Whether you have recently purchased a new home or have an older edition, one of the challenges always seems to be finding enough storage space. Even with an attic or basement available to you as your family continues to grow, eventually household items will begin to flow out to the garage. Depending on the size of the garage and whether it houses one car or two, there are several ways to maximize the space for storage.
You have the options of using garage shelving or cabinets, hooks or bins as well as using the space above for overhead storage. While all of those ideas work well, the cheapest solution to creating additional garage storage space is by simply parking the car correctly. Far too often people park the car way inside the garage leaving a huge gap between the back end and the garage door. The problem with that is the potential storage space which is available at the front of the car is now taken up.
It can be hard to determine where exactly is the right place to park the car so it is far enough in the garage so the door can be closed, yet back far enough from the wall in front that you are able to utilize that space for storage. There is an easy old school home remedy for this that uses a tennis ball hanging from a string from the ceiling that will touch the windshield as you drive in letting you know the proper place to stop and park the car.
Installing it is very easy to do and can be done quite quickly with the help of another person. Once you determine the correct spacing for parking the car, use a ladder and climb up toward the ceiling with a long piece of string. He string should be long enough that it will reach from the ceiling down to the windshield plus have an additional extra 12 to 18 inches of length.
Put two holes through a tennis ball using a long nail. The nail will go in one side and out the other so when it is removed, the string will be able to pass right through it. Then using a thinner object like a nail, pencil, stick, etc., attach the string to it and feed it through the ball, tying it at the end.
Head back up the ladder and drop down the tennis ball so it will reach the windshield. Then using a hook or staple, attach the string to the ceiling. You can then head down and cut off the extra string from the ball and your job is completed.
It may be an old solution to a problem, but it works the best of any of the methods for properly parking the car. Best of all once this little project is completed, you will created additional storage space in your garage to help stay organized.
