Have a small garden shed but a lot of stuff to store in it?
A lack of organization within your garden shed can cost you a lot of time, energy and sometimes even your patience.
I’ve been there too…
I have a very small garden shed I used to constantly overcrowd with all kinds of stuff, to a point where it was literally impossible for me to find anything in it.
It would take me up to half an hour just to find some basic tools and supplies that I needed for my project that by the time I found everything I was no longer in the mood for a spot of DIY.
Recommended Reading: Check out my garden ideas post which will help inspire you if you’re looking to spruce up your shed at the same time.
I always thought that this was due to the space that I was dealing with, when in fact I realized that it’s not that I need more space, but better organizational skills.
Find out how you can achieve this too, with my pick of the top 8 tips that will help free up half of your shed’s space.
1. Declutter
Take some time to go through all the things you’re keeping in your garden shed. Take the bulky things out and go through each item one by one.
Sort through broken, worn out and old things you no longer use, and put them in a separate box.
Top Tip: If you have not used an item in over 2 years, the chances are slim that you actually need it at all.
Recycle or donate whatever it is you’re not planning on using and clear out some space for the items you actually need.
Side Note: Be careful when you clear out your shed. There will likely be plenty of insects and rodents living in there…When your shed is over-run with old items it becomes the perfect living space for mice, too. I’d recommend looking for the best mouse traps you can find online and installing 2 or 3 so keep your shed not only organised, but clean too.
2. Put Labels on Your Containers
Put your label maker to work and write down everything you have in each specific box, drawer, shelf and so on, so that the next time you need something, you’ll know exactly where to look for it, and you won’t have to go over each individual box separately, making a mess in the process, and wasting your valuable time.
3. Store Things Vertically
You probably have a lot of vertical space that you haven’t used. That space can be used to store items you don’t use that frequently, so that they don’t get in your way, but are still nearby whenever you need them.
You can purchase all kinds of smart storage solutions from places like Amazon and eBay.
4. Gather up Messy Tools
Your shed is probably full of garden tools of all shapes and sizes, which is why it’s important to gather some of them around in groups, according to their intended use, or their importance in your everyday use.
You can bundle some of them up using Velcro wrap or whatever it is you have laying around the house, and keep them more organized so they don’t occupy so much space.
5. Use Hanging Jar Organizers
Hanging jar organizers are perfect for storing screws, nails, tacks and bolts. They’ll never get lost in the shuffle anymore and they’ll always be safely stored and organized, saving you a lot of time and storage space in the process.
Installing a hanging jar system is the easiest thing to do. All you need is a few jars and the bottom of a wooden shelf you already have installed in your shed.
You need to glue the lids of the jars on the bottom side of the shelf, fill your jars up and screw them onto their lids. That’s it. This is a pretty easy solution that will end up saving you a lot of storage space.
6. Use a Pegboard to Store Your Tools
A pegboard will keep all your tools and shed supplies in one place, without taking up a lot of space. You can hang it anywhere on the wall, which clears up your floor space and brings some order in your shed.
Now everything can be within your hand’s reach and in a visible place, which will save you the time to look for all your things.
Installing a pegboard in your garden shed is a pretty simple process.
All you need to do is cut a piece of board to your required size; mount it on the wall using lathe screw and you’re good to go.
The only thing left to do is place hooks in the holes and hang all your tools on them.
7. Get More Shelves and Hooks
The best way to organize all your things when you’re working with a limited amount of space is to install wooden shelves, and hooks where you can store all your smaller tools and items.
You can also hang some items on the ceiling using hooks, overhead storage racks, bike pulleys and so on.
8. Repurpose Old Furniture
If you have some old furniture (a dresser, a wardrobe, old shelves or some chairs) in your garden shed, you should consider repurposing or up-cycling some of them and give them new life and a new use.
That way you’ll avoid throwing away things in the dumpster and you’ll also get some new and improved furniture that you can use around the house or in your garden.
Bonus Top Tip…
After writing this post a week or so ago, I came up with another top tip which I hadn’t thought of originally.
I went into my shed and realised that it was very light and airy because I have some sky light windows. A lot of sheds have multiple windows around the sides, which means you can’t easily hang and store tools there.
Instead, you could block them up and just have skylights. It lets more light in and allows you to hang more stuff. Great space saver.
You can find all kinds of shed windows to purchase online which can be made to measure for your specific requirements.