A great way to organize electrical items,  plumbing items, unused small garden tools, books, and old clothes is to use the boxes that copy paper comes in.  The boxes, that used to hold approximately 10 reams of paper, are made of heavy-duty cardboard, have lids, and can be stacked easily on the floor of the garage, or on shelves.  These boxes sometimes can be picked up from office supply places or your local copy shop. Businesses also dump these on a regular basis, so check with a friendly owner near your home. And aesthetically, they all match.

Boric acid compound is not as toxic as some pesticide sprays but it can effectively keep a garage cockroach free for a year.  It is inexpensive and long lasting. Sprinkle it around all the walls in your garage, in cracks, crevices, all dark places (and even under the sink in your kitchen).  As the pests walk back and forth over it, they will carry it into their holes until they die.

Store your out-of-season clothes inside large plastic trash cans that have lids. Take some old nylons, filled with cedar chips or whole cloves, and place on the bottom of the trash can.  Your clothes will stay dry and also smell nice and spicy when you retrieve them at the end of the season.

If the oil in the garage (or driveway) is fresh, spread wet newspapers down to absorb excess oil. Then sprinkle the oil spot with kitty litter.  After the oil has absorbed into the litter, sweep it up. You can also use litter as a sweeping compound to give your floor an extra clean look and smell.