Spring Organizational Ideas for Your Storage Shed

Cleaning and Decluttering Your Shed

Once the weather has warmed up a bit and there’s very little snow, you can start decluttering. This will be much easier if you wait until there are a few sunny and warm days. Trying to do this with snow or rain could hinder your efforts since you need items to be dry when you put them in storage. 

The first thing you’ll want to do when decluttering is to open and evaluate your shed. Is it fairly organized? Does everything have a place? Are there items you need to get rid of? Once you’ve thought through these things, you’ll want to start taking items out of the shed. It’s easiest if you take everything out at once. Yes, this might seem overwhelming, but it’ll be much easier to clean the inside of the shed with everything out. Moreover, you’ll be able to see how much stuff you truly have and if you need all of it. 

You’ll want to start by sorting everything into categories. For example, you might have home decor, baby items, sporting equipment, yard tools, outdoor items, etc. Sort everything into groups. As you sort, go through everything and make two piles separate from the items you’ll be keeping. One of these piles should be for trash, and the other should be for donations. Getting rid of older items is a good way to declutter. It makes room for other things you’d like to put in storage or simply it makes your storage easier to access. 

Maximizing Storage Space

If your shed is full of boxes and items just stacked on top of each other, you’re missing out on the benefits of utilizing a storage solution or system. Sheds are typically tall enough to accommodate people walking around comfortably inside, and you should take advantage of the height of the shed. Adding vertical storage solutions like shelving can make a huge difference. Some people prefer to build their own wooden shelving and others prefer metal shelving that you can buy at a hardware store. They’re both great options, just make sure you know the weight capacity of each so you can maximize storage. Shelves also make it much easier to pull items in and out without having to move a bunch of stacked items just to get to one box.

Speaking of boxes, make sure every smaller item in your shed is placed in one. Loose items in sheds can get lost, dirty or broken. You also won’t be able to find loose items as easily. So, make sure everything that can be placed in a container is put in one. Yard equipment and patio furniture are a few exceptions, but everything else should have a “home” in your shed.

Properly Labeling Items

Once your items are sorted into piles and you’ve had the chance to get rid of things you don’t need, you’ll need to box those items and label them. Making sure items are carefully categorized and grouped in each box can make a huge difference. To label your boxes, you can always write on plain white stickers with a sharpie. However, there are nicer options these days. 

You can buy a label maker, for example, and use that to label each box. There are also companies that sell QR code stickers that you can add to boxes. These stickers are usually managed from an app and allow you to make a list of the items within the box. So, you don’t have to open six different boxes to find a single item. No matter how you decide to label, just make sure to be somewhat specific so you’ll know what is in each box more easily. This can save you so much time in the long run.

Shed Maintenance and Upkeep

One of the most important things to remember about shed organization is the maintenance and upkeep of your shed. While it can be something that sometimes gets ignored, checking your shed at the end of the winter and the beginning of fall for holes, cracks or anything that needs to be fixed is crucial to keeping a clean shed. However, the best advice we have for shed maintenance is to get a low-maintenance durable shed. Keter sheds are weather-resistant, sturdy and practically maintenance-free. They’re made with a durable resin that won’t rot, rust or peel like other shed material types. So, you’re less likely to need to do a bunch of patching, repairing and cleaning like you would with a wood or metal shed.

When it comes to spring cleaning your shed, there are many other things you can do. Everyone has a method to their madness, and what works for you might become more apparent as you clean and sort your shed yearly or bi-yearly. Some people love shelving, others might prefer to stack boxes. Some might prefer to have storage cabinets inside their sheds rather than boxes of items. While your methods of storage and organizing will vary based on the items you have inside your shed, the principle of taking everything out to declutter still seems to be the best option that most organizing experts recommend. Making sure the shed is a high-quality one that is checked regularly is important. However, if you want to spend less time on this step, a resin shed from Keter is your best bet.