https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 14 May 2026 18:05:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916600 Thu, 18 Jun 2020 14:04:19 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2916600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bhbee: @karenbme: @gotkimchi: @graceandjoy: @hilary: @misolee: thanks ladies! This is all very helpful and I have a better idea of how the garage situation will look.</p> <p>I’m going to order some big sealed plastic boxes from container store and put items in there I would be sad to lose (some books, some clothes, maybe some Costco pantry stuff if I run out of room in the kitchen). Things I don’t care about as much I’ll put on shelves and boxes.. for now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916502 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:01:53 +0000 misolee 2916502@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Two car garage. But only one car fits comfortably. Two cars can fit but then there’s no where to move around as well as with kids, I’m worried about denting the cars. One one side, we have our two trash cans, two shelving units: One for kids stuff like helmets, their outdoor toys like jump ropes, soccer balls, bubbles, roller skates, elbow pads etc and one shelving for my husband’s tools, lawn care stuff, pest control stuff, etc. I have two bins on the top of my husband’s shelves with seasonal wreaths and summer pool supplies. Our freezer also fits on this side.<br /> On the other side of the garage, we have two super big bins (like it can fit all my 3 kids in comfortably) with our Christmas decorations and trees. On top of these bins, we keep our sports chairs, picnic mats, etc. On the wall where my car face, we bought cheap ikea bookshelves and use it as a shoe storage area (We’re Asian...no shoes go inside the house). On the floor next to the shelves are my kids bikes and scooters. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916501 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 09:41:12 +0000 hilary 2916501@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Rubber tubs with lids are your friend if you want to store clothes/books/etc. Our garage is detached so it's strictly outdoor stuff and tools. Everything you can possibly hang on the walls is helpful as well so you're more likely to actually park in there. It can get out of hand in a hurry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916500 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 09:36:18 +0000 graceandjoy 2916500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just finally cleaned out and reorganized our 1 car garage! We have shoe racks that stack up pretty high. 2 big storage shelves in the back that house a lot of DH’s drum/fishing stuff. We have another wall rack along one long side where we store coolers, lawn chairs, their wagon (foldable). It also comes with hooks so we hang a million things off there. I just got a tiny 3 tier shelf to go under there plus some bins to house extra bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and DH’s power tools. On the other long wall, DH has this wall thing that stores his fishing rods. We have a tools stand thing, and that side of the wall is parking for -</p> <p>Double stroller<br /> Stroller<br /> Barbie motor car<br /> 473873 bikes and scooters 😂</p> <p>DH wants to clear up a spot to put an extra fridge in there too. FYI we do have a shed so bulky stuff go in there and we have 2 big storage bench in the yard too.so most gardening/yard stuff are in the back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916497 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:30:51 +0000 gotkimchi 2916497@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: I would be careful of books too because of mice - we do have pest control and they have mice bait in our garage so maybe do something like that too </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916496 Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:22:43 +0000 karenbme 2916496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: I wouldn't store food out there unless it's tightly sealed in a cooler or fridge. I know a lot of people with a garage fridge in all climates, and think it's fine, but as bhbee said, probably not something you want to spend a lot of money on just in case. We get all sorts of bugs, less than outside but still, and once found a chipmunk in there--no idea how it got in. </p> <p>Bugs and stuff would also make me reticent to store clothes out there, but if they were in well sealed plastic tubs it'd probably be fine. I keep maternity and baby clothes in plastic tubs in the unfinished side of our basement, which isn't that all that different. Cardboard boxes might work if you put them on shelves, but around here (Vermont) you don't want to put cardboard boxes directly on an unsealed garage floor because the cardboard will wick moisture up from the concrete and get musty and the bottom will weaken and may fall out the next time you pick it up. Not sure if the same is true in CA since it's drier, but thought I'd mention. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916462 Sun, 14 Jun 2020 13:07:38 +0000 bhbee 2916462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: with mild weather I wouldn’t hesitate on the fridge. I do think it shortens their life a bit to not be in climate control, so maybe get something cheaper. We live in TX so it’s like 120 in our west-facing garage in the summer and I know that’s not good for it and it doesn’t work quite as well, so during that time I don’t put anything out there that I wouldn’t be comfortable thawing a bit (like no meat) but for drinks or say frozen waffles, it works fine (and it has had no problems after 6 years). On the flip side my mom lives in Michigan and during winter sometimes it’s cold enough that everything in her outside fridge will freeze (so not just the freezer part). </p> <p>For the same heat issues I would never store food in the garage but again I think it’s up to your weather - your pantry should be dry and cool. It would probably be worth making sure everything is well sealed in a plastic bin (we have that issue here even indoors - there are some pests that will chew through thinner plastic like a cereal box or bag). </p> <p>We have a lot of pest issues here generally so I’m also afraid to store clothes outside of climate control but I know many do! I’d use well sealed plastic tubs again. Worth the investment to me to know nothing was nesting in there - you could get mice or something in addition to bugs and they can definitely chew cardboard. We don’t keep any outdoor pillows in the shed for that reason. I keep our extra kid clothes stored in bins on closet shelves or under beds. </p> <p>Ha this sounds really paranoid and horrible. I hate bugs!