Garage sales prevail when storage space disappears

Mike Turner knows the dirty little secret behind the garage sales that sprout up like dandelions at this time of year:

People don't know where -- or how -- to store all their stuff.

"The great revelation of a garage sale is people rediscover all the stuff they forgot they had," says Turner of The Home Service Store. "Garage sales are a recurring remedy when you don't know how to store things or make the best use of the hidden available space in a home."

The answer is not to put dad's slightly used golf clubs on sale but to carefully plan where clubs ought to be stored.

Turner suggests homeowners adopt a philosophy of "aggressive organization" to achieve twin aims of easy access to items and utilizing available space. This combines retooling unused space and tailored storage systems. Occasionally that requires asking professionals "what would you do with this space?"

Walls and overhead areas are targeted by ready-made storage systems for virtually any room. "Every closet in the U.S. has a clothes rod and a shelf," says Turner, "but systems help get shoes off the floor and clothes in drawers. You can apply a system to virtually any room."

Nowhere are systems more successful than in the No. 1 and No. 2 storage challenges: garages and basements. Items are best stored by weight and shape to minimize lifting. Store heavy items near floor level. Accessories allow bikes, ladders and other long, lightweight items to hang from ceilings. Specialized storage for tools and garden gear is currently all the rage.

Basements are no longer a storage afterthought. The advent of wall and ceiling panels that give basement rooms a polished look, encourage homeowners to avoid piles of odds and ends. Even storage rooms with wall-to-wall cabinetry can take on a finished look.