Organize Your Shed Just in Time for Spring

A storage shed is a very hard-working area of your home, but one which can easily become cluttered and unmanageable. Cleaning and organizing your shed before the gardening and yard season gets into full swing can be a great way of saving time and aggravation. Once your shed is organized, you will be able to find everything you need, quickly and easily, while gaining even more storage space.

Take Everything Out of the Shedr
The first step towards organizing your shed is to take everything out. Choose a sunny day for this task, without any danger of rain. As you remove the items from the shed, sort them into piles by item type or usage. By doing this, you will become aware of any items that are missing, in need of repair, or those which simply need to be thrown away. Keep a box of strong contractor trash bags nearby as you work, since you will probably be throwing out a good amount of junk. If you find items that need repairing or tools that need to be sharpened, set them aside so that you can take them where they need to go instead of simply putting them back in the shed.

Dust, Sweep and Cleanr
Once everything is out of the shed, get to work dusting out the cobwebs, cleaning the surfaces, and sweeping the floor. This is much easier to do when the shed is empty, so don’t be tempted to skip this step. If the floor is extremely dirty and dusty, you should wear a dust mask for protection, especially if you feel that there may be fertilizer or lawn care product residue on the floor.

Assess Your Storage Optionsr
At this point, you might be ready to start putting things back into the shed in a more organized fashion. However, since your shed got disorganized in the first place, that might be a sign that you need better organizational methods.

Installing a few wall shelves in the shed can help keep items off the floor. Stackable plastic storage bins, especially if they are see-through, can be a great way of keeping items organized, clean, and protected from moisture. Racks and hooks that are designed for garden tools, bicycles, and other unwieldy items can help control clutter. A pegboard on the wall can be a great way to organize small hand tools and other items that can easily become misplaced. Purchasing a few of these items before putting everything back can help you keep your storage shed clean and organized in the future.

Putting Everything Backr
After installing any new storage features, it’s time to put everything back. Place items that are used for similar purposes together to make it easier to gather supplies when it’s time to get some work done. Use coffee cans or other small containers to organize small items, possibly even screwing these containers to the wall to save workbench surface space. If you have any sharp garden tools, be sure to store them so that the sharp edges are protected for the sake of safety. Once your shed is clean and organized, you’ll be ready to tackle your spring gardening and yard tasks.