My garage doubles as my wood shop. So while I have a bunch of fun tools I use for building and DIY, we also (ahem, my husband) use our garage for home and car maintenance. So I thought it would be fun to share some of our must have necessities for the garage, whether you use it for your wood shop or not. And just to preface, we own all of these tools, and use them all the time. I would never suggest anything I don’t have and love. Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you make purchases using my link- which I very much appreciate. So please consider purchasing from my links. So let’s get started.

EVERCHARGE HAND VAC

I love this vacuum for all sorts of things, but especially my car. I have 4 little ones, which means I get a lot of chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, crayons, and crumbs in my car. It drives me crazy, especially when we have other people ride in our car. Nothing is more embarrassing than having to unexpectedly drive someone in my super dirty car. So I keep this handy whenever I need to do a quick vacuum of the car. One big plus of this particular vacuum is that it runs off the same ONE+ 18v battery my drills, air strike nailers, and pretty much all of my RYOBI tools use. So I’ve always got batteries on the charger ready when I need them, and hello, no cords is the best thing ever! In fact, I’ll hand this little guy back to my kids in the backseat and have them go to town vacuuming around their seats.

Power Inflator

Ok, if you have kids, you need this in your life. It isn’t just a nice thing to have, it’s a necessity. I cannot tell you how many tires, tubes, slip-n-slides, rafts, and air mattresses I am constantly blowing up. This makes it SO nice. I don’t have to do it with my mouth, or use a manual air pump. It is so handy. The best part is that my older kids are able to use this by themselves (I supervise), so they can learn to be self reliant when it comes to taking care of their bikes and other things. Oh, and did I mention it’s battery powered? Yes, the same 18v ONE+ batteries! So I don’t need to be stuck by a wall trying to inflate a giant slip and slide. SO SO awesome!

One+ Stereo

This stereo is the ultimate in convenience. I love that it can use either battery or outlet power. We use it all the time in our garage while we’re out working and have an outlet to use. But then we can also use it when we are out and about or in the yard and don’t have a plug. One time we have LOVED this little baby for is at the drive-in because we don’t have to have our car stereo on, running our car battery dead. It’s so nice to tote around. My husband loves that he can use it with his phone to play his audio books, and use his internet radio.

Power Washer

For years my husband has wanted for a power washer. I never saw the need for it because I thought we could just use a regular hose. Then one time we borrowed this one from his dad, and it was amazing! We used it to wash the deck, the cars, the sidewalks, even the windows and siding on our house. I think my husband even used it to wash the drool off his mouth after using it. Haha!! This is one we don’t have in our garage right now, but we borrow it often, and are saving up for it.

 

Flashlight/ Lantern

These lanterns are SO cool. We got one as a gift, and we love it. With 4 little ones, we are always having our flashlights run off. But this lantern is super cool. We love how bright it is, and that it runs off of batteries, which is perfect in case of an emergency. But the thing we love most is that it all works together. Each of these 4 little lights attach and detach from the main base. They charge from the base, so there’s no need for extra batteries for each light. The base light can work with only one, two, three, or all 4 little lights, and the lights each work individually as well. It’s a super cool lantern.

Oribital Buffer

This is one tool I never knew I needed for my garage until I had it. I LOVE this buffer. If you wash your car at home, you definitely need one of these guys. One of the reasons I love it so much is because my husband thinks it’s a cool nifty tool, so he uses it a lot, which means I get a clean car. Seriously, guys and their gadgets, right? But honestly, it buffs out little scratches and marks my kids leave on my car all the time. It also runs off of my ONE+ 18v batteries, which I have a ton of, so it’s super handy.

Battery Tender

Every once in a while, our car battery mysteriously dies with no explanation. And it never fails that it’s always in the morning, when it’s 10 degrees outside and I have to take the kids to school- my husband is usually gone to work, and so I don’t have anyone handy to jump the car for me. Plus I’m pulled into the garage with no room for another car, even if we had one to jump me. This battery charger has saved me quite a few times. We also use it on our riding lawn mower to charge the battery if it hasn’t been used for a while, and to keep it from freezing during the winter. This is one of those things you will be SO glad you have when you need it. Lots of times you can find this on sale at Home Depot, or it’s also a good price on Amazon.