Garage overhead storage may be the best thing for you to use in your garage for your organizational needs, or it may not. If you are like millions of other homeowners who have garages filled with stuff, you are likely interested in using the best storage solution you can find. Nobody likes a cluttered mess, and a garage is so easy to just let go because most people don’t even think of it as a part of the actual living space of their home. Rather, they see it, and use it, as nothing more than a large storage unit and general dump all. Whether storing things overhead is best for you depends on your interpretation of the pros and cons.

Some of the Pros of garage overhead storage:

Allows you to free up space on the floor. Having to constantly negotiate your way around the things that tend to clutter a garage can be absolutely irritating, not to mention dangerous. Roller blades, bikes and basketballs just aren’t a good mix when they are constantly under foot. Seasonal items, like Christmas decorations, are needed for such a small time of the year that it just makes sense to get them up and out of the way for most of the year. Putting those bins up in the available space above just makes good sense. Ease of access. Most garage overhead storage systems are easily operated because of the power of leverage. With ropes and pulleys, almost anyone can raise and lower the platform that some of these systems use.

Some of the Cons of garage overhead storage:

Not all overhead storage systems are the same. While some have ropes and pulleys that lift the platforms full of boxes and stuff up out of the way, others are bins that ride on rails installed on the ceiling. Or stationary shelves that hang from the ceiling. Both of these have to be accessed by ladder or step-stool. This is not practical for some homeowners. A better solution might be shelving or modular wall units that are easier to get at. Human nature being what it is, there might be a tendency to simply fill up the newly created space underneath the garage overhead storage with more stuff, rather than leaving it free and clear. Unless you are committed to leaving free space alone, you may want to think twice about just putting things overhead. It will be difficult to access if the space below is filled with stuff, regardless of the type of system you use. Some systems are a bit trickier to install, especially the pulley systems. While the cost of most overhead garage storage is not prohibitive, some does tend to be a bit more expensive than what some other options cost. If money is a factor in your decision, then you’ll want to carefully think about this. Of course, the money you spend on any eventual solution is going to be money well spent if you do your homework.

There may be other considerations for your particular situation that only you know about. Depending on the size of your garage, other storage opportunities you have available to you, or your personal preferences for ease of access to stored items, you may find that overhead garage storage would be a perfect option for you. If not, that’s okay too, because there are many other storage systems and products available on the market.

I am not sure when it all started, maybe in 1986 with Lionel Richie’s hit song, “Dancing on the Ceiling”. Perhaps a young child looked up and dreamt about dancing or walking on the ceiling, and though they may never have actually done that, they did realize that the ceiling had potential for other uses, like storage. Maybe someone discovered the use of ceiling space before then, I really don’t know. But I do know that there are a multitude of garage overhead storage options available today.

These options come in a couple of different forms. From shelves that hang, bolted from the ceiling, to pulley systems that you can use to lower and raise a shelf, to special tracks which allow you to hang everyday storage bins. But regardless of what type of garage overhead storage system works best for you, they all have some of the same basic advantages. Here are five reasons why you may want to use your ceiling space for storage.

Whether you own or rent a home, if you have a garage, you have space that you already “own”, so we should utilize all out space in the most efficient way possible. All garages have ceilings or rafters, so it makes sense to use them. Sure, if you have rafter, you can balance some items above them, such as skis or sleds, but a hanging shelf will hold a lot more stuff in a wider variety of shapes and sizes. Many people have so much stuff that they don’t know what to do with, that they go and rent a storage unit. If you already have a garage, this does not make sense. As mentioned above, you are already paying for your living space, why pay more to store your stuff elsewhere? If you can store items in garage overhead storage instead of paying for self storage, you will save money. After all, most garage overhead storage systems can be paid for with the cost of only a few months worth of self storage. Another great advantage of garage overhead storage compared to a storage unit, is that you can access your things at any time without leaving home. Sure, it is not as quick to access as a regular shelf, but it doesn’t take that much effort – definitely quicker and easier than traveling to a storage unit. > If you are like I have been, your indoor closet space is filled to capacity and beyond! Get things like keep sakes and seasonal items out of your closets and into garage overhead storage. They are the perfect storage solution for items that only have to be accessed occasionally. Finally, the best reason to use garage overhead storage is to free up your garage so that your car can fit inside! So many garages become a catch all, that only 32% of people with a two car garage can fit one car inside, and 25% of two car garage owners can’t fit any car into their garage! Winter is coming quick, and you know that you don’t want to have to scrape the frost and snow from your car. Reclaim your garage now, and overhead garage storage is the perfect solution for part of this problem.

So, regardless of the type of garage overhead storage system that you use, it is easy to see that there are reasons why almost anybody would benefit.

Just when you think you have run out of storage area, because all of your wall and floor space is taken up, somebody comes up with an innovative storage option. Now, I have to admit that I have heard jokes about putting stuff on the ceiling, but I did not really consider it as a serious option. But somebody did. Yes, that is what makes a really good entrepreneur, they take the ideas we joke about and make it a reality, then years later we can say, “I thought of that!” and regret our missed opportunity.

It seems that lack of storage space is a modern problem, you see storage units popping up all over the place, people have sheds and basements full of stuff, and garages packed to the limit. Lets face it, our modern society is filled with pack rats. Some of the stuff we honestly need, some we don’t. But some of the stuff we need, we only have to access occasionally. That is when garage overhead storage options come into play. So what are these items? Here is the list from my garage:

Christmas decorations (or any holiday, if that is your thing)

Seven years of filed paperwork that we are told to keep “just in case” (of what, I don’t know, I think it’s a joke that IRS agents chuckle over occasionally. Of course, if you don’t have the paperwork, then the jokes on you!)

Bikes stored out of the way for the winter, and skis for the summer

Camping supplies

Seasonal clothing

Folding chairs

Food supply

Keepsake items from your childhood

Of course, once someone figured out a way to store things on the ceiling, many other creative people followed, so there is a variety of garage overhead storage options.

The most obvious solution was to attach a hanging shelf to the ceiling. These shelves are most often made of metal, with the shelf portion like a metal grate so that you can see from below what is stored on it. These shelves are available in various sizes and depth so that you can find just right one for your storage needs. Access to this type of shelf is with a ladder or step stool (if you are already tall).

Another overhead garage storage system available uses tracks that hang from the ceiling. The tracks have an “L” shape and two sets of tracks are positioned the desired distance apart so that plastic totes can hang between them. This works great, and is economical, if you already have files or Christmas decorations already stored in plastic totes. Many of these systems have optional utility hooks for bikes and ladders. These are also accessible with a ladder, and though they can hold quite a bit of weight, they usually do not hold as much as the hanging metal shelves.

Now, if you do not like the idea of having to use a ladder to access your items, somebody was clever enough to solve that problem too. There are garage overhead storage solutions that are on a pulley system. Most often composed of a 4’x4’ platform that can be loaded and lifted up to 12’. You just have to make sure that it is located over a clear space so that you can lower the shelf when you need to get something down, such as over where you normally park your car. Also available on pulley systems are ceiling bike and ladder lifts.

So, take a walk out to your garage and look up. Do you see any available storage space up there?