Having a shed on your property or in your backyard can be a real storage bonus. Garden sheds allow you to store all sorts of stuff, including garden tools, lawnmowers, lawn furniture, and much more. However, one challenge is keeping your shed organized and neat, which most sheds definitely are not. An unorganized disaster of a shed makes finding something you need a frustrating and time-wasting affair. To help you avoid this shoddy shed situation, we’ve collected the best shed organization and storage ideas below. Read on to discover all of them and keep your shed ship-shape all year long!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Empty your Garden Shed before Organizing It
Trying to organize a messy shed is like trying to wash your car while it’s raining. Instead, try emptying your storage unit completely on a nice, sunny day. Then, take some time to decide where things can go, and position any new storage solutions you have. (Shelving units, tool racks, tool organizers, pegboard, pallets, etc.) Next, step by step, start putting everything back inside. When you’re done, you’ll find that your shed will have much more storage space than before.
Use Pegboard as a Tool Organizer
A bunch of hand tools all over the place in your garden shed can make it a mess. Pegboard (the paneling with hundreds of holes) is a perfect tool storage solution. You can cut pegboards to fit any size or shape you need anywhere in your garden shed. Then, with special pegboard hangers, you can hang a wide variety of tools. You can organize the tools by type, with screwdrivers, garden tools, etc., all hung together. You can even use a pegboard to hang large tools like shovels and rakes.
Use a Tool Organizer or a Tool Rack
There are many different tool organizers and tool racks you can purchase to use in your storage shed. All of them will improve shed organization and make tool storage much simpler. You can even use your own DIY tool organizer or tool rack. Anything to get them organized will work.
Use a Workbench with Storage Drawers
Having a workbench with storage drawers serves a dual purpose. First, you’ll have a place to create any DIY projects you desire. Second, the drawers give you extra storage space for smaller tools and things like screws, nails, etc. There are also fold-down workbenches that make DIY projects easy and then fold out of the way for more space.
Use a Pallet to Organize Large Hand Tools
Pallets are amazing, especially when you consider how basic and simple they are. Usually pallets are also free, and free shed organization ideas are the best! Pinterest even has fantastic ideas for pallet tool organizers. You could literally have a large hand tool organizer ready to go in a couple of hours! (Less if you leave it unfinished!) We highly suggest visiting Pinterest for more ideas on how to use a pallet to organize your shed.
Organize with a Shelving Unit (or Two)
There’s no denying that a shelving unit, whether wood, metal, or plastic, rocks! Shelving units add extra storage space in a shed and often allow you to store a mountain of stuff. They also let you use some of the empty space near the ceiling of your tool shed, which is perfect if you have lots to store. Even better, shelving units don’t use a lot of floor space, which is often at a premium in a storage shed. As far as shed organization ideas go, a shelving unit is one of the best.
Get Rid of Tools you Don’t Need, Use, or Want
One of the biggest shed organization challenges is storing all your stuff. (There always seems to be more!) However, let’s be honest; most folks own far too much stuff. To organize your tool shed and free up valuable floor space, get rid of some stuff! Which stuff, you ask? If you don’t use it, don’t need it, or don’t want it, toss it. Better still, donate it to Goodwill or give it to a friend or neighbor. The less stuff you store in your shed, the more storage space you’ll have for the things you use regularly.
Use a Hanging Shoe Organizer to Organize Small Garden Tools
A hanging shoe organizer features rows of small pockets and can be easily hung almost anywhere in a shed. Once hung, you can use it to organize all sorts of small garden tools like shears, trowels, gloves, and more.
Hang Wire baskets from the Walls of your Garden Shed
Wire baskets are cheap, easy to use, and simple to hang off of small hooks. They also make perfect containers for many items, like sports balls, cleaning supplies, gardening supplies, and more. One tip is to hang smaller wire baskets up high and hang larger baskets as you go lower. You can also hang wire baskets from a pegboard or slide them under a workbench.
Mount a Length of Copper Tubing to Hang Larger Tools
Copper tubing is strong, readily available, and cheap. With some basic mounting clips, you could easily mount a length of copper tubing on the wall of your shed. That gives you more floor space and uses space near the ceiling. Once mounted, use ‘S’ hooks to hang extension cords, blowers, and other tools up and out of the way.
Final Thoughts
Organizing a storage shed will make DIY projects, lawn care, and outdoor activities much easier and more fun. We hope these tool storage and shed organization ideas will be very helpful when organizing your garden shed.
However, if you need more space, iStorage has clean, safe, and affordable storage units available. Our storage units are secure, come in various sizes, and are easy to access, especially our drive up storage units. Click here to see all of the iStorage locations near you, including their addresses and phone numbers. Best of luck organizing your shed and making it much easier to use and enjoy!