I’ve always loved the outdoors, especially camping. But often, it would take me the best part of a day just to pack the car and leave the house. I’d lose a whole morning just trying to sort out and find the camping gear in my backyard storage shed. This was before I became addicted to organisation, which started with a few clever storage tricks.
After one particularly uncomfortable trip, I arrived home tired on a Sunday and struggled to find a spot for my hiking bag. I tripped over the cricket bat I’d thrown in the shed the previous week after a friendly (losing) match at the park. It was clearly time to zen my den. Get my head around my shed. Did I need The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up?
But, wait. I love that stuff. I use it often enough. I would never throw it away.
It’s not always the stuff that’s a problem: it’s the storage.
Even if we only buy what we need and actually use, disorganised storage gets in the way of our next adventure. Poor backyard storage organisation also means we’re more likely to lose useful items (like my air mattress pump!), spend money on a duplicate of something we already own, and risk carelessly damaging our possessions.
Proper storage shed solutions also grant protection from the weather and thieves, while freeing up space in other areas of your home.
Does your shed storage need a spring clean or a complete overhaul?
We don’t have to wait for spring to do a spring clean. I discovered a few nifty shed storage solutions to help keep all your kit in tip-top condition. They’re all low cost and work a treat, whether you’re outfitting an existing shed, or buying a new one.
Shed storage should keep your stuff out of the way, yet be easy to access when you need it.
So, you’ve come home from that arduous trip to the mega hardware store with bags of potting mix and a few new tools, only to realise there is nowhere to store it all. Below are some shed storage ideas to make the most of your space.
If you’re considering upsizing your storage space, organisation is still key. A great starting size is the Pool Pump Shed, or for a place like mine with a large garden (and a kayak), you get even better storage capacity with something like the 3.07m Globel Garden Shed.
Let’s start with the long tools. Try this DIY storage solution for brooms, rakes, mops, and shovels.
via Homedit
A trusty wood pallet crate will keep the lot from toppling around (and prevent an impromptu Three Stooges routine on your next shed visit).
The solution for your fertilisers and smaller tools? The Shed Man has free-standing shelving options to make the most of your floor space. Or, go one step further and look at a smaller dedicated lean-to garden shed, to lock poisons and sharp tools away from the little ones.
When you only use it once a year, your shed storage solutions really matter.
One of my neighbours manages to upstage the rest of the street every year with his competitive Christmas light displays. I used to think it was even more impressive is that he’d spend that long just untangling the strings of lights. Even the 2-metre set I have is tangled enough to elicit a string of profanities from me. Then he showed me this nifty trick for storing Christmas lights.
Simply wrap the cable around a rectangle of cardboard, and keep them dry and safe in plastic archival boxes. Then, next year this might be the most pleasant thing you unwrap at the festive season.
Treat the airspace as premium real estate. If you can’t stack something, hang it.
Walls are your secondary floor. Hooks with proper mounts on walls are an ideal way to get a quick visual to locate your tools and other regular use items in a heartbeat. Use hooks to hang those pesky folding camping chairs, or clearly label buckets and hang those from your hooks. If you have a blank wall, you have more space.
Making space in your shed makes more space in your life.
I guarantee that if you can create more useful space and become better organised, you’ll have more time for the important things. Time to go camping. Or fishing. Or enjoying your time in the garden. It’s not a mountainous task with the right backyard storage solution. Check out the options, and hopefully, I’ll see you around the campground soon. I’ll definitely have an air mattress pump, if you need it.