Inside: Handy Tips to Save Space in Your Shed. Collaborative post.
A shed can be a great place to store all of your tools and garden equipment, saving space and decluttering the rest of your house. However, it is easy to quickly fill up your shed and find yourself digging through heaps of things trying to find the tools you need. Here are some handy tips to save space in your shed and make finding the items you need a breeze.
Declutter
The first thing to do when looking to save space is to identify exactly what you actually need and what you can get rid of. Do a thorough inventory of all of the things you already have in your shed and see if there is anything that can go.
There will be some things that can go straight in the bin and others that can be stored elsewhere. For example, there may be some tools or items in your shed that you only use very infrequently which may be better stored somewhere else, such as in the loft or garage. Make sure you only keep the things you definitely need in your shed and get rid of the rest of the clutter.
Consider Space-Saving Alternatives
There are now many options for space-saving alternative versions of common tools that will help you to save space in your shed. Telescopic ladders are a good example of one such space-saver. Unlike traditional ladders, telescopic ladders can be condensed down to one third of their full height, meaning they can be made far smaller and more compact than their traditional counterparts.
By investing in a telescopic ladder, you will have something that can be stored in a much smaller space, as well as a more flexible ladder that can extend out to any height required for the job at hand. This is just one example of a space-saving alternative, have a look and see what others are available to make the best use of your space.
Prioritise
Once you are left with only the things you absolutely need in your shed, now it’s time to organise your things by how often you use them and plan accordingly. There will be some items, such as garden furniture, that you may need access to on a weekly basis, whereas others, such as spades and gardening forks, that you might only use a couple of times a year.
Figure out which items you will need the most access to and make a plan to ensure they are easily reachable to save yourself both space and time in the future.
Condense
Often, we find ourselves with many half-empty cans and containers knocking about and taking up space. Look through all of the items you have in your shed and see if any of them can be condensed in fewer containers. For example, you may have two cans of the same paint that can be poured into a single tin, reducing the amount of space they take up.
Likewise, with tools and equipment such as screws and nails, it may make more sense to purchase a toolbox and store them all in one place, rather than having them scattered separately all across your shed. By condensing your items, you will save space and make things easier and more convenient to access.
Store Smart
When it comes to actually putting things into your shed, be purposeful with how you arrange them, taking into account both frequency of use and the size and shape of each item. Start with bigger items such as lawnmowers, then fit the smaller things around them.
This approach will allow you to make the most of the space you are working with by ensuring you are storing things in the most efficient manner possible. Keep in mind the shape and size of your shed and try to plan how best to fit the larger items around one another to take advantage of all of the space.
Use All of the Space
Your shed may only have a small flooring area that can be used for storage but this does not mean there aren’t other places to store things. Consider installing shelving or racking around the walls to store smaller items such as paint cans and seeds. Hook or nails can also be placed on the walls to hang tools from, saving space on the floor.
There are also some forms of racking you can purchase that will allow you to store items on the ceiling of your shed. By keeping as many of your smaller items off of the floor as possible, you will not only create more space for the larger things you need to store there, but you will also increase the number of things you are able to store in the same amount of space.
Hopefully, this has given you some ideas for how you can save space in your shed. There are plenty of other ways to make the most of your shed space, so have a look at what you’ve got and make a plan for how best to utilise your shed.