20 Creative Garage Storage Ideas

Create a Shelving System

A garage shelving system can store many different types of items, including toys, painting supplies, tools, and cleaning supplies. You can buy a prefabricated shelving system, which can come with shelves, cabinets, and more. Or DIY your own solution with utility shelving and labeled plastic storage containers. 

Garage Organization by From Rookie to Rock Star

Use Bungee Cords to Secure Items to the Wall

Is there anything in the world more useful than bungee cords? Here, they make a quick and cost-effective storage solution for sports balls in the garage. Just hook them around some wood framing, and they'll keep the balls stored vertically up and off the garage floor. Yet the balls are still right at your fingertips for when you want to play.

Bungee Storage by Designed to Dwell

Mount Bikes on the Wall

Free up garage floor space by storing bikes on wall hooks. This garage storage idea makes use of what's often dead vertical space. It also makes it easy to take down one bike at a time, rather than trying to get one out from the bottom of a bike pile. Hooks can be arranged for bikes of all sizes.

Wall Ride by Yellow Brick Home

Use Labeled Bins for Toys

Large toy storage, such as bikes and sports balls, probably doesn't need labeling because you can see exactly what you have. But smaller items, such as toy trucks and jump ropes, would benefit from their own labeled containers. Otherwise, they might get lost in the vast garage space. Consider labeled buckets or other containers that are easy to pick up and take to where you want to use the items—e.g., a bucket of sidewalk chalk you can bring straight to your driveway.

Organizing Outside Toys by Domestic Charm

Affix a Magnet to a Hammer to Hold Nails

Hammers and nails aren't always stored together in the garage. So if you just have to quickly pop in a nail somewhere, the process of finding the items you need can take longer than the actual task itself. To make things easier on yourself, affix a magnet to the bottom of your hammer that will hold a few nails. That way, you just have to grab the tool and go.

Tool Tips for Crafty Chicks by Dream a Little Bigger

Use PVC Pipe to Store Tools

Storing gardening tools, such as rakes and shovels, can be a pain. If you don't secure them against a wall, they often fall over and end up in a pile on the floor. And this is both unsafe and ugly. An inexpensive and effective solution is to secure them to the wall with PVC pipe. Simply cut pieces of pipe, and add them to wooden crosspieces. Then, slide the tools' long handles through the pipes to keep them out of the way but still at your disposal.

DIY Garden Tool Storage by Newly Woodwards

Install a Slat Wall

No garage workstation is complete without a wall storage system. And a slat wall is both a stylish and functional way to keep your items organized. The grid makes it easy to customize the storage wall for what you actually use in your garage. You can add small baskets, hooks, and more to have your items hanging at your fingertips.

Workshop Space Organization by A Beautiful Mess

Hang Metal Folding Chairs

Metal folding chairs are great to have when you need them (e.g., for picnics, parties, and other gatherings). But they can be a terrible pain to store. By affixing deep hooks to the wall of your garage, you can hang chairs up and out of the way. That way, you won't have to worry about accidentally knocking over a stack on your garage floor. And you can easily take the number of chairs you need down as occasions call for them.

Garage Organization by House Organization

Hang Bikes From the Ceiling

Many garage storage ideas have to do with maximizing wall storage space. But the ceiling is an option too. Bikes hang well from the ceiling, which gets them up and out of the way. Depending on the ceiling height and your height, you might not even need a ladder to hang them. This is an especially good option for climates where you won’t be using your bikes during the icy and snowy months of the year. 

Use Small Drawers for Loose Items

Garages tend to become the storage spot for lots of small, loose items, including nails, washers, electrical cords, and more. Invest in a set of small drawers to sort and store these items. Either use clear drawers, so you’re able to see exactly what’s in there. Or add a label to each drawer front.

Hang Tools on Pegboard

Pegboard is seen in many garages for good reason. It’s an incredibly versatile wall storage solution, and it can get clunky and oddly shaped items out of the way while still at your fingertips. Plus, it’s sturdy enough for everything from small tools like screwdrivers to large rakes and brooms. You can even hang baskets filled with sporting gear or gardening items on your pegboard.

Group Small Tools

Many households have multiple versions of the same tool like screwdrivers. Rather than having these duplicate tools scattered throughout your home, consider storing them in a central location in your garage. That way, you’ll always know where they are, and you’ll easily be able to find the version you need to get the job done.

Add a Workbench

A workbench can make all the difference in the organization and function of a garage—as long as you don’t just throw clutter on its surface. You can use the workbench as a temporary spot for items you need to sort and put away, so they don’t get lost. And you can add drawers and other storage underneath. 

Add Adjustable Shelving

Adjustable shelving can be a game-changer for garage storage. Many items kept in garages are odd sizes or shapes and can’t be stored in standard boxes and bins. But you generally will be able to find shelving that accommodates them. Plus, you can raise the lowest shelf high enough to tuck a lawnmower, a snowblower, or other equipment under it to get it out of the way. 

Hang Ladders

Like bikes, ladders can be a pain to maneuver around if you just stack them on the garage floor. So secure them to the wall with hooks instead. That way, they won’t accidentally tip over and dent your car or knock over other items. Yet they’re still easy to access when you need them. 

Get a Ball Rack

Garages tend to acquire an assortment of sports balls. Storing them in some kind of bin is an option, but that means you’ll have to dig around to find the ball you want. A ball rack removes that dilemma. You can keep all your equipment sorted in neat rows. And the profile of the rack is narrow enough that it will easily fit against a garage wall, leaving plenty of room for you to park your car.

Add a Potting Bench

Unless you have a designated garden shed, the garage is where many gardening items end up. And these items are often small and oddly shaped, such as trowels, gardening gloves, and dirt, making them difficult to store. Consider investing in a potting bench to store everything you need in one place. There are even benches that have wheels, so you can easily push them outside to do your potting.

Hang Helmets

Give your bike helmets a proper storage home. Simply install some wall hooks, and hang your helmets at your fingertips. It sure beats them hanging on a bike's handlebars where they can easily get knocked off. (Plus, hanging them on the handlebars via their straps can wear out the straps.) For kids, install hooks at a lower height, so they can retrieve their own helmets.

Add a Shoe Rack or Hooks

Shoe piles are a common issue in garages. You take off dirty shoes to avoid tracking the dirt into the house, and then the pileup begins. Prevent this by having a storage solution for such shoes already in place. You might not want to keep all your shoes in the garage; maybe you just need storage for athletic shoes and boots. Look for a shoe rack or hooks that meet your needs.

Install Storage Cubbies

Storage cubbies are an excellent way to organize clunky items. In the garage, they're a great spot for helmets, work gloves and other protective equipment, shoes, and more. They give off a neat appearance and keep everything easily accessible. Plus, they come in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit your storage needs.