In busy households, it's easy for the garage to become a dumping ground for everything from holiday decorations to sports equipment to unused furniture. Clutter can make homeowners feel stressed and overwhelmed, so keeping your garage from becoming cluttered is important. Use these helpful hints to transform your garage from chaotic to calm:

Declutter. Use a critical eye to examine every item in the garage and ask yourself if you have used it in the past year. If not, it's probably time to donate or sell it.

Zone. Once you have cleared unwanted items, it will be easier to organize what's left. Designate areas as zones for specific items such as gardening tools, seasonal decorations, and sports equipment. Install shelves and storage bins to help keep things neat and easy to find.

Verticalize. When it comes to storage, vertical is the way to go. Shelves, hooks, and pegboards can help free up floor space. Maximize as much wall area as possible to help the space feel less cluttered and reduce the risk of damage from pests and moisture that may be on the floor.