One often neglected and overlooked area of the garden is the garden shed, which is often a key feature of your garden. Having a run-down, unorganised looking shed is one way to distract visitors from the natural beauty of the rest of your garden. This happens as the garden shed is often considered a dumping ground or ‘just somewhere' to store all your garden tools and equipment like your lawn mower and hedge trimmer.Tidying your shed and making it look tip top doesn’t take long, and can often be achieved in one afternoon. Don’t let an unloved shed ruin your garden. Follow the basics below and give your garden the WOW factor.

The basics!

The very first thing you should do when tidying the garden shed is look at what you have hidden away. You will be surprised at the amount of junk and clutter you will find. You may have some items that you do not need, and others may need maintenance ahead of the new season. Clear the floor space and take some time to thoroughly sweep the floor removing any loose grass that the lawn mower may have dragged in, and clean any work surfaces. Don't be surprised if you find a few creepy crawlies in there too!

Clean the inside of the windows with warm soapy water to remove any dirt or mould that may have grown. By removing the dirt and grime, it will allow extra sunlight into the shed which in turn will help keep the shed warm. Once the inside of the shed is clean, tidy and dust free, organise the contents of your shed. Throw anyway any broken power tools, knick knacks and other broken or unwanted items. Think about how often you use each item and think about where is best to store them.

For example, it may make sense that the lawn mower is stored by the door, so that it is easy to get out when you need it, and power tools are fixed to the wall so that they are easy to reach. When thinking about the layout you should ensure that you still have enough room to move about within the shed easily. You don’t want to be clambering over large objects to get through the door as you may end up tripping and hurting yourself. 

When you have thought about where and how you want to organise each item, take the time to ensure that you have adequate storage. Do you need to invest in a few new storage boxes or build a couple of shelves? Once this is done, put the contents of the garden shed back. .

Flymo top tips for a tidy shed

1. Paint the shed - There is nothing worse than an old and horrible looking shed at the bottom of the garden. Especially when the rest of the garden looks so good. Think about getting prepared and planning some time to paint your shed in the spring when the weather is warm and dry.

2. Remove any batteries - Cold weather can reduce the ability of a battery to maintain its charge. If you have any garden tools that use batteries, fully charge the battery before storing for the winter. Lead acid batteries should be left on charge over the winter. Other batteries including NiMH should be fully charged before storing for the winter, and recharged every 3 to 4 months, and avoid any extended periods without recharging.

3. Grass trimmer line - The materials used in grass trimmer lines do not like the cold weather. Take them inside too and store them somewhere safe. If the trimmer line is still in its airtight unopened packet, then these can remain in the garden shed. If you do need to replace any accessories visit the Official Flymo WebShop where these can be purchased.