Some look forward to the snow and ice—particularly if you’re into winter sports. But for many, the impending deep freeze is something to be endured more than enjoyed. Would you believe that a garage organized efficiently for winter can make it more tolerable? It’s true. The small conveniences of a winter-ready garage can make a big difference to your morale. Here are some helpful ideas for organizing your winter gear that are sure to help you keep your cool on the inside….while it’s cooling down outside.
Clean It Up: Start by clearing unnecessary clutter out of your garage. Do you really need those boxes of magazines or old toys? The more you can recycle or dispose, the less you’ll have to organize.
TIP: Give your garage door a winter tune-up at the same time and schedule a preventative maintenance service. One of our qualified technicians will perform a 12-point mechanical overview and get your garage door in optimal working condition for winter.
Pick It Up: The next order of business is to get as much off the garage floor as you can. Melting snow tracked in by your vehicle (and its passengers) means that anything on the ground could end up wet, muddy, or salt-stained—or possibly all three.
Hang It Up: Use as much vertical open wall space as possible. A wall track system is a practical and stylish solution for hanging skis and poles, skates, jumper cables, snow shovels, and more.
Contain It: Install open shelving with bins (or add doors for a cleaner look). Deep drawers can hold grab-and-go athletic bags packed with ski boots, helmet, sunglasses, gloves, glove warmers, and extra clothing. Tall cabinets can house winter sports equipment like hockey sticks and ski poles.
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Go Overhead: Making use of the ceiling as storage space optimizes your garage real estate. Hooks work well for some items (such as bicycles), or look to the numerous solutions specifically designed for mounting onto the ceiling, such as hanging shelves and utility racks.
TIP: With the right equipment and fail-safes in place, the ceiling is a perfect space-saving spot to store summer tires over the winter.
Keep It Real: A clutter-free garage is a beautiful thing, but don’t forget to keep it practical. Squirreling everything away behind gleaming cabinet doors might look slick, but are you able to quickly and easily access your winter gear and other essentials? Do you have to squeeze things through a partially open cabinet door because you don’t have enough clearance? Does it make more sense to keep bags of salt and sand on open shelves near the garage door for easy access? Remember, a well-organized garage is intended to help, not hinder.
TIP: Live in Edmonton? Try Garage Strategies, which offers a plethora of storage solutions to keep your winter tools and gear nice and organized.
Contact us to get your garage door tuned up for winter with our preventative maintenance service. Any one of our eight locations across Western Canada can help.