6 clever shed organisation and storage ideas

Garden sheds are great places to store all sorts of tools and equipment. However, making sure we’re effectively maintaining our sheds can occasionally fall to the wayside.

Thankfully though, our storage experts have put their heads together and come up with six clever shed storage ideas to help you get your outdoor space decluttered and organised.

If you realise your shed is a bit too small, take a look at our bespoke long-term storage options, which provide just the right amount of space you need.

1. Have a proper clear-out

Sheds are usually prone to becoming cluttered with gardening equipment, paints, tools, and household items you can’t quite fit in your home. Before you can start to effectively organise your shed, you need to have an extensive clear-out.

The best way to do this is very similar to dealing with your sentimental clutter; pull everything you’ve got out of your garden shed, and start sorting through what you do and don’t need. This is also an ideal time to check that all your machinery and tools are working correctly, as well as giving them a good clean.

If you come across any old paint cans with paint still in them, throw them away as soon as you can. Leftover paint is hazardous to people, as well as the environment, so make sure you dispose of it safely, by taking it to your nearest recycle centre.

Most importantly, any of the things you do want to throw away, either recycle them or find out if any friends, neighbours, or relatives can make use of them.

2. Spruce up your shed

Before you store your tools, machinery, and items back into your shed, there’s no better time to give it a good clean.

Brush away any cobwebs, muck, and dried leaves, which may have built up inside since you last had a clear-out. If your garden shed has got windows, open them up and give them a good clean, so you let in plenty of fresh air and natural light.

Last but not least, use a high-quality wood treatment on the inside and outside of your shed. This lick of paint ensures it’s protected from weather damage, wear, and tear, and continues looking brand new.

3. Check your paintbrushes

As you’re going through and organising your shed items, make sure to check the condition of your paintbrushes. These tools can become hard and brittle if they’re not cleaned after being used or stored correctly in your shed. If they are hard and brittle, it might be tempting to throw them away. Thankfully though, you don’t need to.

For any paintbrushes you find with water-based paint on them like acrylic, a simple mixture of fabric softener and water will dissolve the paint. Any you find with oil-based paint on them, you’ll need to swirl them in paint thinner or solvent until it is completely dissolved.

4. Fit-on-the-wall storage

If you’ve got a large shed, you’ll have added space to store your tools and gardening equipment. But if you’ve got a small garden shed, there’s still plenty of creative ways to organise your items.

Fitting hooks to your shed walls is a brilliant way to organise your shed. It also stops the shed floor space being taken up by power cables and gardening tools, as well as keeping them safely out of the way of children.

If you do decide to hang your equipment in your shed, we recommend using galvanised hooks, because they’re great for heavy equipment.

Alongside hooks, if you’re a keen DIYer, fitting freestanding shelves around the walls of your shed is another effective storage hack. Again though, make sure that the shelves you’re building are strong enough to hold the items you’re needing to store.

5. Get recycling and upcycle-savvy

It’s not just the large tools you need to think about when reorganising your shed; keeping your fasteners and smaller tools safe is just as important.

Old plastic takeaway tubs are great for storing and organising your nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. They’re light, small, stackable and can be easily labelled with permanent marker for added shed storage goodness.

Another effective idea for organising belongings in your shed, is to use empty jars and cardboard boxes for storing screwdrivers, seeds, or even your freshly cleaned paintbrushes.

6. Use all your available shed space

While the walls make up most of your shed storage space, you can still find ideas for storage in other areas around your shed too.

The back of your shed door is ideal for hanging small tools; you can add hooks to hold your gardening equipment, or fit a magnetic tool holder to secure them into place.

The ceiling of your garden shed is an often underutilised storage area you can take full advantage of as well. If your shed has got a triangular shed roof, you can secure a wooden or metal beam across it, then attach hooks to these, creating another effective place to store low-hanging tools and maximise your floor space.

With plenty of storage solutions at your disposal, organising your garden shed has never been easier. If you’ve got a vast collection of trainers, boots, and high heels, our inventive shoe storage ideas will help you organise them successfully too.