Cleaning a garage that's suffered from misuse takes a little time though. Be ready for a big job, put on some work gloves and don't be afraid to throw things out. Get started by first coming up with a plan. What do you want the garage to be used for when it's done? Will it be used for its real purpose - housing a car - or will it function as a storage area or workshop? Maybe it will serve as a family game room with a dart board and also a workshop?



Whatever the case, if you know what you want to use your garage for when you've completed the project, getting started will be a lot easier since the motivation factor will be present. The first step is to get rid of things you don't use, don't need or simply don't want. There's no reason to keep that box of books that's collected 10 years of dust. Get rid of it. Donate it to a library or school if the books are worth passing along.

Go through hazardous chemicals and household products carefully. Some items can't be dumped in the regular trash and may require specialized disposal. Put these items into a pile for proper disposal and keep them separate from regular "trash."

Once you've sorted out what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of, remove the junk. This will give you a cleaner slate to work with.

Now, set up your layout. You will want to use steel shelves to hold things such as household chemicals you want to keep, games, small tools and so on. Just be certain you install the shelving correctly and follow instructions. If small children are in the house, plan your shelving arrangement accordingly and do use anchors on the garage walls. Utilize top shelves for items little hands shouldn't get into such as paint thinners, automotive supplies and so on.

The advantage to steel shelving in a garage is the fact it holds up very well, is generally attractive and its open face enables quick location of stored items. Since a garage isn't typically weatherproofed to the extent the interior of the home is, steel is a great choice here.

If your room will serve multiple purposes, such as a family play area and a workshop, too, separating out the room will be in order. The shelves, if aesthetically pleasing, can go just about anywhere, but keep your shelves for storing work items in the work area. Use different steeling shelves for games, toys and so on in a different part of the garage.

A well-organized garage can add several hundred extra square feet of useable space onto a home. With a little time, effort and some planning, a messy garage can become a useable one. Steel shelving is a great inclusion in this room because of its sturdy nature, ability to hold heavy objects, the ease of use and the ability to withstand some elements.