Ahhh, summer is essentially over as we started school this week! Our garage transformation is now officially in its final phase. We’re patiently await the arrival of our new  garage cabinet storage system. I can hardly wait to finish the transformation to the left side of the garage. In the meantime, I decided to do some pre-organizing to move the project along and feel a sense of accomplishment even if it’s a small step. . Have you noticed that the cleanest garages belong to your most Type A friends?

Am I right?

One of the best mood lifters is to clean and organize something, even if it’s a junk drawer! 

And, what better way to organize than with plastic bins? The best part? I’m really happy to report that we cleaned up all the garage clutter in under 15 minutes! 

Organize garage clutter: Tips to help you organize

If you’re wondering what we have in our garage, let me tell you! Half of the garage is full of gallons of old paint, paint accessories, gardening tools, Travis’ tool box and a variety of tool accessories, and all kinds of glue, spackle and caulking. We also have moving boxes full of extension cords and lightbulbs. Car wash sponges, soap and accessories round out the list and add to the clutter. Whew! 

So, I went on a mission to find a storage solution that would fit into our newly awaited garage cabinets.

Here are a few tips: 

1. Put  like items together in a pile and categorize  the items you have. 
2.   Assess the plastic bin size you need to hold that category. For example, Travis loves to hoard super glue and caulking. So, after putting them into one single pile, I knew exactly what size bin I needed.
3. Use bins that are ALL clear! I found these at The Home Depot and I was super excited. Gone are the days when  the plastic bin lid is a solid color. Now, they are clear so you can easily see what’s inside from the top too! 
4. Measure the height of the bins you need too. In addition to volume, the height and width determines what kind and size of the bin you need. 
5. And a VERY important note is to make sure your bin will FIT on the storage shelf! 

My biggest pet peeve is when I can’t fit the plastic bin perfectly on the shelf. If it’s too narrow, my bins fall off. If it’s too wide, I feel like I’m wasting space.

Organize garage clutter: Great time to save!

Currently, The Home Depot has a great organizational and storage solutions sale! I was stoked because I desperately needed to finish this garage before Fall arrives. Everything I bought is 30% off now until Sunday, August 25, 2019. I love it when my projects coincide with a sale. It makes me want to do the happy dance all day!

We started this project in May and my goal was to finish by the time school started. Welp, school started this week! Eek! Time to finish this project stat! So I’m really happy that we have at least  two Home Depot stores nearby. I got all the plastic bins I needed without too much guesswork. Pre-planning really does help!

Another reason why I chose plastic bins to organize the garage is their durability. You can get them wet or dirty and it’s easy to dry off and clean. So, it’s the perfect solution to store snow boots and rain shoes/boots. This is especially important as we go to Seattle often and we need to bring certain shoes as we go skiing, and of course it rains, so rain shoes are a must! 

As a designer, I have many styling props and decorating items from client projects and photo shoots. So, I’ve accumulated A LOT of textiles and pillows over the years.

I found that plastic bins are a wonderful way to store decor because it keeps moths and bugs away. You can also stack them neatly in a narrow closet or space way up high if needed. My guest bedroom closet is literally stacked full of pillows and blankets. 

As for the laundry space, I needed some easy and accessible bins for the countertops too. The baskets on the open shelving are perfect for extra laundry detergent, irons, cleaning accessories and extra back-up cleaning solutions. However, for my daily usage, I needed something I could reach right away. 

I found these flex bins to be extremely useful! Because it is flexible, I can pull it smoothly from the farther side of the countertop towards me easily. It is also something you can use if you have a tight space like a cabinet drawer or shelf under the bathroom sink. You can literally squish it and still have it be useful. Whereas a rigid plastic bin couldn’t fit due to lack of flexibility. In fact, I would go as far as to say if there’s a shelf where you need  to fit just one more bin, this could work because it’s so flexible! 

As I walked through the large aisle of storage bins, crates and organizational solutions at The Home Depot, I found this cool collapsible laundry basket! I love sharing space saving solutions with you! I’ve said it time and time again, even though my house isn’t a tiny studio, the old layout is not space efficient. So in many ways I have to apply small space living principles to my daily organization at home too!

 

I love this collapsible laundry basket because you can store it vertically and it lays flat anywhere. Then, when you need it, it pops up and voila, you have a laundry basket or basket for holding anything you want! 

I’m really feeling blessed that we are able to transform the garage to such an inviting, happy AND functional space. Once the garage cabinet storage system is  in and we can safely and efficiently store these bins in there, I will be the happiest most organized designer on earth! I can’t wait to show you more soon!

Happy day! 

This post was sponsored by The Home Depot. However, all opinions are my own. I love sharing what is true to my aesthetics and functionality in my home. Thank you for your support!