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916455 Sun, 14 Jun 2020 11:39:54 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2916455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh and our minivan!!! Hopefully it fits 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916454 Sun, 14 Jun 2020 11:38:57 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2916454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: @gotkimchi: @muffinsmuffins: @catgirl: @DesertDreams88: @bhbee: @Fawn: @wrkbrk: @Mrs. Turtle: @erinbaderin: @Marfi: @Lahela017: thanks everyone for the tips!!</p> <p>I hear mixed things about fridges/freezers in the garage. I’ve heard it’s not good for them but I feel like everyone I know still has one in their garage. We live in California so the weather is mild.</p> <p>Is it weird/not good to use the garage as a pantry..? Will I get pests? Will it ruin the food?</p> <p>How do you store clothes in the garage? Does it need to be properly sealed? Can I just put stuff in cardboard moving boxes?</p> <p>How do you store shoes in the garage?</p> <p>Maybe these are dumb questions 😂. </p> <p>We will probably store in the garage:<br /> Boxes of books<br /> Boxes of other random junk we need to save but don’t really need to access<br /> Christmas decor<br /> Frames/decorations<br /> Baby clothes<br /> Kids’ indoor toys that I rotate out<br /> Most of our shoes<br /> Bikes/scooters in the winter<br /> Strollers (3 of them- 1 I’ll leave in the car!)<br /> Outdoor toys in the winter<br /> Sleds and snow clothes<br /> Kids’ swim floaties<br /> Bigger tools and gardening supplies (if we accumulate any)<br /> Maybe random furniture we don’t want to quite get rid of yet<br /> Possibly a fridge/freezer??</p> <p>I wish our washer/dryer could be in the garage but the hook ups are in the kitchen ☹️ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916444 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 21:50:28 +0000 Lahela017 2916444@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We love where it gets too cold in the winter to have much out there that we really car about, so it's just outdoor stuff for us. We have both cars, bikes, some tools, outdoor play toys, tools, snow blower, ladders and a work bench.</p> <p>For organizing, we have a couple plastic shelving units from target that we got when when we were still renting a townhouse. They were about $25 each and hold a lot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916443 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 21:37:18 +0000 Marfi 2916443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a 3 car garage so that we can have both of our cars, a big freezer, a workshop for my husband (2 work benches, 2 saws, wood storage, and other power tools), lawn mower, snow blower, gardening stuff, 2 bikes, and other stuff I can't remember! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916435 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 19:23:53 +0000 erinbaderin 2916435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>HAHAHAHAHA our car. That’s hilarious. The garage holds bikes (2 adult, 1 kid, 1 kid with training wheels, 1 tricycle), a wagon, 3 scooters, 3 pogo sticks, 3 sleds, 2 skateboards, the recycling bins, a bunch of light fixtures we replaced when we bought the house, our old dishwasher, some stools that we replaced but haven’t decided what to do with the old ones....etc. I know it’s absurd, we also have multiple sheds, and yet we still can’t keep it organized enough to fit the car. </p> <p>The upside of not fitting the car in the garage is there’s less driveway to shovel because the car protects the driveway! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916433 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 18:33:18 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2916433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a workbench and shelves on one wall with some long term storage stuff, camping stuff, tools, etc. In the opposite corner we have a rug with a gymnastics pad, mini trampoline, and hooks hanging from the ceiling for a swing or trapeze bar. A few toys live in there too. And then on the far wall we have feed cans and a milking stand for the goats. In theory if we organize everything really well we will still be able to fit the two cars in. But we haven't put them in there this spring/summer. We'll have a bit of work to do to organize well enough to get them in in the fall. Oh, we store the kids bikes, stroller, etc in there too. And sleds. And garbage cans. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916430 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 12:31:45 +0000 wrkbrk 2916430@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.kiwi: Two cars and kid sh*t 🤣 No tools or lawn care equipment because we source all that out. Our garage is small but works perfectly for us. One whole section is outdoor toys for our four year old-chalk, bubbles, t-ball, bike, scooter, water toys, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916426 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:49:22 +0000 Fawn 2916426@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a loft area in our garage which is great. We store our Christmas tree/decorations there and now all of the baby clothes that my daughter has outgrown. We also have her cozy coupe in the garage and my husband uses it for storage of some outdoor tools/supplies. I also always park my car in the garage. It's not huge, but it's nice to have the extra storage space.