How do I organise a shed?

Sheds have two problems gardens don't: damp and temperature swing. Anything stored on a shed floor sits in the damp, and anything water-based freezes in winter. Organising a shed is therefore as much about what you don't store there as how you arrange what you do.

What you'll need

• Wall hooks and shelving
• Sealed plastic containers
• Labels
• Damp-proof membrane or pallets (optional)
• Padlock (optional)

Step by step

1. Empty the shed completely on a dry day.You can't assess the structure or the contents with things in the way.
2. Check the roof, walls and floor for leaks, rot and damp while it's empty.Look for daylight, soft timber and green staining. Fix these now — it's the only convenient moment.
3. Sort ruthlessly and dispose of chemicals properly.Old paint, weedkiller and solvents go to a household waste recycling centre, never down a drain.
4. Get everything off the floor.Shed floors are the dampest part. Shelving, wall hooks and pallets under bulky items all help.
5. Hang long tools on a rack or purpose-made hooks.Spades, forks, rakes and strimmers stored leaning in a corner fall over, get damaged and block everything.
6. Store anything vulnerable in sealed plastic containers.Cardboard collapses in a damp shed and attracts pests. Sealed plastic is the only reliable option.
7. Keep paint, adhesives, batteries and water-based products indoors.Freezing destroys emulsion, PVA and most water-based products, and cold shortens battery life considerably.
8. Store fuel and chemicals in a locked metal container, away from ignition sources.Petrol for mowers in particular needs a proper container and ventilation.
9. Fit a decent lock and consider whether the contents are covered by insurance.Shed contents are often excluded or capped on home policies. Worth checking before storing anything valuable.

Tips

• A shelf at head height around the whole perimeter roughly doubles usable storage and costs very little.
• Silhouette or label the wall behind hanging tools so things get put back in the same place.
• A cheap hygrometer tells you whether the shed is genuinely damp. Improving ventilation is usually easier than dealing with the consequences.
• Store the things you use most near the door. In a shed, the back becomes inaccessible very quickly.

Common mistakes

• Storing paint and water-based products in an unheated shed — Freezing destroys them, and you find out when you open the tin in spring.
• Leaving things on the floor — It's the dampest part of a shed and everything stored there deteriorates.
• Using cardboard boxes — They absorb damp, collapse and attract pests.
• Not checking insurance cover — Shed contents are frequently excluded or capped, which people discover after a break-in.

Questions people ask