Smart storage solutions for your garage

A garage is supposed to be for your car.. But a lot of us have so much other stuff in there that our cars barely fit - if the fit at all!

So, it's a good idea to put the garage on your spring cleaning list.

And on "The Early Show" Friday, Matt Blashaw, host of Money Hunters on the DIY Network, shares some ideas for easy and inexpensive storage.

It's time, he says, to get control of the clutter this spring with a few smart storage solutions:

SHELVES

For grabbing items you use often, have some open shelving in the garage, but be "smart" about organizing it. Some tips:

Shelving storage units are inexpensive and they will save you a lot of organizational headaches in the garage. Cost of the storage unit for display in studio - $30.

Use clear bins so it's easy to see what's inside.

Store heaviest items on the bottom of the shelving unit.

For extra safety, use furniture straps to secure shelving unit to the wall.

Create "kits" using buckets and keep similar items and supplies together, i.e. car care, gardening tools, cleaning supplies.

LABELS

Purchase an inexpensive labeler to keep everything organized. Cost of label maker - $6.

SPORTS EQUIPMENT ORGANIZERS

Sports equipment can take over a garage but keep it in check with some easy solutions:

A storage rack for sports balls can be created using long, thin boards and wood dowels.

The dowels should be cut about six inches in length. Smaller dowels can be added to hang things like jump ropes or gloves.

Dowel holes need to be drilled at an angle to prevent balls from going astray.

After drilling, fasten dowels with wood glue

Once the glue is dry, it's an easy mount onto a garage wall, screwing the boards into the wall studs.

Another option for keeping sports balls from rolling all over the garage floor is to create your own bin using lumber and chicken wire.

For other sports items like skateboards, bats, helmets, rackets, tennis or baseballs, use a laundry sorter to keep items organized.

Laundry sorter cost - $15.

Personalize the laundry sorter using transfer paper you can pick up at an office supply store or a craft store.

Add the family's names, or name of sport, onto the sorter to keep organized.

Transfer paper cost - $7

LOCKABLE CABINET

Keep chemicals for the lawn and paint supplies in a well-ventilated and lockable cabinet. This will prevent "little" hands from getting into any accidents:

Purchase a lockable, ventilated cabinet at a home improvement store, or make one yourself, by repurposing a cabinet.

We converted a kitchen cart - which works well in the garage because it also gives you a work surface for projects.

Drill holes for ventilation on 3 sides.

Add a lock to the cabinet - available at any home improvement store - to keep items secure. Lock cost - $8.

TOOLS

Home improvement projects are much easier to tackle when tools and supplies are easy to find.

Keep tools in place by mounting peg board along a garage wall. Various sizes of hangers are available to keep tools in place.

To mount peg board, add 1x2's onto the back of the board. This way the board won't be flush against the garage wall so there's room in back for hooks/hangers to poke through.

To store other supplies, like boxes of nails, paint supplies, etc, make use of corner space with a lazy Susan cabinet that can be easily made in an afternoon.