</p> <p>I grew up in a house without a garage so didnt really see the need for one, but I do actually like having one now and have gotten used to it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916424 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:06:04 +0000 bhbee 2916424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a fairly small garage - it was originally 1 car and the first owner added space to just fit 2. We always park our cars, we have a few yard tools hanging on hooks, ladders in the corner. We’ve lined the outside wall with a few old storage furniture (bookshelves, wardrobe, etc) that are too broken or beat up with use and mover damage for inside use - so that’s another thing you might be able to find for free or very cheap. Those have all kinds of random stuff - tools, paint, outdoor toys, random storage, etc. We cram our bikes and scooters in there but it’s really inconvenient - either the kids can’t get the bikes out by themselves, or we put them behind one car (so it can’t back out without moving them - less of a problem right now since we barely drive). We probably need a better long term solution there! </p> <p>The one thing I really love that we didn’t originally plan to buy was a fridge/freezer. We have the perfect nook created by the stairs down to the garage that isn’t that useful otherwise. DH just happened to see one in the scratch and dent section that was a great price and now I don’t know how I’d live without it! It’s a top freezer/bottom fridge and inside we have a side by side, so in addition to just extra storage it has space if I need to fit something big like a cake or casserole. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916422 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:01:18 +0000 DesertDreams88 2916422@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Christmas tree and decor. Hiking supplies. Coolers. Luggage. Alllll the baby clothes. Other seasonal decor. A box of baby toys. Outdoor lawncare items -gloves, slippers, weedkiller, leafblower, etc. Camping chairs. An air matress. My husband takes up one entire wall of the garage with his side hustle business (he preserves and sells vintage maps.)</p> <p>Bikes. Scooters. Strollers. My kids need a garage of their own.</p> <p>Check out bst groups for shelves, and there are some other great items for bikes and rakes/brooms if you search Amazon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916417 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 08:29:11 +0000 catgirl 2916417@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have two shelves, a large metal one and a smaller plastic one. Those are on the back wall. The large metal one has our artificial Christmas tree, an air conditioner, shop vac, one large cooler, one small cooler, four large plastic storage containers, cat carrier, most of DH’s fishing gear, and some miscellaneous crap that DH won’t sort through. The smaller plastic shelf has paper towels, toilet paper, tissues (we only keep a few of those things in the house and cycle them in), DD’s beach/yard/winter toys, helmets, life jackets, two medium size plastic totes, and a couple of random boxes. In between those shelves we have a pallet cut to the same depth and our two Christmas storage totes sit on top of it. On one side we have a trash can for returnables, our recycling bin, our grill, and there are hooks on the wall to hold our beach chairs, beach umbrella, and DD’s scooter. On the other side DH’s bike hangs from the ceiling, DD has a large toy stroller thing that is only used outside, a ladder, and on the wall we have our shovels. There is also a plastic three drawer storage piece that has all of our tools. </p> <p>We do have a storage shed that holds our garden and yard related things. They would fit in the garage but it’s nice to have them separate. We are thinking of getting a small chest freezer. We always keep room for a car. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916415 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 08:14:19 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2916415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The husband of the woman who lived here before us has our garage all organized with peg board and oldddd shelving. We have two ladders hanging on the side walls, lawnmower, Thule cargo box, various garden stuff on the shelves, yard tools and shop vac, and in the summer all the bikes and trailer as well as our wagon and stroller. In the winter we store everything around the back under an overhang and tarp it all because we park one of the cars in there. Even with that, we may need to get a storage shed in the next few years as we’ve accumulated a lot taking care of a large corner lot.</p> <p>I would say check your buy nothing groups for shelves people are getting rid of and organize it that way so you don’t have to spend anything. We have a mix of metal and wood shelving and it all works well. Hanging stuff is also super helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916413 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 07:28:18 +0000 gotkimchi 2916413@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We also keep tools, outdoor stuff, hoses, shovels, takes etc. bikes kayak a piano we haven’t gotten inside a spare fridge and freezer, basically anything miscellaneous that isn’t an inside item. We too park on the driveway all summer lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916410 Sat, 13 Jun 2020 06:33:02 +0000 karenbme 2916410@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We mostly keep outdoor things and DH’s tools/project materials in our (1 car) garage. I thought the space was plenty for stuff + 1 car when we moved in, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you fill the space. I harass my husband every winter until he organizes it enough for me to pull my car in, but our cars stay in the driveway all summer because of all the other stuff. </p> <p>Right now we have the mower and snowblower, trash and recycling bins, bikes and helmets, kayaks and life preservers, stroller, DD’s wagon and a few other toys, garden tools (rakes, shovels, gloves, trowels, soil, extra compost, etc.), DH’s work bench, miter saw, large wheelie toolbox, various pieces of wood and a couple leftover sheets of drywall from when we did our laundry room.</p> <p>A few organizing tips: big but light things (see kayaks) can hang from the rafters. Two nails about 2 inches apart make great shovel/rake hangers. A bike rack can save a ton of space, and is more worth it IMO than other shelving (and can move with you when you’re ready). Congrats on the new house! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-in-your-garage#post-2916404 Fri, 12 Jun 2020 22:39:52 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2916404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are outgrowing our 2bd 900sq ft apartment- and it looks like we finally might move out to a single family home soon. It will be small still, just over 1000sq ft, but with a backyard and GARAGE. I am so excited to have a garage for storage!</p> <p>I have never had a garage in my adult life. Just curious.. what’s in your garage?? Besides your car(s)!</p> <p>Any tips for garage storage? We will likely not spend much on shelving and etc because we are hoping to stay only two years. </p>