Corral the chaos

Organize, upgrade and outfit your garage with a little help from Costco

Garages are among the hardest-working areas of our homes. Now that spring is just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to turn our thoughts to properly outfitting and organizing.

The basics

One easy way to tame some of the chaos is by setting up a car care station. Costco.com has a variety of rolling racks and shelving units that are perfect for this purpose. Consolidating the tools you reach for frequently in one area (as well as the spare motor oil and windshield washer fluid you picked up at Costco) will go a long way toward keeping everything neat and tidy.

A car care station also needs the washes and waxes that keep your vehicle looking buff. (And who isn’t hankering to wash their car after a long and grimy winter!) The ArmorAll Ultimate Car Kit has everything needed for cleaning your car, including ultra-shine wash and wax, tire foam protectant, glass cleaner wipes, protectant wipes, wash mitt and a four-pack of car vent sticks. Another member must-have: Kirkland Signature™ Ultra-Plush Microfiber Towels. They are 80% polyester and 20% polyamide for scratch-free and streak-free shine. They come in bags of 36 and are machine-washable.

Every tool in its place

Think about all the ways you use the space and then have a look at the value and variety of garage organization solutions available at Costco.

To start, it’s a good idea to set aside part of the garage as a dedicated workspace. Costco.com can help you here, with items such as the sleek Trinity 66-inch Stainless Steel Rolling Workbench. The 1 1⁄2-inch-thick butcher-block top is perfect for all your garage or workshop tasks, and it’s easy to keep your tools and supplies organized in its smooth-gliding drawers.

If you need more room in your garage, you’ll probably need to clear some space on the floor first. Using the space overhead is the easiest way to gain square footage in your garage. The SafeRacks Overhead Garage Storage Rack and Accessories Kit (available only at Costco.com) is a 4-by-8-foot heavy-duty solution that features a combination of shelf and hanging space. Overhead is the perfect place to store your seasonal tires too.

Swap out those old cardboard boxes for a set of durable plastic bins, such as Greenmade 27-gallon NSF Storage Totes. They’re stackable, with reinforced lids. Look for them at your Costco warehouse. And here’s a tip from personal experience: Make sure your bins are clearly labeled, especially if you are tucking them away on upper shelves that may be hard to reach. (See you next year, winter decorations!)

Next-level neat

One of the smartest upgrades for a garage has got to be the installation of a utility sink. Imagine having a dedicated spot to rinse paintbrushes, clean dirty flowerpots and wash the dog. (Honestly, it’s my dream come true.) The Trinity Stainless Steel Utility Sink with Pull-Out Faucet is a compact design that’s perfect for garages and workspaces. It’s a huge upgrade from plastic utility tubs and is ready to handle your dirty work. Find it in the warehouses and online at Costco.com.

Don’t forget that hardworking workspaces also need good lighting. Bump up the brightness with the 3-Panel LED Garage Light (package of two). It provides 8,000 lumens of light, which is 10 times brighter than a regular 60-watt bulb. Simply screw this light into any regular medium base (E26) socket and voila! Another option to transform dark corners of your garage is the motion-activated Koda 46-inch LED Linkable Shop Light, which can be configured in multiple ways and comes with a remote control. Both are available in the warehouses and at Costco.com.

If quality and value are important to you—and why shouldn’t they be?—Costco should be at the top of your list when it comes time to outfit and reorganize your garage this spring.

---