When it comes to DIY, it is crucial to keep your workshop in order and your equipment easy to access.
With so many small accessories and spare parts, it is easy to let things get in a muddle.
But with these solutions, all made from household items, you can keep your workshop or garage tidy and well organised without having to spend lots of money buying extra storage units.
Recycled storage bins
Being organised saves time when looking for hardware. Recycle large plastic containers like laundry detergent bottles, cutting out the tops to create an open storage trug with a handle and labelling them clearly.
TIP Keep drawers or boxes sorted by using plywood strips as dividers, reconfiguring them for different-sized items.
Recycle plastic containers by using them as storage bins
Vertical solution
Secure offcuts of PVC guttering to studs as storage for small objects that are impractical to hang.
Cut the guttering to about 485mm long using a mitresaw then secure the end caps to the lengths of guttering using PVC cement or silicone.
Attach guttering to the studs using 40mm x 8g roundhead screws with washers.
TIP Cut longer pieces of guttering to store items like corner bead, dowel or fishing rods instead of standing them on end.
Use PVC piping and timber offcuts to create shelves
DIY hose tidy
Keep garden hoses and electrical cords tidy by winding them around a bucket secured to two noggins that are attached to studs.
Use a jigsaw to cut 18mm plywood into a circle to fit into the base of a 20 litre bucket.
Position two 42 x 42mm LOSP treated pine noggins over the studs 150mm apart and secure with 75mm x 10g timber screws.
Drive and countersink 3mm pilot holes through the plywood then use 50mm x 8g timber screws to secure the bucket.
TIP The interior of the bucket is a handy place to keep a double adaptor, sprinkler or powerboard.
Use a bucket as a hose tidy
Mount a charger
Ensure cordless tools are always ready for action by mounting tool charger stands on scraps of peg board, hanging them on a pegboard wall for easy access.
To mount, most chargers have holes or keyhole slots in the base. For those that don’t, use a large hose clamp to hang them.
Make life easier by mounting a charger for your power tools
Use PVC pipe
Create a handy way to store odds and ends like cable ties, paintbrushes and hand tools using PVC pipe.
Simply cut the pipe at an angle, then mount the pieces to a timber board by driving a screw through the base of the pipe, predrilling the holes.
Make a custom tool holder using PVC pipe