Is your garage a catchall area for everything you don't want in your house but can't bring yourself to throw away? Is every corner filled with cardboard boxes, piles of clutter and things you can't even identify? If you're fed up with the mess and are planning to make a project of getting that garage ship-shape, a few hints from an organizational expert can help.

Ramona Creel is a member of the National Association Of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com. As an experienced professional organizer, writer, public speaker, and consultant, Creel spends her days helping individuals and organizations to regain control over their time, space, and paper — both at home and at work. Here she offers three basic rules for customizing your garage storage area according to your family's activities and preferences:

• Get organized.
  When you're customizing your garage storage space it doesn't matter if you are single or have a family. You should treat your garage like any other room in your house, lighten the load and get organized.
  
• 1: Store like items together.
  Creel's first rule states that you should always store like items together. Put all the sporting equipment in one place, all the gardening supplies in another, and all the car care equipment in yet another.
  
• 2: Store according to use.
  The second rule is to store items according to frequency of use. Items that you use most often should be closer to arm's reach and more accessible than things that you only get out once a year.
  
• 3: Store items near place of use.
  And finally, make sure you store things closest to the point where you are going to use them. For example, if your kids always head through the garage to play, then that is a good place to store their toys and bikes. On the other hand, if you usually go through the kitchen door or the basement door to do the gardening, then you probably don't want to store your gardening supplies in the garage, as it will mean making an extra trip.

For more information on organizing your garage, home and life, check out the following organizations or websites:

Online Organizing.com
www.onlineorganizing.com

National Association of Professional Organizers
www.napo.net