Instagram iconInstagram icon
Facebook iconFacebook icon
pinterest iconpinterest icon
YouTube iconYouTube icon
Tiktok iconTiktok icon
LTK iconLTK icon

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits

Any time is a good time to organize your garage to improve its functionality, but fall might be the best time. To help get your storage game dialed in before winter weather hits, we’re taking you through our top 7 fall garage organization tips that you can start today!

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.

Our garage serves a lot of purposes. On any given day, it might be a space for woodworking, bicycle repairs, or potting plants. Oh, and if we’re lucky, we also park our car in there! Since the garage needs to act as an efficient workspace when the weather is rough, we also need to be able to keep it relatively clean. This presents a bit of a challenge during Chicago winters when salty sludge tends to cling to everything!

So we tackled our garage blues early this year, and we’ll be much better prepared with a garage designed to stand up to the nastiest weather while remain functional. We found every last organizational tool online at Lowe’s, filled our virtual shopping cart, and I proceeded to act like a child on Christmas morning when the delivery pulled up. Lowe’s to the rescue! Below, I’m sharing the 7 (plus!) ways we’ve prepped for our home’s workhorse for the inevitable winter season.

1| Store Less Stuff

Storage solutions are great, but the easiest way to make more storage space is to store less stuff! It seems simple, yet it remains to be a challenge for us, and maybe you, too? Consider this a friendly reminder to donate or recycle items that are stealing your valuable garage space. Eliminating clutter makes for easier storage and provides easier access to the things that get used frequently.

A navy blue garage // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner
Tool organization // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

To make the process of donating unneeded items even easier, we cleared out an entire cabinet so we have a dedicated space to store items until we have enough stuff for a run to the charity shop. (Who else loves an empty cabinet?) We’ve also gotten into the habit of passing things that Lucy has outgrown along to our friends and neighbors with younger kiddos. When we get to keep things out of a landfill and our friends get to save money, everyone wins!

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

2| Think Vertically

When we reorganized our indoor workshop, we were blown away by the quality of our Gladiator products. This inspired us to outfit almost an entire wall with GearWall panels to allow for tons of modular vertical storage. It’s… beautiful.

A wall os Gladiator Gear Wall panels // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

Using these bike hooks, we were able to get all of our bicycles up off the floor and within reach:

Gear Wall bike hooks // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

We also used an assortment of hooks and baskets to hang our outdoor power tools and other gadgets. When organizing the wall, we placed large items near the bottom. Our most-used items are near eye level and rarely-used things are higher up on the wall. The goal is to be able to grab things quickly and easily and the GearWall makes it simple!

A wall of Gladiator Gear Wall with tools hanging from it // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

3| Look Up!

In addition to the huge amount of vertical wall storage that the GearWall panels allow, we also installed this Fleximounts overhead storage system in the rafters, which, game changer!

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner
7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

This kit offers 32 sq. ft. of deep storage for things we don’t need to access often, but still need to have on hand. It’s currently occupied by our tile saw and the plastic sheeting that we use to protect surfaces during painting and demo. Over the winter, it will likely hold our patio umbrella and outdoor rugs. This clever solution stores an unbelievable amount of stuff!

Pro tip: If you’ll be installing the kit above an area where you park a vehicle frequently, ensure there is enough vertical clearance for rear hatches and roof mounted antennas.

4| Increase Brightness to Increase Productivity

Shorter days will be upon us soon and nothing kills a productive day of projects quicker than running out of daylight! To ensure that we can keep working long after the sun goes down, we installed plug-in LED shop lights throughout the garage.

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

While we were at it, the one switched light in the space was replaced in favor of this hard-wired LED light. In case we need more concentrated light, this portable Craftsman work light will lend a helping hand! We always say, ‘lighting changes everything’. In this case, even we can’t believe how additional light has improved the usability of the garage! We now have a task light for every quadrant of the garage, including above the workbench. This will come in so handy as the days get shorter.

A .gif of all the garage lights turning on, one by one // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

5| Group Similar Items Together

We’ve always found that the easiest way to access tools and supplies is to store like items together. In the case of the garage, we’ve organized most of our bicycle-related items on the left side of the GearWall. ​​​​​​​Our pump, hitch mounted bike carrier and helmets all have a dedicated spot to keep them up and out of the way:

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner
7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

​​​The right side of the GearWall stores mostly woodworking and outdoor power tools. Keeping like items together and close at hand makes us very, very happy. Everything in its’ right place, ya know?

6| Store it Behind Closed Doors

In addition to storing like items together on the gearwall, we’ve done the same in our new closed storage cabinets. We’ve swapped out our former open shelving system in favor of two 36″ x 72″ x 24″ Jumbo Gearboxes on the right side of the workbench. These two cabinets contain power tools, car parts, and the covers for all of our outdoor furniture. The elimiation of visual chaos is mind-blowing, like a huge sigh of relief.

Gladiator cabinets for the garage // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

To the left of the workbench, we’ve installed one 36″ x 72″ 18″ large Gearbox that holds outdoor and plant-related items like soil, fertilizer and grass seed. We try to avoid making wood cuts inside the closed garage, but it’s sometime inevitable in the winter. Shifting things inside closed storage will keep everything protected from sawdust as well as winter sludge.

Gladiator cabinets opening and closing // 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

7| Wheels + Reels

Heavy items that can’t be stored vertically can benefit from wheeled and/or folding storage. We upgraded to this folding miter saw stand to allow for easy storage under our DIY lumber racks. (There are also a few photos of our garage from waaaaay back in that link. WHOA. We’ve come a long way!) To keep cords off of the floor, we also mounted this retractable cord reel to the central ceiling beam. It’s unbelievable how happy this gadget makes me.

