Shed Organization

There are several options for shed organization.  You can use things like shelves, pegboard, containers, hooks and custom holding and organizing options.

You can add a lot of space to your shed simply by adding a few of these options.  I’ll discuss a few of these options and how best to utilize them.

Pegboard Madness

One great way to organize your shop is to use pegboard.  Just a word of warning about it though, it’s not for everyone, and it doesn’t really tolerate overcrowding well.  If you have seemingly too much stuff in your shop, I suggest to start with shelves.  In any case, pegboard can be very useful.  A couple of rules of thumb with pegboard:

1. Space your tools out enough so that they are easy to reach for.  Leaving enough room for your hand to reach up and get a certain tool is very important for pegboard usage.  It is very annoying when you go to reach for a tool and in the process you have to weave around another tool that’s too close.

2. Group tools that are alike.  A great thing about shed organization with pegboard is that you get an instant visual check on where something is on your board.  It is much easier to just reach for something that is on display than to dig through a toolbox which is full of an assortment of other tools.  So, when you organize your pegboard, group similar tool groups.  For example, if you have a couple of different kinds of hammers, put them on one section.  If you have 3 or 4 different types of pliers, put them in another section, and so on.

3.  The only other thing about organizing pegboard is that if you usually take a lot of tools off of your pegboard at a time, then you should think about getting a small labeler and label the locations of the tools.  Labelers can be found on Amazon for pretty cheap, and they are an organizing item all on their own.

The only other thing about pegboard is that the hooks have a habit of coming out sometimes when you pull a tool off of the pegboard.  This can be an irritation.  They sell little plastic keepers in the hardware store to keep the hook from falling out, but I find that those keepers don’t work very well. Put a 1 inch drywall screw in the same hole as the hook is in, and this will hold the hook in place.  You can also weave wire in around the hook, but sometimes that can be difficult.

Containers

Containers can be useful for shed organization, especially if they are the see-through type.  You can also use opaque ones, but it is always a good idea to label them.  You can do this by getting cheap kitchen labels from the dollar store or buying an inexpensive labeler from Amazon.  I prefer the labelers as they give a nice even look to everything, and are easy to read.

Containers work best if they are labeled, and they are also work best on narrow shelves.  They can be placed on mini shelves in between 2×4 studs on the wall, or on a narrow shelf above a bench window.  If they are stacked too deep, it will be difficult to find what you’re looking for.

I usually try to use all of the same kind if I can.  You can buy them, or you can collect a certain type of food container (like butter containers), but be sure to label them, or else you’ll spend most of your time peeking inside containers everytime you need something.

Custom Hooks and Holders

The only other thing you may consider in your shed are custom hooks for larger items like garden hoses.  The larger items can be a little painful, and you don’t want them to take up a ton of room in your shed.  A lot of storage space idea books will show these things stacked close together, but don’t stake awkward things like garden hoses too close together, they end up tangling together.

Hose holders are very useful, but make sure you drain the hose before placing it in the shed for the winter.  It won’t break the hose, but it’s not good for them.

There are also specialty hooks for holding things like shovels, and grass clippers and rakes.  All of these things can be handy, but a bit overwhelming at first.  If you don’t kow what to do at the beginning, get a good size garbage can, and stick everything in it with the handles down.  You can choose where to put the more used items as you organize without spending too much time on one item at first.

No matter how you choose to organize your shed, there are lot’s of options, but if your shed is sized properly for it’s uses, you will find it a very useful addition to a backyard.