Being organized is a great feeling, and we all want to feel organized in our daily lives. Many of us try to organize our homes by putting things in cupboards and on shelves. We even assign items a specific space with genuine intentions of decluttering our lives.
So, when you declutter the rooms inside your home, where does the extra stuff go?
The three most common places are goodwill, the trash and the garage. In fact, the garage is the most common dumping ground for the clutter or stuff we do not want or have room for inside our main living spaces. When was the last time you parked your car in the garage, or were able to walk through your garage? If the answer is ‘I can’t remember’ or 'it’s been too long', then it’s time to reclaim your garage.
What are you supposed to do with all the stuff that’s now accumulated in your garage?
Some folks make large donations to goodwill or they sell some of their clutter by hosting a garage sale... but odds are they won’t do away with all of their clutter...nor do they necessarily want to. Let's be 100% honest - If you really wanted to get rid of all your stuff, you would have disposed of it a long time ago.
For most people, their clutter is the stuff that has meaning and value to them, but they don’t have room for it in their main living spaces. These items are often only used at certain times of the year, and just get in the way when not needed. For example, you may not need those Christmas decorations or your snowboard in the summer, but you will when winter rolls around again. Your patio furniture and bikes are of little use in the winter season, but come spring, summer and fall, they are key items.
The common garage organization solutions people use to help solve their clutter problem are cabinets, shelving, and organizational units. There are even custom garage storage systems that people invest in to try to get the most of their garage space. Over the years we’ve learned a few tricks about maximizing garage storage space, such as:
Making the most of your garage space is great, but we often find that even when you use storage tricks and hacks like the ones above, there still isn’t enough space in your garage for what’s supposed to be in the garage, especially if your goal is to park your car in there! If you find yourself in this situation, consider a self-storage unit!
A self-storage unit can be your offsite garage, especially for seasonal items.
There are so many seasonal items that take up precious space in your home, garage and even drive way. Self storage is a great garage storage solution for a motorcycle, classic car, boat, canoe, jet-ski, snowblower, outdoor recreational items, bikes, scooters, kids play equipment and sports equipment.
Many also use self storage for seasonal clothing, footwear and outerwear. Self storage is especially great for storing winter items - shovels, skis, snowboards, snow mobiles, sleds, Christmas decorations and bulky winter clothing. By using a self-storage unit for your seasonal storage needs, you’ll consistently create and have more space in your garage for the things you need or want in there all of the time (like your car) and important seasonal items (like your bikes in the summer, or snowblower in the winter).
Did you know that one of the fastest and easiest ways to protect your car is to park it in the garage? It is true! Parking your car in your garage helps protect it from:
We love mother nature, but sometimes she has a mind of her own. Living in Southwestern Ontario, we are well-versed in all thing's 'snow' and wild winter weather. Finding our vehicles buried in snow and ice is not uncommon. We have firsthand experience of the pain endured when needing to dig & scrape...and dig & scrape...and dig & scrape...you know what we are talking about. If you reclaim your garage and park your car inside it, you'll only need to shovel your driveway before you can drive off safely. Another bonus to parking in your garage over parking in your driveway, is less salt getting on the outside and inside of your vehicle. It stains and is corrosive.
Parking your car in the garage helps protect it from vandalism, accidental damage and theft. When just sitting in your driveway for long periods of time, it is exposed and vulnerable. The simple and easy act of parking it in the garage (with the garage door closed & locked), keeps it out of sight and out of harms way. In Canada, a vehicle is stolen every 5 minutes - that is scary stuff! In 2022, vehicle thefts reached historical highs with a 48% increase in Ontario. Learn more, including the top 10 vehicles stolen in Canada. And if that is not reason enough to make room in your garage for your car, local law enforcement have been regularly advising the public to park their vehicles inside their garage as a key safety precaution. Here are some vehicle theft prevention tips from Halton Police.
If you need help making room in your garage for your car, renting a self-storage unit is a fast, easy, and affordable solution. Our outdoor 8x20 drive up units are the perfect size to store what's in your garage.
There are many different sizes of storage units to accommodate how much stuff you’d like to move out of your garage (or home). Our locations in Milton and Woodstock offer a wide variety of sizes.
Not sure what size storage unit you need for garage storage? Check out our sizing & pricing page for more information and our comparable size chart to help you determine the optimal size to rent for your self storage needs.
And don't forget to check out our discounts, for the latest deals and special offers on storage unit rentals at our Milton self-storage facility and Woodstock self-storage facility.
If it’s time to reclaim your garage, contact us about using a self-storage unit to help you with your garage storage needs. We take pride in making renting easy and touch-free!
And if you have any garage organization tips or garage storage ideas, we hope you’ll share them.
Your friend in self-storage,
Storage Solutions
