The new year is the perfect time for a declutter, to reset and reorganise your living space for a calmer start to the year ahead. Garden sheds can often become dumping grounds, so taking time to declutter your shed at the start of the year can make it a far more functional, calmer-to-use space, come spring.
Garden shed expert, Sam Jenkinson, from garden building retailers, Tiger has shared his advice for decluttering and reorganising your garden shed:
Easy steps for decluttering
Combine the 80/20 rule with a timer to stay focused
A simple way to approach decluttering without feeling overwhelmed is to combine the 80/20 rule with a timed clear-out.
The 80/20 rule suggests that most people use around 20% of their belongings 80% of the time. In a garden shed, this usually means a small number of tools, pots or pieces of equipment are used regularly, while the rest sit untouched.
To put this into practice, set a 30-minute timer. In the first five minutes, grab three containers or piles: one for items to keep, one for items to donate or sell, and one for anything that needs to be thrown away.
Next, set a 15-minute timer and move quickly through the shed, wearing sturdy gloves to protect you from sharp tools or rusty edges, placing items into one of the three piles without overthinking. Taking care when lifting heavier items such as lawn mowers or bags of compost. Focus on identifying the tools and items you actually use, and removing broken pots, empty compost bags, damaged tools or anything you haven’t touched in years.
Once you’ve finished, look at what’s left in your ‘keep’ pile and ask yourself two simple questions:
- Have I used this in the last year?
- Would I buy it again if I didn’talready own it?
This helps you clearly identify the 20% of items that deserve to stay easily accessible in your shed.
Grouping these kept items by use will also make reorganising much easier and ensure everything is easy to find when the gardening season begins.”
Steps for reorganising
Now that your shed has been cleared and you can see exactly what space you’re working with, it’s time to think about how to best organise so it stays clutter-free
Set up zones in your garden shed
Garden buildings can serve many purposes, from simple garden storage to workshops, hobby spaces or general storage solutions. Once you’re clear on what your shed is primarily used for, it becomes much easier to let go of anything that doesn’t support that purpose. Creating simple, designated zones within your shed helps keep the space organised and prevents clutter from building up again.
For example, you might want to create a small potting station, with compost, posts, and hand tools stored together and a DIY repair corner for storing drills and fixings.
If your shed is used to store both garden tools and sporting equipment, separating these items into distinct areas can make a big difference. Bikes can be hung from beams using chains and hooks to free up floor space, while items such as weights can be stored in sturdy baskets or containers nearby. Garden tools can then be kept in their own clearly organised area, making them easy to find when needed.
Using clear storage boxes and adding simple labels to shelves and containers can make these zones even easier to manage, especially during the busy gardening months. Having defined zones not only makes the shed more functional in the short term, but also helps keep it tidy in the future, as everything has a clear place to return to.
Budget-friendly storage tips
Once you’ve established zones within your garden shed, freeing up floor space is one of the quickest ways to make it feel more practical and easier to use. A cluttered floor can make the space feel cramped and awkward to move around in, turning simple tasks into unnecessary frustrations. Storing long-handled tools vertically can make an immediate difference, creating more room and helping the shed feel calmer and more organised.
Effective shed organisation doesn’t require expensive storage solutions. Using hooks, rails and bungee cords can help keep items grouped by use and easy to find, while making the most of the space you already have.
To keep your shed organised long-term, a quick 10-minute tidy each month can make a huge difference. For example, returning belongings to their designated zones and cleaning away any new clutter helps prevent the space from becoming overwhelming again.
Often, decluttering and reorganising a shed is simply about rethinking how the space works and making small, practical changes that improve how you use it throughout the year.
