Keep items separated by category.

One of the biggest challenges to home organization is having a lot of loose items that have no designated storage place. This can be particularly true of garages, which can become default "junk rooms" and fill up with various things over time. One strategy to deal with this unwanted garage clutter is to set up a system of shelves and containers to house items that would otherwise stay on the floor or collect in piles. With a little know-how, and a little effort, you can use containers to reclaim your garage.

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 advice for using storage containers to get your garage organized:

• Store according to purpose.
  The key to an organized garage, says Creel, is compartmentalizing your belongings according to purpose.
  
• Label all containers.
  Labeling is very important because you want to be able to immediately know what is stored in a container without having to take the lid off. Labeling can even encourage people to stay better organized in the long run because it makes it easier to know exactly where to put something back once it's out.
  
• Make a pegboard for tools.
  A fun idea for organizing tools is to put up a pegboard. Hang your tools on the board, and draw an outline around each tool. When you take down the hammer, the outline on the pegboard will show you where to put it back.
  
• Make project kits.
  Kits are a great way to keep all of your supplies for one project together. For example, car-care items, cleaning supplies, and gardening tools can be stored in buckets or other containers with handles so you can easily carry them from project to project.
  
• Sort, store and stick on a label.
  When creating effective storage in your garage, says Creel, you should categorize it, containerize it, and label it. You'll likely thank yourself later.

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