Shed: De-clutter It

There are multiple times in the year when you can open the shed door and just want to shut it and not address the situation. Sheds become cluttered very quickly, items not put away and unused items from indoors tend to get thrown in there, too. How to de-clutter your shed is relatively simple, but it will take time; either plan short spells where you can go through a handful of items or plan a whole day at getting the shed de-cluttered before the winter sets in.

Sort Out The Categories

You need to know the items you want in your shed, list these so you are clear, mine are:

• Tools
• Storage
• Chicken items
• Wood

Others might include toys or even garden furniture; it will depend on what you want in your shed.

All the items that are in your shed must fall into your chosen category; if they don’t then you need to move on to the second list:

• Bin
• Sell
• Donate

If you have any items in any of the three categories above then you need to take action within a set time limit to remove them from your home. For Bin items I always give myself a week, in case I need to make a trip to the household recycling centre. Again the same with donate; I need time to take the items to donate. However, for selling items I give myself a clear month, if they haven’t gone in this time I consider donating them too. I clearly mark in my diary when an item needs selling by; if it is still there after that date, I re-think my plans.

There are items that you must not place in your bin and must take these to recycling centres for the correct disposal; these include paint cans with paint still inside, any containers with oil, flourescent light bulbs and any small electrical appliance.

The more items that are not put in landfill sites, the better for the health of the planet. There are other household items that should not go in your general waste and these include batteries, they need correct disposal. A lot of shops offer this service, they normally have a container for used batteries.

Putting Items Away

It is important to think about placement of an item in your shed, if you have a shelving system, the items that you use the most need placing on the middle shelves; this is the best access place. Large heavy items must go lower, while the less frequently used items are on the top shelves.

It is important to have a bin in your shed, this prevents rubbish left in the shed or left in unusual places around your garden. It doesn’t have to be a fancy bin it could be an old bucket or even just a bag placed on the inside of the shed door. My family tends to slot rubbish between the slates of my garden table, it stops it blowing around but having a bin that is accessible, means I don’t have to pick up after them.

Therefore, organizing and de-cluttering your shed isn’t as difficult as you might have first imagined.