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner
7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

Bonus| Add Some Quirk!

Every room needs a little quirk, a chance for your personality to shine through, and the garage is no exception. If you’re an avid DIYer, you’ll be spending a lot of time in the garage, and we follow this general rule: Add a thing that makes you smile. The quirkier, the better!

7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

Our Lowe’s Picks for an Organized Garage

A round up of the items we got at Lowe's to organize our garage! 7 Garage Organization Tips Before Winter Hits! via Yellow Brick Home with Lowe's Home Improvement #lowespartner

1. Gladiator Jumbo Gearbox | 2. Kobalt folding miter saw stand | 3. Lithonia plug-in LED shop light | 4. retractable cord reel | 5. portable Craftsman work light | 6. GearWall panels | 7. Gladiator vertical bike hook | 8. Gladiator accessory starter kit | 9. Fleximounts overhead storage system

Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

  • Erin10.28.19 - 7:22 AM

    I was so excited when we had double height ceilings in our garage until the builder said based on the materials they use, he wouldn’t recommend hanging anything from our ceiling I was so bummed. But we’re utilizing the walls as much as possible! ReplyCancel

  • MC10.28.19 - 9:35 AM

    This is intense!  Intensely awesome…but also a time investment…how long did this take you all?  Very inspired:>ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.28.19 - 9:46 AM

      Scott worked on it for a few hours a week over the course of a month! Little by little…ReplyCancel

  • Jess10.28.19 - 10:56 AM

    This looks great! But also looks EXPENSIVE! Would love some ideas for similar functionality at a lower price point ReplyCancel

    • Scott10.28.19 - 11:13 AM

      Thanks Jess! We’re really happy with how it all turned out. Since we plan to be in this home for a VERY long time, we looked at this project as a long-term investment. We selected items that were very well built and had great product warranties. This post from a few years ago featured some budget solutions like pegboard and open shelving that was very functional for our needs at the time. Hope this helps!ReplyCancel

  • AmandaKB10.28.19 - 4:42 PM

    I love everything about this.  I’m in the middle of converting our entry/mudroom into a tiny “garage.”  (Eventually, we’ll build a real one.  At least that’s what I tell myself.)  Thanks for the ideas!  Also, I love the dinosaur.  And as a proud PA resident, go penguins! :)ReplyCancel

    • Scott10.28.19 - 8:00 PM

      Thanks for the kind words and good luck with the mudroom project. Let’s go Pens!ReplyCancel

  • Laura10.28.19 - 5:12 PM

    We don’t have a garage so I’m jealous of all the bike storage! We want a tandem bike so badly but it would literally take up our whole Baltimore row house so I’ll just live vicariously through you. But I have to know, who rides the unicycle?? ReplyCancel

    • Scott10.28.19 - 7:58 PM

      The bike storage is crucial! Nobody rides the unicycle YET. It’s a vintage Schwinn that I found at a yard sale for $5, so I couldn’t pass it up. The plan was to play around on it this summer, but life got in the way. I’ll get on it someday!ReplyCancel

  • Carolyn10.28.19 - 8:32 PM

    Ummmmm this is freaking gorgeous. Garage storage of my dreams!ReplyCancel

  • Marleen10.28.19 - 10:41 PM

    This is awesome! Can you tell me what you used to hang your car topper?  We have a Thule that takes up so much space. We bought a kayak hanger but don’t love the solution. Yours looks better and easier! ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.29.19 - 8:34 AM

      Hi Marleen! Scott just used threaded pipe (like the kind that people make curtain rods out of ????) and bolted it to the wall!ReplyCancel

  • Jessica10.28.19 - 11:34 PM

    Exactly the kind of inspiration I needed! We’ve been slowly cleaning up and organizing our garage this summer gearing up for winter! Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll definitely utilize your tips! ReplyCancel

  • Stephanie11.16.19 - 2:55 PM

    You guys are so on top of everything! I can’t keep up with you.  I’m envious! We did not get to tackle the garage as much as I would have liked to this year. Now we have snow that’s sticking around already! Wondering…How do you store winter salt for your steps and driveway? Do you use a bin? Do you have a favourite snow shovel you’d recommend? Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • Scott11.18.19 - 10:01 AM

      Hi Stephanie! We don’t usually use salt since our pups have old and sensitive paw pads. Since we work from home, it just requires me to shovel more frequently. As far as shovels go, I prefer a tried-and-true wood handle shovel like this one. I keep one by the front door and one by the back door to make the chore as quick and painless as possible. Hope this helps!ReplyCancel

  • Stephanie11.16.19 - 4:54 PM

    I’d love to see a roundup post of all your favourite tools/machines etc. that you store in your garage: lawn care stuff as well as DIY/carpentry type tools.ReplyCancel

  • Theresa11.19.22 - 11:07 AM

    Thank you for this. I found a lot of good ideas, especially with the Gladiator rails. Love the blue cabinets too. ReplyCancel

Let's be Pen Pals

Our Pen Pals have direct access to first looks, a peek behind-the-scenes, and exclusive interviews showcasing members of the #YBHDIY community. We can’t wait to connect with you!

Kim and Scott

We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

Join us as we renovate and nurture vintage homes across Chicago + SW Michigan!

Instagram iconInstagram icon
Facebook iconFacebook icon
pinterest iconpinterest icon
YouTube iconYouTube icon
Tiktok iconTiktok icon
LTK iconLTK icon

LEt's be Pen Pals

Subscribe for first looks, behind-the-scenes, and exclusive community content

/* footer flodesk form */

This site uses affiliate links. We will always disclose sponsored posts in the text and by using the ‘sponsored' tag.

© 2024 Yellow Brick Home. | All Rights Reserved. | PRIVACY POLICY