Putting off home improvement projects is normal. The average American has nine DIY projects that need their attention.
Is your chaotic workshop holding you back?
As a DIY mechanic, you know that an organized garage is key in taking care of repairs quickly and safely. Here are a few workshop organization ideas to help.
1. Safety First
Slips, trips, and falls are among the most likely safety concerns for a workshop. Look around and check for hazards. Are there tools on the floor, objects in the way, or trash accumulating in the corners?
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Removing these hazards and having a place for them is the start of your new better-organized workshop. Anything that needs to be moved has to have a place to store it. The second part of your project is to have a place for everything.
Another safety factor is to consider what things you are storing in your workshop. There are some things that are best stored away from the workshop environment. They constitute a hazard.
Store propane gas tanks outdoors. Store paper and waste elsewhere. If your workshop is prone to low or variable temperatures, don’t use it to store a refrigerator or paint cans.
2. Make a Floor Plan
Draw a scale plan of your workshop and mark on it space you need to reserve for your car, workspace, and bulky items. Allocate areas for things you use together. Garden equipment, car maintenance tools, and recreational items should have distinct areas allocated.
The principle that things you use together should be stored together will help in a number of ways. It makes for greater efficiency because, when you are working on a project, all the things you need are close together. It also helps when you need to put things away.
3. Keep It off the Floor
To create more floor space, you need to create wall storage. Shelving or cabinets can achieve this easily and cheaply. Make sure they are all raised off the floor so you can sweep underneath them.
Wall storage ideas include open shelves, wall mounted bins, and metal cabinets. Use pegboard and hooks to store tools you need easy access to. It can be cut to size, and so is great for odd shaped bits of wall.
4. Free Wheeling
Anything that has to go on the floor should be easily moved. This means you can relocate it when you are using it or move it out of the way when you are not. The easiest way to make a heavy object moveable is to have it on wheels or casters.
Attach lockable casters to a workbench so you can move it into the center of the workshop when in use and out of the way when you need the space for routine car maintenance. Casters on cabinets mean you can have cabinets in front of other cabinets or wall mounted pegboards. Simply wheel it away to get access to the wall.
5. Part Bins
Looking for a part in a mixed box of parts can be very frustrating and time-consuming. Better to have smaller parts in small wall-mounted parts bins. Label the bins, and you’ll be able to go straight to the part you need.
This works for fixings, plumbing components, and even electrical components. It’s also a great way to identify any items that you may be running low on and need to replenish.
Workshop Organization Ideas for Safety and Efficiency
Two major reasons to apply these workshop organization ideas are safety and efficiency. An untidy workshop is an unsafe workshop. Poor organization wastes time.
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