Has your garage turned into a glorified storage shed? Do you have it jam packed to the rafters with boxes and bins full of garage sale stuff, Holiday decorations, beach toys? Is it now out of the question to get a rake or shovel or maybe a edger when it's needed? Are your tools everywhere but where they should be?

Do you need to shove away unwanted junk just to get to the lawn mower? Do you dream of the day when you can once again park your car in the garage? If you answered yes to one of these questions, it’s a good possibility you need to organize your garage.

Just think, if your garage was cleaned and organized you could actually park your car in it. You can go from your car to the house and stay dry in bad weather. You could do projects in your garage, you'll be able to find a tool when you need one. You can use your garage for what it was meant for, not just a large storage unit. Listed below are a few tips to help you reclaim your garage and make the most of it once again.

First, what do you plan on using the garage for? Is it to park your car/motorcycle or do plan on having a workshop? Do you need space for storing boxes, hobby stuff,exercise equipment. Do you need to store your lawn mower and gardening tools, bikes, strollers, scooters, ride-on toys, sports equipment?

It's very helpful to write down the things you plan on using your garage for and the items you need to store there. Next, determine what area of the garage should be used for that purpose as well as what types of items you want stored in the garage. Make a list of the tools and material you'll need. Such as, purchasing shelving, storage containers, bike racks, tool organizers, peg boards, hooks, etc.

You should completely empty your garage and sort through everything. By doing this, you'll see just how much stuff you have, what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. Remember anything you no longer want is something for a garage sale for some extra cash in your pocket. After you remove everything you should sweep it real good. You need a good completely clean area to work with.

Be sure to keep in mind the available space you have when you start organizing your garage. The walls and ceiling are great for hanging bikes and other sporting equipment, yard tools.. rakes, shovels, brooms etc. There are numerous varieties of shelving you could use from free standing to floating, organization grids, cabinet systems, hanging bin systems and hanging bike racks.

You should store your children's toys down low so it's easy to get to them and to put them back. It can also be useful to put smaller items in system drawers. Another good idea is to put nuts, bolts, washers, screws, nails etc. in jars with labels. You can use buckets for loose tools and other small items.

If you can follow these simple tips you'll have a new place to park your car, you'll know where everything is, and one of the best parts is you'll have a garage sale and put some cash in your pocket. Oh yeah, I'll bet you're going to feel a total sense of accomplishment and pride each time you walk through your clean and organized garage.