It’s easy for a garage to become a cluttered space. Between tools, garden equipment, and holiday decorations, navigating your car in and out can turn into a frustrating obstacle course.
Fortunately, smart storage solutions and a few DIY tweaks can help you reclaim your space and maximize every inch of your garage. You’re in the right place for just that.
Here, we present 20 garage tool storage ideas to restore order to your chaotic carport. From custom cabinets and slat walls to ceiling racks, discover ingenious and budget-friendly ways to optimize your garage.
20 Tool Storage Garage Ideas
Your garage is a crucial part of your home’s functionality, but a cluttered space can become a safety hazard. Organizing its contents will make it safer and more navigable.
To assist with your organizational goals, we’ve compiled 20 top garage tool storage ideas to help you arrange your equipment and gear effectively. Choose your favorites and start organizing today.
1. Custom Garage Cabinets
What’s worse than a cluttered garage? Dusty, greasy tools. Not only do dirty tools look unappealing, but they can also compromise your work by reducing their effectiveness.
A practical solution is to install custom garage cabinets. These durable cabinets keep your equipment dry and clean, minimizing maintenance and cleaning time.
To maximize your garage space, consider adding full-wall storage or overhead cabinets to free up floor space. You can choose designs that fit your needs, budget, and home’s style.
2. Garage Slat Walls
A slat wall is a versatile storage solution made of vertical wood panel strips with horizontal grooves. Often used in shopfitting and interior design, it combines practicality with a pleasing appearance.
For limited garage space, slat wall panels are an excellent choice. They fit neatly against your wall without protruding like cabinets, are quick to install, and require minimal upkeep.
With a variety of panel designs available, you can easily find one that complements your garage’s interior. Enhance your workspace’s look, organize your gear, and protect your walls with a slat wall.
3. Mounted Overhead Racks
Another quick way to sort your garage and clear up some breathing room is by getting items off the ground. By using your ceiling space as storage, you can safeguard important tools from damage and minimize tripping hazards from scattered debris and objects.
Mounted overhead racks are the perfect answer for keeping anything you don’t use away from the action. There’s nothing an overhead rack can’t hide—from holiday decorations and camping gear to plastic totes full of children’s toys.
The good thing about racks is that they come in varying sizes and designs. For hobby bikers with more than one bicycle crowding their garage, you can also find a ceiling rack that turns into a bike hanger.
- Floating Wall Shelves
4. Floating Wall Shelves
You’d be surprised at how much floor space you can save by thinking vertically. For instance, you can install floating shelves and racks on an empty portion of your garage wall for extra storage and style.
Compared to bulky closets, these hanging shelves can fit almost everywhere. Above the washer, over the garage door, or near your workbench for easy access. You can mount the shelves on different heights as preferred.
Wooden floating shelves make a sturdy rack for different-sized objects in your shed. From weighty vehicle repair equipment and landscaping tools to your favorite books—these shelves can turn your messy garage into an ergonomic haven.
5. Floating Corner Shelves
If you have cabinets and shelves but still need more space, consider using your garage’s corners for additional storage. Floating corner shelves are a stylish and practical solution that maximizes unused corner space without occupying valuable floor area.
These shelves are easy to install and can be customized to fit any space. They’re versatile, allowing you to display family photos or decorative items, or you can reinforce them to securely hold heavy workshop equipment.
6. Rolling Carts
We’ve all experienced the frustration of losing a screwdriver or pliers you swear you left in a specific spot, only to find it in a random location days or weeks later.
Rolling carts might seem out of place in the garage, but they’re incredibly useful for organizing smaller items like tweezers, chisels, and wire cutters. By labeling each pull-out drawer, you can make finding your tools quick and efficient.
7. DIY Storage Tubes
If you’re looking for an affordable way to declutter, cardboard concrete-forming tubes might be just what you need. These budget-friendly tubes are ideal for storing long-handled tools like garden hoes, shovels, and rakes.
Installation is simple: position the tubes against the wall, place a 2×4 underneath to protect from moisture, and secure them with plumbing straps to prevent tipping.
8. Hanging Recycling Bins
As interest in recycling grows, recycling and trash bins often take up more garage space than desired. Consider hanging the bins vertically to free up room.
This solution is inexpensive and simple to create: just use a few wooden slabs to make a cleat that fits under the bin’s lip. Attach the cleat to your garage wall, hang the bin, and enjoy a more spacious and organized area.
9. Outdoor Storage
If you’ve tried all the above methods to organize your garage but still can’t fit everything, consider expanding your storage outside the garage.
Install a locker for your gardening tools or build a dedicated storage closet for all your gardening gear. This will help clear up your garage, reducing clutter and keeping items like shears, loppers, and pruners neatly organized and out of the way.
