Utilizing your garage for storage always seems like a great idea — until there’s no room left to park your car!

If your garage is no longer used for housing your vehicle and has turned into one huge storage unit, you’re not alone. It’s definitely tempting to take advantage of this space for storing odds and ends. And many homeowners do!

But without an organization method in place, using your garage for storage can go sideways fast. Unfortunately, your garage is usually last on your home renovation checklist and gets the least attention in the home.

If your garage could use a makeover, here are a few storage solutions that you can implement to take control of the clutter — and free up some space for your car!

Make use of vertical space.

It’s natural to just put things on the floor, but if you want to have an organized garage, that can’t be your storage strategy. Making use of vertical wall space is your best bet and there are a few ways to do it.

If you’re trying to tackle tools and gardening equipment, installing a wood or peg board with hooks is a great option. This allows you to hang up your rake, saw, shovel, and any other tools to steal back some floor space. With the hanging method, everything has a designated space so it also encourages you to put things back where they belong.

But if boxes are your problem, cabinets may be the better solution. With proper garage cabinetry, you can move away from those stackable storage bins filled with unknown items and start putting things away by category. Imagine having all of your gift wrapping supplies in one organized drawer and finding your holiday decorations sorted behind one cabinet door. With this approach, your cabinet pulls and knobs will be the only thing stand between you and the items you need. I don’t know about you — but pulling out a drawer or opening a cabinet door sounds much better than digging through boxes to me.

Switch to only clear containers.

Dark grey and black bins always felt like the right choice for garage storage but besides being discreet they are really terrible storage solutions. Like I mentioned before, you never know what’s inside and once you find out, you still have to dig through them to find your buried treasure. Clear bins are the much better option, as they give you a clear view into what’s inside. Switch out your existing storage containers to their clear counterparts so you can stop digging and start living.

Tap into your ceiling for extra storage.

There is a slot of space between your garage door and ceiling when it is opened. You can utilize this empty area for storing lightweight, rarely used items like a roof ladder or your winter skis. Just mount some metal brackets that can support what your storing and let your garage ceiling serve as an extra storage space.

Consolidate your garbage and recycling bins.

Between garbage cans and recycling bins, trash can really take up a lot of space in a garage. Rather than keeping these containers side by side, buy or build a rolling cart that allows you to consolidate these items. Storing these containers on vertical shelves will help you save space but keeping them on a rolling cart also makes it easier to take them out to the curb on trash day. Double win!