Garages are essential storage spaces. After all, if you can’t put it in your garage, where can you? From piles of useless junk accumulating from years of neglect to the tools and equipment you use every week, garages have a way of absorbing the useful and the useless with ease. In spite of all the junk that inevitably works it’s way into the garage and remains there indefinitely with no apparent purpose, there are actually a few purposeful things that everyone should have in their garage. Here is a list of ten items that are essential to a well equipped garage. Whether your garage is a regular workspace or just a storage room, at some point you’ll be glad you had these things.
1Storage
This is the most obvious and most essential. You may think that the mere structure of the garage itself is perfectly adequate storage. This is false. This is like saying that four walls and a roof is a living space–you need more than just the structure to call it your home. Similarly, to call a garage a storage space, you need storage capacity. This means shelves, racks, wall mounts, and maybe even work benches. Depending on what you’re using the garage for, you will collect a lot of stuff. Even if you just store yard equipment and some basic tools, the garage can fill up quickly and having an organized place to store this stuff makes life alot easier. Organizing your tools and equipment keeps things in better condition and easily accessible. It also keeps you garage from looking like a junkyard.
2Fire Extinguisher
You never know when something might catch on fire. If you’re storing flammable liquids, anything electric, and an assortment of combustible materials, having a fire extinguisher on hand is a good idea. If you spend a good amount of time working in your garage on projects or car repair, a fire extinguisher is even more essential since the risk of fire increases. These are inexpensive and there are plenty of small, easy mounting fire extinguishers for the home available at your local hardware store.
3Toolbox and Basic Tools
There is always a use for some screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, a hammer, and a roll of duct tape. Even if this is the extent of the tools you own, get yourself a toolbox and assign a place for it in the garage. A lot of problems around the house can be solved with these simple tools alone. A well equipped garage has a range of basic tools and a good place to store them.
4Ladder
You never know when you will need to access something well above your head. Ladders don’t take up much space and can be quite handy. Invest in a collapsible aluminum ladder that can be easily stored in a corner, out of the way. You’ll be surprised how often you actually use a ladder once you have one.
5Shovel
Digging a hole? Tilling the soil to plant a garden? These acts require shovels and you will at some point want to partake in one of these exciting activities at home. In the colder months, shovels can remove obnoxious snowdrifts. If this is problem in your geographic location, consider investing in a garden shovel and a snow shovel.
6Hose
From watering the lawn…or weeds to washing your car, a hose is a valuable tool to keep in your garage. Buy a quality hose that won’t bend, knot, and tear. Hoses are easy to store and simply coil up for efficient hanging on the wall. They are also cheap, so there is really no reason why you shouldn’t own one.
7Extension Cords
Running power from your garage or house to elsewhere in your yard is sometimes necessary. In these circumstances you will need a good extension cord. These are also cheap and easy to store since they don’t take up much space. From running a leaf blower to a vacuum, extension cords are always handy.
8Rake
Yard work involves working with a rake at times. Get a good rake with flexible metal or plastic claws for easy removal of leaves and debris. You might not use this too much but it is a good item to have in the garage.
9Lawnmower
If you have a lawn, this one is a no brainer. Eventually you will need to cut the grass. From a pricey gas powered riding mower to an old school manual push mower, keep some sort of lawn cutting machine in the garage. These can take up a lot of space, but if you have a yard to maintain you don’t have a choice.
10Bucket
Buckets can be used for just about anything. Fill it with soap and water to wash your car, use it to put the weeds you pull, make it into a makeshift trash can, use it to store hardware like nails and screws. The applications are endless.
- Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riverofgod/2060826596/
- Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/700639406/
- Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toolstop/4730043968/
