10 Tips for a Greater Garage

There are so many things we have parked in the garage – cars, motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, power tools and equipment… plus all of the things we store. The garage can get pretty full and sometimes unmanageable. With summer coming, we will spend more time in the garage with our toys. Organizing is a good start, and there are some things you can do to really spruce it up - or make it easier to use. Here are some tips to making it more inviting as you spend more time there.

1. Organize and declutter: Storage bins of the same size make it easier to put things away and allows you to stack stored items. There are shelving units that can give you a place to stack your bins. Labeling the bins allows you to find the things you need – when you need them.
2. Speaking of storage… when you store your car for long periods of time on flat concrete, your tires are prone to flat spots. You can help prevent flat spots by placing tire cradles under your tires. Tire cradles conform to the natural shape of your tires, and rather than sitting with all of the car’s weight on the concrete, they keep their shape. Break your car out in spring without the flat spots.
3. Make room for your car – including the space you need to open the doors. If you are close to a wall or close to another car, you can get wall guards or door guards that can help protect your cars and your walls.
4. Protect your garage floor from oil leaks or battery acid. Throw out that cardboard on the floor that you use to protect your floor from leaks. Get a parking mat that is made of durable material that resists battery acid or collects unsightly oil drips and protects your garage floor.
5. Prevent water, pests, wind, and debris from entering into your garage under the big doors. Rain and wind can blow into your garage, creating pools of water, but you can get garage door threshold seals that help prevent all of these things from entering your garage. The result – a cleaner, safer garage – and helps prevent tracking water into the house.
6. Better insulate your garage by keeping cold and heat out with new seals around the garage door. Side seals and bottom seals can help keep your garage more comfortable.
7. Prevent damaging walls, doors and other items when parking in the garage. Place a parking guide in the garage so all of those that drive the car into the garage know exactly when to stop. A small parking guide with a couple of small speed bumps will go a long way when you are trying to get your car in just the right spot. No more tennis ball hanging from the ceiling, and now you can park your car in just the right place to maximize your space. Park your car. Open the hatch within inches of where you park. Get close to the wall or the items you store without damaging anything.
8. Sprucing it up? A quick coat of paint can change the look and the feeling of your space in the garage. Even walls that aren’t textured can make a huge difference – a place where you can spend time and feel good about your surroundings.
9. More sprucing? Cover the garage floor with simple roll-out flooring that can go wall to wall. This covers unsightly cracks or stains, and makes a huge difference from looking like a concrete jungle. Or, you can roll out a nice big parking mat that you can park on – looks great when you aren’t parked and protects your floor from oil stains when you are parked. There are parking mats for motorcycles, ATVs, golf carts, lawn mowers and more.

Implementing even just a few of these can really change the look of your garage. Our goal is to offer a functional garage you don’t have to think about. Just park and let the day fade. We are trying to simplify everyday living, just like you.