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When it comes to keeping your garage under control, one of the first things you need to do is declutter. For many of us, we tend to keep a ton of things in our garage that should be thrown away, like leftover materials from past projects such as chunks of wood and or half-empty paint cans. Once we’ve done that, the next stage is giving the remaining items a proper home, which can help reduce the visual noise, add some floor space, and even give us room for more useful garage upgrades like retractable tools, shop vacs, and entertainment options. To do this, you might want to consider building a tote rack designed to fit your empty space perfectly to maximize it.

Unlike simply stacking storage boxes, tote racks make it possible to slide bins in and out without having to keep unstacking them every time you want to access what is inside. You can even opt for storage bins with front-facing openings, so you don’t have to worry about pulling them out at all. Before we begin, it’s critical to know that you can’t organize your way out of having too much junk. With this, it’s important to do a proper inventory and commit to how many totes you actually need for long-term and seasonal storage. Not only will this determine how many storage boxes you require, but also their ideal size and placement. Apart from this, here are some other things you should consider before starting your build.

To start making your tote rack, you’ll also want to decide what kind of storage boxes you’re going to use. For example, opaque boxes are ideal if you are storing light-sensitive items that are prone to UV damage like linens, photographs, or even chemicals. Apart from looking more organized, they also offer more privacy for important documents, electronics, and collectibles. On the other hand, clear boxes are great for items that need to be spotted quickly, such as materials for your hobbies or everyday tools; you can also avoid confusion by labelling opaque boxes as well. While you can do this with a normal sharpie and masking tape, there are also more creative solutions, such as keeping a live inventory that you can access via NFC tag.

In this process, if you discover that you don’t have a ton of storage requirements, you might also want to consider just purchasing an existing system. After all, the cost of materials and the time it takes to build can add up, especially if you don’t own the tools or you’re not confident that your current skill level will be sufficient for the build. In this case, you may be better off just installing something ready-made instead. For example, you can get the Sterilite 4 Tier Tote Rack with 4 Black/Yellow Bins for $134 on Amazon. But if you’re still convinced that a DIY rack is better, here’s how you can bring it to life.

Once you have a good estimate of how much storage you need, you can then measure the space in your garage. From here, you’ll be able to determine your maximum tote rack dimensions, which help guide the kind and quantity of storage bins. In some cases, you can find Etsy digital files, which give you everything from visual aids, material lists, and step-by-step instructions that you can follow. On the other hand, there are also tutorials available online that you can reference. On YouTube, creator DIY for Home and Life made a helpful instructional video on making a DIY tote rack for 27-gallon storage bins; if you’re confident in your woodworking skills, you can also mix and match different-sized storage bins and design a custom tote rack from scratch. Afterward, you can prepare the budget, rent the necessary power tools (if you don’t own them), and buy the materials.

For more seasonal items, such as holiday décor or emergency food supplies, you can keep them on the higher levels of the rack. On the other hand, it’s best to keep the storage boxes for high-use items on the lower levels to make them more accessible. That said, there are so many ways to organize your garage; this is just one of them. In many cases, you may want to augment this with other budget-friendly solutions, such as pegboards, magnetic strips, and slat walls.