5 Expert Hacks to Organise Your Shed for Autumn

With autumn here, it’s the perfect time to tackle your shed storage. As summer tools and garden furniture get packed away, a well-organised shed makes it easier to find what you need and frees up valuable space for the colder months ahead.

Garden shed expert, Sam Jenkinson at garden building retailer Tiger, shares five hacks for organising your garden shed and making the most of the storage space you have available.

1. Think wisely about space

“It’s important to use the space you have wisely, using every inch of the space you can – especially if you’ve got a small shed. Install shelves or use freestanding shelving units to store items, and if you’re planning to store a lot on them, look for heavy-duty shelves that can withstand a hefty weight. You can also use hooks or storage racks on the ceiling and hang bulky items vertically on the walls to not miss out on valuable storage.

Start with your biggest items and work your way down, grouping items by themes such as bike stuff, camping items and gardening objects. Keep regular-use items in easy to reach spots, and less often used items can be stored higher up on shelves in storage bins.” 

2. Hang tools with magnets

“A clever way to store metal tools is by installing industrial-strength magnetic strips along your garden shed walls. This way you can neatly hang trowels, rakes and other metal tools within reach, as well as help to prevent them from rusting in cluttered drawers. Smaller magnetic strips can also be used to hold small metal items such as screws, nails, or drill bits.”

3. Use the doors and the outside walls

“The space on the shed door can be useful for storing items, mounting hooks into the top of the Z-frame to hang items such as trowels or shears, or invest in an over the door shoe organizer and use the pockets to nearly storage small items.

You don’t have to limit wall-mounted storage to the inside, think about ways you can use other parts of the shed, such as the space under the eaves. As long as the items aren’t fragile or vulnerable to cold or heat, there’s no reason why you can’t hang racks on the outside walls – particularly if you’re stuck for space!”

4. Install a French cleat system

“A great way to tidy your workspace and organise your tools is by installing a French cleat wall. Utilising near-flat vertical lengths of timber with a 45-degree angle cut, the angled cuts are used to hook on accessories that have a compatible 45-degree hook attached, tightly locking to support significant weight. You can design it to suit your space, adding as many or few shelves as you like, adapting it as your toolbox expands.” 

5. Don’t forget the small stuff

“When organising your shed, don’t forget the small stuff such as nails and bolts, or seed packets and gardening labels. With small items like these, it’s helpful to neatly split them and store separately.

To help you do this, you could use cups, baskets or drawers with separate compartments. You can even go a step further by colour coding them with paint or tape, making it easier to find things and put them back in the right place.”