Cure The Clutter

Garage-aphobia is not a plague you're going to find in a medical journal. And there's no treatment for it at the pharmacy.

There's only one sure cure for this unscientific, yet oh-so-real condition: tackle it head-on. Inside a new MainVue home, savvy storage comes naturally. Helpful butler's pantries, walk-in wardrobe and dressing rooms, soft-close drawers and attractive European kitchen cabinets provide countless places for interior organization.

Even so, garage-aphobia can strike even in the largest of MainVue three-bay or J-swing garage designs.

For some, it hits in the first few weeks after moving in to a spacious and organization-ready MainVue Home. Half-empty moving boxes, strollers and bicycles can force cars to park outside in the driveway. For other homeowners, this condition occurs years later, during a sudden spring-cleaning attack. Over time, holiday decorations, lawn tools and recreation equipment can grow into garage clutter.

No matter when symptoms of a disorganized or over-stuffed garage hit, recovery is always possible. It begins with a storage plan.

Start by purging. It's human-nature to hang on to stuff you don't use when it's hidden away in your garage. But it's time to make some brutal choices. Separate unused items into separate groups: loads to be delivered to a local charity drop-off for re-sale/re-use; items that can be sold on Craigslist or via a local Facebook garage-sale page; and clusters to be taken to the dump. Divide wisely: your items might be gold for a neighborhood or community rummage sale.

Next up: the daunting task of organizing. Garage items almost inevitably come in odd sizes and shapes. They don't stack well. Everything seems to come in a different size box - or no box at all. MainVue storage pros recommend the best way to keep this all straight is to categorize items into storage bins. Create easily-readable labels for the bins so it's clear what is stored inside. You might need more than one box or bin for small tools, paint supplies and holiday decorations.

This shelving system is practical because it allows shelf-height adjustability. The basic system looks the same, but different sizes allow flexible depth, width and height to customize for location. Wheels can be handy for mobility, too.

Organizing bulky items is a step. MainVue storage experts use this rack to hang a yard wheelbarrow, for example. It's easy to equipment take down when needed and it frees up valuable floor space when the piece is replaced.

Likewise, these hooks make putting up and getting down bikes easy. For quick access to bike helmets and skateboards, these wall hooks are a go-to way for kids to put their things away when they're done playing.

When complete, there should be a lot more floor space in your MainVue garage. A finishing touch? Protect your vehicles by installing these smart sensors to detect when cars are parked in their designated space.

Adjustments will come and go as kids age and homeowners acquire more stuff. But after tackling a garage organization project, MainVue families should be able to find stored things easily - and park in the rain without getting wet.