Get your shed organised for summer

Most of us will have a garden shed of some kind. If you are anything like us in the team here at Larkfleet we think it’s fair to say that it will mostly be full of gardening equipment and old junk that we don’t want in the house but can’t bring ourselves to part with.

As summer comes on, now is a good time to think about reorganising our sheds to make the most of the space.

First things first. Sort through your stuff and work out what is essential and what isn’t. Make a list and then separate your things into piles – what you will use, what you can throw away and what you can sell or give away. After all, do you really need two strimmers?

Then, sort your stuff into tools that you use regularly and equipment that you only use occasionally. Create shelving and hangers so that you can store the tools you use most often at eye level where they are easy to find. Long-handled tools like forks, hoes, rakes and spades can hang on the walls.

You could make hooks or magnetic strips to fix to the wall where you can store smaller tools like screwdrivers and pliers.

Use door hanging baskets to place smaller items, bottle and sprays to keep them safe and all together.

Have look at the space over your head. Consider creating overhead storage where you can put the things you use less often. Also, if you have bulky items to store in the shed, such as bikes, think about hanging these from the ceiling or on wall brackets.

To keep hand tools tidy, create a classic tool wall with hangers and outlines of your tools so you know that there is a place for everything and it’s easy to put everything back in its place. Peg boards are also a cheap way of doing this and will be more flexible as your collection of tools grows over time.

Repurpose any old furniture that you have in the home. You may have an old dresser or chest of drawers that would make a fine storage unit for all manner of odds and ends.

Keep your shed as clean as possible and make sure your floor space is tidy and free of obstructions.

Remember to label jars and containers that you use. Don’t put chemicals and dangerous liquids in bottles that appear attractive to kids and always leave this kind of stuff out of reach.

Houzz has some more tips and inspiration on getting you shed into tip top condition this summer.