10. Decorative Pegboard Wall
A decorative pegboard features a grid of evenly spaced holes that can be used for shelves, hooks, and peg mounts, making it a versatile tool for keeping your workspace tidy.
Pegboards aren’t just for garages; they can be used in any room of your home that needs organization, from the kitchen to the living room. They are a cost-effective, reusable solution that can be easily moved and repositioned. Add a decorative pegboard to bring both functionality and a touch of style to your garage!
11. Sports Equipment Cabinet
Athletic kids often dream of reaching the big leagues, and as a parent, you know how quickly sports gear can pile up. Support their dreams by creating a dedicated sports equipment cabinet with their name on it.
It doesn’t need to be elaborate—just a simple open storage space to keep their gear organized and reduce clutter. Children appreciate even small gestures of support, and a personalized cabinet is a great way to encourage their passion.
12. Stackable Plastic Containers
You don’t need to overthink it—sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Next time you’re at the store, pick up a few stackable plastic containers.
These bins are an affordable, lightweight, and customizable way to organize your garage. Despite being plastic, they are durable and can handle a range of temperatures, from freezing cold to scorching heat.
Add a personal touch by labeling or color-coding the bins to make finding what you need easier.
13. Garage Door Rack
Older garage designs often feature a mullion between the doors—don’t let that space go to waste. Use this narrow divider to create practical shelves for items that clutter your floor.
Place flat wood slabs in the mullion gaps to make shelves for tools like hammers, drills, or screwdrivers. If you have kids, angle the slabs upward to create makeshift “ball ramps” for soccer, tennis, and basketballs.
14. Heavy Duty Wall Hooks
Mounting garage items can be as simple as screwing hooks into the drywall. It’s a cost-effective, practical, and easy solution that doesn’t require expert skills.
Use these hooks to hang rakes, shovels, spades, and hoes, or to store extra chairs and DIY supplies. Made from heavy-duty steel, these hooks can hold up to 265 pounds.
If installing numerous hooks feels overwhelming, consider metal wall mounts that can hold multiple long-handled items at once. They’re perfect for organizing kayaks, fishing rods, and paddles, keeping them ready for your next adventure.
15. Wooden or Metal pegs
Like heavy-duty hooks, having a few wooden or metal pegs may help tidy up a grubby parking shed. They’re a sleek alternative to brackets and add a minimalistic appeal. Paint the pegs the same color as your shed’s panel for a more streamlined look.
Mount your pegs on the side of cabinets, tables, or at the sides of your garage doors. They make a fantastic area to hang your hats, coats, pet leashes, keychains, and more. Simple and unobtrusive, pegs save you space without asking for a lot.
16. Milk Crates
Milk crates can be a budget-friendly solution for people with excessive possessions that don’t require as much protection from the elements. Think of newspapers, children’s toys, holiday decorations, or gardening implements.
You can purchase milk crates in any department store or even online. They’re inexpensive and spacious enough to hold anything you can think of. Moreover, milk crates can be stacked, so you’ll have no issues sliding them anywhere.
17. Open Industrial Shelves
While commonly used in warehouses and retail stores, open industrial shelves are a superb alternative to maximize your garage’s vertical space. These units are designed for reliability and cost-effectiveness and are often made from durable materials.
Most industrial shelves consist of upright steel posts, braces, and racks. They’re quite strong and can support any heavy and unwieldy equipment in a garage with no problem. They come in different aesthetic styles as well.
If you plan on getting this shelf for your garage, pick industrial racks with adjustable features (width, height, etc.). This way, you can easily customize the shelves to fit the space available without blocking traffic.
18. Magnetic Tool Strips
An instant solution to an untidy work area is to mount magnetic tools trips on your walls. These handy equipment holders can secure different metallic items of varying forms and sizes. That means you can have all your tools visible and within reach all the time.
These cheap magnetic mounts come in different functional designs depending on your needs, such as strips, bars, trays, and pegboards. Think of the time you’ll save with these magnetic holders instead of rummaging in your toolboxes for those tweezers!
19. Over-The-Door-Organizers
One of our favorite space-saving hacks is using over-the-door organizers. These handy devices hook onto the door and feature multiple open-top shelves.
Over-the-door organizers are versatile and can hold a variety of items, from seasonal accessories and pet supplies to cleaning products. Install one on your garage coat closet door, and you’ll have a perfect spot for gloves, coveralls, and more, freeing up valuable space.
20. Roll Around Workbench
Many people use their garage as a workspace for DIY projects. If that’s the case for you, a roll-around workbench can be a game-changer, especially if you’re working with limited space.
Rolling workbenches let you quickly transform your garage into a workshop and easily push it aside to return the space to parking. Whether you need one or two, these portable toolboxes are incredibly useful.
Customize your rolling workbench to match the height of your saw for optimal table support. For added versatility, consider a rolling shelf with multiple racks to accommodate tools like your drill press, sander, and planer.
