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"  The garage is the most overburdened, and poorly utilized, space in the house. In fact, the garage is home to so much stuff\u2014from sports and garden equipment to tools and paper goods purchased in bulk\u2014that there&amp;#039;s barely room to park the car. But with a plan to get items off the floor, onto the walls, and into clearly labeled compartments, you can completely transform this room in a weekend. Whether you hire a pro to install a modular storage system or opt to tackle the job yourself with products from a home center, here&amp;#039;s how to get started. How to Unclutter the Area \u00B7 Remove everything from the garage, sorting possessions into four categories: discard, donate, relocate, and retain. Wait for a sunny day so you can lay things on the lawn or driveway without the threat of rain. \u00B7 Get rid of unwanted, unused, or duplicate items by selling them at a garage sale or donating them to charity. Move whatever you don&amp;#039;t plan to store in the garage to another location in the house. \u00B7 Organize objects that will remain in the garage into broad categories, such as power tools and yard equipment. Before   Store in Style \u00B7 Maximize space with modular storage. You can purchase everything you need\u2014shelves, cabinets, hooks, pegboards\u2014at a local home center. But for a stylish custom-designed system, we called on GarageTek, a company that makes interlocking wall panels out of heavy-gauge plastic, as well as the movable cabinets, shelving units, hooks, and racks that clip onto them. Installation takes one to three days. Systems start at $2,500, with an average price of $6,000 to $8,000. The deluxe three-car garage system, shown, costs about $18,000.   \u00B7 Mix open shelves with cabinets to keep everyday essentials in sight while concealing less-useful objects. \u00B7 Create a pulled-together look by simplifying the color scheme. Choose large cabinets in a neutral hue like gray, medium-size units in an accent color such as blue, and small hooks in a bright shade of, say, yellow. Think Easy Access \u00B7 Store the kids&amp;#039; soccer gear in a bin near the trunk of the car; position surplus pantry items in a cabinet near the door leading into the house. Keep stools and stepladders on the ground under a shelf; stash seldom-used items, like an artificial Christmas tree, on a high shelf. \u00B7 Allow enough floor space along one wall to align garbage cans and recycling bins. \u00B7 Identify the contents of all compartments using a handheld electronic label maker. Get the kids involved; let them draw labels for bins that store their equipment.   Carve Out a Work Space \u00B7 Devote one corner to a task center, as shown at right. Equip it with a desk and attach a hook to the adjoining wall to hang a folding chair. \u00B7 Install cabinets above the work surface for easy access to supplies. Lock up hazardous materials. \u00B7 Stow nuts, bolts, and screws in clear containers on shelves hung at eye level. \u00B7 Place tools within arm&amp;#039;s reach on wall-mounted hooks.       Think higher Increase storage space by utilizing the walls and ceiling. Hang rakes, snow shovels, hoses, brooms, bicycles, and folding chairs on brackets. Suspend kayaks and fishing poles from the ceiling with adjustable hoists.          Group sporting equipment Narrow storage lockers and roomy racks are ideal for housing anything from roller blades and basketballs to hockey sticks and baseball bats.      Fashion soft surfaces Soft plastic pads around cement poles protect kids and car doors from getting banged up. Here we used GarageTek&amp;#039;s column guards. Textured rubber interlocking floor tiles create a safe place for kids to play. The easy-to-clean flooring resists oil and grease stains.  Organize shoes Set aside space for garden boots, sneakers, golf shoes, and soccer cleats so dirt isn&amp;#039;t tracked into the house. You&amp;#039;ll not only eliminate clutter in hallways and bedrooms but will always know where your shoes are come morning. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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