Combat Garage Clutter

One great way to get a start on spring cleaning is to create more room to get around in your garage. I find that the clutter in my life spills into an overflow cabinet in the garage. After a while, you can’t get at your tools, bicycles, and–in my case–the washer and dryer.

The Times Union

I found two great articles on de-cluttering the garage in my Web journeys this week. Putting in suspended shelving is a terrific idea, and the steps are spelled out simply at Reader’s Digest. If you have a foot and a half of clearance along the wall atop the garage door, you can build a suspended shelf strong enough to hold foot-tall plastic storage bins.

The key is to anchor the shelf along a series of three joists to distribute the weight. Then, if your bikes are too heavy for the standard hook-in the-wall solution, Reader’s Digest suggests adding a $30 Hoist Monster (ProStar) and yanking your two-wheeled rides on a pulley. Cool idea.

Half-day De-Clutter Renovation

The Do It Yourself Network has a $200-$500 project that takes less than a day to install a wire-grid wall storage system between a pair of joists. I like the idea of ventilated shelving in the garage.

For the project, you install rails with screws and anchors, add uprights and brackets, then snap in the shelves and cover the tips of the wire with end caps. Any sensible way to get stuff off the floor and open out garage space is a winner.

Opening up the space and working along the walls gives you ample opportunity to examine your structure in fresh light. If you have trouble with dry rot, here’s a simple way to handle repairs. And while you’re clearing clutter, here’s a solution for the bathroom.