Your spare bedroom has almost no room to walk because it has all been eaten up by the bed. Your walk-in closet reminds you of a can tightly packed with sardines. And your garage in Mission Viejo looks like a war zone. The fixed wire shelves are such a mess that you don’t even know how to start the process of organizing the area.
If this sounds familiar, first of all, take a deep breath and take heart. You might be at your wit’s end and think the only way you’ll ever get more storage space is by moving into a bigger house – we are here to tell you there is a way. All hope is not lost.
Here at Garage Excell, we have cleaned, decluttered, and organized thousands of garages in Lake Forest, Seal Beach, and the surrounding area over the last 13+ years. We know exactly how you can create a pleasing, manageable, and more useful storage – not only in your garage but the other rooms in your house as well.
7 Storage And Organizations Tips To Fix Small Space Issues
#Declutter is the Magic Word
If you’ve read our other blogs, you know by now how much we emphasize on decluttering and getting rid of unnecessary junk. The way we see it, keeping your home and garage in Seal Beach tidy not only frees up space for more storage but also makes life so peaceful and less hectic.
There are several studies that show accumulation of clutter is directly linked with life dissatisfaction and mental health issues. Too much stuff – or let’s be honest, too much junk – negatively impacts your mental well-being and can lead to increased levels of stress.
If discarding or donating things seems too overwhelming, please reach out to us at Garage Excell. Our garage organization experts can get the ball rolling by getting rid of the unnecessary junk for you. We are experts in leading you through how to thin out your garage, which is almost always the biggest “junkyard” in a house.
#Master Your Vertical Game
Where most homeowners in Orange County see blank walls, we see an abundance of unused storage space. If the walls in your bedroom, guest room, or garage have not been optimized for storage, you are letting such a good opportunity go to waste. Oh, the horror!
In your garage, consider installing taller garage storage cabinets to use the 10’ or 11’ ceilings to stash away your seasonal clothing, surfing gear, extra linen, and other items you only use a few times a year. In your closets, look at the top shelf – is it set too low? It usually is. If you can move this shelf up, you can double your storage by hanging 2 rods for clothes instead of just the one.
If you have a laundry room or pantry, taller upper cabinets can give you a lot of space to store those little-used serving dishes for the holidays.
#Get the Storage Off the Floor
The thing about clutter is, it doesn’t discriminate. Whether you have a small, one-bedroom condo or a 10-bedroom villa, clutter can sneak up on you real fast. And one of the first victims of clutter is your floor. You can take back that floor space by installing shelf units and cabinetry on the walls or going for freestanding storage racks. Garage wall cabinets are especially great if you want to free up the floor space for a workbench or a yoga mat to work out.
#Use More Drawers
Do you realize that you can fit twice – if not more – as many clothes in drawers than hanging them up? Not to mention, drawers look more stylish. So, consider adding drawers in your closet at least for your everyday summer essentials. While you can hang up your t-shirts, they are small and lightweight enough that stacking them in a drawer makes it way easier to grab-and-go quickly.
#Mudroom Bench
Messy, wet shoes can warp your hardwood floors and stain your expensive rugs. Create a stopping area just inside the garage door where everyone can leave the weather and “outside” behind. Our Garage Excell experts have built custom mudroom benches for many homeowners in Orange County, complete with flip-top bench storage, coat hooks, and an open top shelf.
If you find yourself cleaning up the dirt and mud off the floors in your home every time your kids come back from playing outside, this is a great solution. A custom-made garage storage cabinet bench won’t take much space in the garage, and you’ll be able to store many of the kids’ stuff inside it.
#Garden Bench
If you work in the garden a lot, a garden bench or an outdoor bench is a must. It’s not only convenient to plop down while you take off your muddy boots, but it can also store a lot of your gardening tools includes rakes and hoses.
#Create Dual-Purpose Rooms
By making your rooms multi-functional, you can add more space to your small home in Orange County, without doing any permanent remodeling. In fact, you may already be doing this without realizing it.
For example, if you have a guest bedroom, it can double as a home office too. Depending on how much space you have here, you can add a desk on one wall and a sofa bed or a daybed on another. Unless you’re entertaining overnight guests 365 days a year, use it regularly by adding a playroom for your young children or an office for yourself.
You can combine your kitchen space with your dining room table; we recommend buying a kitchen table with a board that adjusts the table size. You can add extra seating when you’ve guests over but use the space for other activities the rest of the time.
Also, think about combining your mudroom, laundry, and garage. Install garage storage cabinets to keep your family’s coats, shoes, and outdoor accessories organized, while also being in close proximity to the laundry machine in case of a muddy emergency.
Let Us Find More Storage Space in Your Garage in Orange County
Would you like our team to help you create a workspace or more storage in your small home in Mission Viejo? The ideas outlined above are a good way to start, but we understand it can be hard to know how to put them into a cohesive plan especially if you have a tight budget.
Unless you are a professional storage space consultant (that’s a term, right?) or an organizer, you might need help to figure out the best ways to organize your tiny garage. If you live in Orange County, our team would love to help. With 13+ years of experience in the garage organization and storage industry, we know a thing or two about making your home a storage powerhouse without costing you a fortune.
If you have any questions about our custom, hand-built garage cabinets – that come with a 10-year warranty by the way – feel free to reach out to us. Set up a free 3D design consultation, or if you just want to get an idea of how it will all work, we’d be happy to chat. Call us at 877-573-6637 or click here to schedule your free, no-obligation meeting.