more traditional workshop look. And don’t forget to think outside the box; you can always install indoor closet shelving in your garage to hang that bulk winter clothing during the summer months. Storage options that normally go in a house closet can absolutely be used in the garage.

    Sports Equipment and Garages Mix Well

    If you have a family, chances are you have bicycles. And maybe lots of them. And it starts to get old either seeing them laying in the yard, or tripping over them in the garage. We have many clever options to easily store the family bicycles in the garage. There are even more options for those of us that take to the waters. Whether you are into kayaking, canoeing, or anything else – there is a rack to store your gear. Check out the options to see if a wall-mount or more ceiling-mounted approach works best in your particular situation.

    Shelves and More Shelves

    Can’t go wrong with the classic approach. Garage shelves are the original organizer. Old as garages themselves. Line your unused garage walls with some shelves and you’ll quickly triple your storage space, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg, depending. For most shelving options, you pay for what you get. Go for shelving with a wide, sturdy base if you plan on loading it up. If you want mobility, consider units that have wheels. In any case, you can’t go wrong with traditional shelves.

  • Is Your Garage Still a Disorganized Mess? You Need These Shelves

    In our recent blog, “Never Store These 8 Items in Your Garage,” we went over which items would be better off elsewhere, (hazardous materials, electronics, wooden furniture). There are still plenty of items: tools, toys, garden supplies, camping equipment and such, that are perfectly fine to store in your garage space. It can be easy for your garage to become a catch-all, however, where all the items you can’t find a spot for inside tend to congregate, collect dust, and clutter your garage to the point of pushing your cars to be parked in the driveway. Not ideal.

    Professional organizer Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize 365, has a solution to prevent your garage from becoming a hot mess, and it’s simple as can be: shelves. Nothing groundbreaking, everyone has shelves in their garage, you might think. But we’re talking about a specific brand and model of shelves that anyone can assemble (without tools), that are easy to move and easy to clean.

    Best of all, the specific model and size she recommends easily accommodates large plastic bins, instead of being a tad too short or shallow. At the edge of your seat? OK. They are (drumroll please): the Gray 5-Tier Plastic Garage Storage Shelving Unit (36 in. W x 72 in. H x 24 in. D) by HDX, which fortunately or unfortunately can only be found at Home Depot. Be sure to purchase the model that is 24 in. deep, not 18 in.

    With so many people redirecting their focus to home remodeling and organization projects this year, due to the pandemic, these shelves have been flying off the … shelves. One Home Depot employee said their weekly shipments of these specific shelves are gone within a day. No problem, since you can easily have them shipped. (The cost of shipping is worth it, if you are itching to get organized.)

    If you are an avid gardener, these shelves are especially helpful when hosing things down. You can stack two out of the three levels and use them as a platform for spraying and disinfecting pots, saucers and tools. You can use the taller stack as a drying rack, and when you’re finished, remove the heavy items, drag back into the garage, restack and stock them back up.

    A few other tips: Lisa recommends decluttering and grouping like items together before analyzing your space and purchasing organizational items like shelves and bins, but these shelves are a bit of an exception. They’re perfect for sorting items until you figure things out. She also suggests choosing clear bins so that you can quickly take inventory or find what you’re looking for. Listen to her podcast on tackling “hot mess rooms” here: How To Declutter Your Hot Mess Room 2020

  • Never Store These 8 Items in Your Garage

    Wish your garage was better organized? Join the club. In a garage industry survey, 1 in 4 people reported being frustrated with the state of their garage — and these frustrations had little to do with garage door repair. Most people use their garages for storage, and the mess gets out of hand, fast.

    This summer may be the perfect time to get the mess under control. There are some things you simply shouldn’t store in your garage: they may be too hazardous and pose a safety issue, may be bulky and take up extra space, may be just plain useless, or could get in the way of a closing garage door, causing your door to go off track and need expensive repairs.

    Here are 8 things you really shouldn’t be storing in your garage. Clean them out, and you’ll be amazed how roomy your garage suddenly feels. Who knows? Maybe you’ll actually get all your vehicles to fit safely inside, with room for a lawn mower.

    Hazardous Materials

    We sometimes don’t think about the things we put in our garage. That can be a mistake, especially when it comes to hazardous materials like flammables and toxic materials. Take that propane tank you use for your grill. That’s practically a bomb waiting to go off. Other things like rat poison really shouldn’t be stored out in the open (especially if you have pets) , even if you’re trying to fix that rat problem. Keep propane, gas, and other flammable materials stored safely outside. Rat poison should always be stowed in a place pets won’t be able to reach.

    Leftover Paint

    Anytime you paint something, you’ll probably have a little left over paint. Let’s face it. That paint can come in handy when you need to do touch ups if you burst a pipe in a wall, a kid destroys the paint in the living room, or the paint on your garage door is starting to chip and could use a touch up or repair. But extreme temperatures like what we often see during the summers in El Dorado Hills, California can ruin the consistency of paint. In fact, if it gets hot enough, you might even ruin the unopened cans. Always store paint in a cool dry place. If your garage isn’t temperature controlled or you don’t have an insulated garage door installed, you’ll need to keep that paint stored safely somewhere else where it’s dry and cool.

    Important Documents

    Do you store tax records, banking statements, and financial documents in your garage? Keep in mind you are exposing these documents to vastly changing temperatures, potential leaks and mold issues. The last thing when you pull out an important document or treasured photo memory is to see it warped, chewed up by mice, or soaked with water and mildew.

    Store these documents inside where it’s cool and dry. Buy yourself a filing cabinet where you can not only store it safely but it’s much easier to organize.

    Wooden Furniture

    If your garage isn’t temperature and humidity controlled, you’re playing a risky game by storing wooden furniture in your garage. Extreme temperatures can cause the wood to crack, warp and mold.

    Are you planning to refinish that chair, bookcase or dresser? Keep the item stored in a cool dry place like an extra bedroom or basement. Otherwise you’ll be hauling that item to the trash because your garage absolutely ruined it.

    Electronics

    Got some old electronics — TVs, computers, stereo equipment you’re holding onto just in case that new one suddenly dies on you? Because of the fluctuating temperatures of a garage, those electronics may turn out to be pure junk when you’re ready to use them. Always store electronics inside, perhaps in a closet, attic or basement.

    Wine

    Wine is a sensitive thing of beauty. Extreme heat or cold can cause wine corks to expand and even pop, ruining the precious wine inside. That expensive wine you’re saving for a rainy day may be a pure mess by the time you decide to treat yourself to a special occasion. Always store wine in a cool dry place like a closet, wine rack, or basement.

    Second Refrigerator

    We get it. A second fridge comes in handy, especially if you have a family. But if you store your fridge in a hot garage, that fridge will have to work extra hard during El Dorado Hills intense heat waves. You’ll see it in your electric bill. To avoid paying out the nose, always store the fridge inside your house in an out of the way place like a basement.

    Food

    Canned food may seem perfectly safe, but the temperature fluctuations in your garage can do a number on expiration dates. Anything over 85 degrees can make the food go bad — even Grandma’s canned peaches. Keep food safely stored inside. If you have too many cans, it might be time to donate to a local food bank.