Learn What Things are in the Average American Garage

According to the Craftsman Take Back Your Garage Survey, garages now store more clutter than cars.

In garages, many well-known brands were founded, including Amazon, Disney, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson was founded in a wooden shed in 1903, in contrast to today’s finished, ventilated garages. The garage has evolved greatly over time in terms of its uses and interpretations.

In the 1920s. carriage houses became the first detached garages after the Ford Motel T became more accessible. Michigan State University Extension reported that the first attached garages appeared in the 1930s. The garage likely moved from the rear façade, where are carriage house stood to the front façade where it is most frequently found today as garages gained popularity post-war.

Every decade brought a new variation of the garage, but they all served the same purpose: storing vehicles. Today, garages serve many more functions than storing cars. As true extensions of the house, garages are now used as living areas, gyms, and workshops.

Craftsman Take Back Your Garage Survey found that 36% of Americans are no longer able to park a vehicle in their garage due to clutter. According to the survey, 52% of U.S. adults believe their garages are not organized well but 90% believe that a well-organized garage can make a small garage appear larger. Furthermore, 85% believe that having an organized garage is a source of pride.

Stanley Black & Decker’s chief marketing officer for tools and outdoors, Tabata Gomez, reports that there are more than 82 million garages in the U.S. and that over 60% of American homeowners find that their garage is the messiest part of their homes.

It is clear that 53% of people use their garages to carry out DIY projects. Millennials are the most frequent DIYers, almost 62%, followed by Gen X at 56% and Gen Z at 54%. Automotive maintenance and home renovation projects are the most common activities in the garage. Aside from woodworking which is 41%, leisure activities like socializing and hosting parties that are 33%, and furniture restoration or redesign which is 26%, the space also had a high number of activities.

About 56% of adults say power drills are their most frequently used tool, while 41% say shop vacs are their most commonly used air cleaners. Nearly 80% say hand tools are among the top products in their garage, while 76% also keep outdoor equipment indoors.

Leaf blowers are the most commonly stored outdoor equipment in the garage, followed by string trimmers at 57%, push lawn mowers at 51%, hedge trimmers at 49%, and chainsaws at 48%. This space is also used for arts and crafts materials, with 31% stored in the garage.

Because they own so many tools, 67% believe that keeping them organized is crucial in achieving that sense of pride that 85% seek, and 52% prefer tools and storage systems that are compatible.

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