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An imaginative use for your garage: car storage

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

September 9, 2004

My garage is a mess. And I am going to do something about it. From old shoes to half-used cans of semi-dried paint, it's time for things to be either put in their place or be put in the trash.

I'm making time over the next few weekends to straighten out my garage, and it turns out perhaps more Long Islanders should join me. According to a survey by the Home Safety Council and GarageTek, the Syosset-based manufacturer of garage storage systems, 70 percent of Long Islanders don't park in their garage because it is too cluttered. And, in many cases, it is unsafe; 23 percent of house fires start in the garage.

Garage storage systems have become popular over the past several years, and having one designed to fit your needs is one solution. You'll likely be able to fit the car in the garage once it is installed. But we're talking between $2,000 and $5,000 per installation. That's a bit steep for me, and besides, I have my own ideas on how to organize without spending too much. But more on that later.

Before selecting a garage storage system, go through your garage. Throw things out. Have a garage sale. Give things away. Once you reduce the clutter, you might find you don't have all that much stuff to organize.

You also can try to reduce clutter by joining the Freecycle Network, an online group that simply gives away useful items. The only requirements are that you sign up online and that all items posted be free. Register at www.freecycle.org. There are several New York groups, including Nassau and Suffolk counties and New York City. Post the item online, and interested members will pick it up. I'm planning to list the interior pieces of several hard-to-find remote controls for discontinued Stanley garage door openers. I'm also going to post items such as old brass plumbing fixtures. Anyone interested?

Arranging my garage is a work in progress. I always think I'll need something - someday. I'm usually wrong. No matter what, I am never going to find the missing right hand for that lavender mitten. Neither of my two teenage sons is going to wear their sisters' old gym shoes. I have boxes of such items. No more. They are headed for the garbage can.

And regardless of what I tell myself, I am not going to use any of the old paint I keep around - not in the basement or the shed or the garage. Here's a tip: Open cans of old latex paint, let them dry completely and throw them in the trash. I think I'll follow my own advice.

Old solvents or used motor oil can be dropped off at town recycling sites. Call your village or town for instructions. In many cases, all it takes is putting the liquids in gallon-size plastic containers, such as milk jugs. Used motor oil or old gasoline can be dropped off for free at many automobile service centers.

Another reason my garage is cluttered is because I suffer from the I'm- going-to-fix-that-one-day mentality. From a bent-beyond-repair fertilizer spreader to a pre-1990 gas dryer, I save things I think I'll repair. No more - out they go.

You get the idea. I save things. For what? For whom? These are the questions my wife asks me all the time. Turns out - and I must be crazy to admit this in print - she is right.

Once you reduce clutter, then consider storage. I tend to frown on costly systems, but they do have advantages. Unlike pegboard, which can crack and buckle, panels and mounting accessories made by Gladiator GarageWorks, Craftsman and GarageTek are stronger and allow you to hang larger, heavier items - even cabinets and bicycles. Because I thrive on do-it- yourself projects, I would lean toward systems by GarageWorks and Craftsman, which you can install yourself, over a GarageTek design, which requires professional installation.

In a perfect world, I would suggest mixing the new wave of storage systems with tried-and-true pegboard. Use more expensive, durable garage panels or tracks for heavy items. Reduce the cost by using a minimum of pieces. You don't have to panel an entire wall, for example. Put panels near the top of the wall, then fill in the bottom with pegboards for lighter items, or finish it off with a coat of flat paint - see, I knew I'd find a use for that old paint. Design it yourself by measuring the height and length of walls, then sketching a plan on graph paper.

Gladiator GarageWorks has a helpful Web site - www.gladiatorgw.com. So does GarageTek - www.garage tek.com. The Gladiator site has a blueprint estimator that allows you to input dimensions of your garage and choose accessories.

Another useful site is www.garage safety.info, sponsored by the Home Safety Council, a nonprofit group dedicated to preventing the nearly 21 million medical visits that occur each year because of home-related injuries.

Now I really must run. I think someone just tripped over that stack of old shoes.