Organizing the Tool Shed

If the tool shed, work room or garage has gotten just a bit too crowded and unorganized, maybe it is time to start from scratch and get things where you want them. Here's a step by step way to get some order in your tool shed.

Find out what you have.

You need to take everything out of your shed and see what you have. Look at your tools and put the items together that go together. You should set gardening items with other gardening items, pool gear with other pool equipment, etc. and mark an area for each category for sorting. This can be done rather quickly as you will go through them later and throw away things and put them in a different category if needed.

Make space for your tools.

Once you have everything out of the tool shed you need to make sure you have a place to put everything back. One of the first things you may need to add to your shed is some shelving for items you don't want to store on the floor and to free up space. There are many different shelving items that you can consider, including inexpensive metal or plastic that will stand up to the weather a little better than other shelves. You can make your own shelving with some wooden planks and some shelving brackets if you have a place to attach them to the wall.

You should also get several different sized jars or storage containers that can hold small items. These should have a place to put a label on them so you will know what is in them and maybe the specific size of the item in the container. Now you will need to make a place to put the larger tools. These will include items like rakes, hoes, shovels, hand tools, power tools, etc. You can purchase special racks that mount right to the wall that will hold each of these items. You can also use brackets or large nails places just a few inches apart to hang these tools on. Place work tools near the work bench and keep hardware items handy and near the work space. If you cannot nail anything to the walls then there are storage cabinets and racks available that will help you organize these tools.

• Install stock cabinets and a prefabricated countertop to store tools and supplies for the wood worker in the house. Place a couple of rolling tool stands underneath to accommodate larger tools such as a router and table saw
• Place a couple large trash containers for waste and recycling in a convenient spot for easy removal on garbage day. Save space by using PVC piping and plumber strap to store extra trim pieces and T-brackets to hold lumber overhead
• Consider having an electrician install additional outlets to make using power tools more convenient in a garage space.

Attach jar lids to the bottom of a shelf with two screws and fill the jars with screws, nails, washers, etc. to keep the work surface free of clutter

Get the tools back in the shed.

Now you are going to go through the tools and make sure that all of the tools are grouped together properly. Go through and take out all of the tools that may be broken or rusty and clean and repair them. If you have any extra or duplicate tools, put them aside to be sold or donated.

Now that you have all of the tools together and clean they are ready to go in the shed. Hang all of the tools that have handles that can be hung. Place nuts, bolts, screws, anything that is small and can fall to the floor and get lost in a jar or storage container. Place small hand tools on shelves that are higher up and larger hand held tools on lower shelves. Now you are ready to put in items like the lawn mower etc….. Place these things along the wall and make sure that you leave room to walk around them.

Having now invested time to clean, repair, sort and organize your tools, all you must do is maintain the order. Always put the tools back where you got them after you have finished using them and return them clean. This will make your work easier, more enjoyable and more efficient.