Organizing Your Garage:
Lawn Tool Storage

I am not handy with well, my hands. But I figured I could put a tool rack up in my garage to hold all the rakes, shovels etc. I tried nails in the studs before, but they're unreliable and usually wind up bent. I tried nailing a 2 x 8 horizontally to the studs and then cutting grooves for the tools. Yes, I'm that inept and the only thing it really holds are a pair of oars. The shovels, axes and rakes are in a tangle beneath the 2 x 8. What is a simple, cheap solution? I've been tempted to buy those kits they have in the hardware stores for bozos like me, but that wouldn't be frugal.
Pat K.

For the problem of what to do with the various garden implements and tools, my family seems to find pegboard and the associated assorted pegboard hooks to be very useful. The hooks come in many different styles and you can buy as many or few as you need in most hardware stores or lumber yards.

As for the oil stains on the concrete....I haven't actually tried this on concrete, but it works to get axle grease off of most everything I've tried it on so it might also work for oil on concrete. Try scrubbing it with Dawn dishwashing detergent and then hosing it off.
Sherry W.

We have hooks in the ceiling of the garage. During the winter the bikes hang there. In the summer the sleds take their place. Lawn chairs and snow shovels can swap hooks, too.
C.A.N.

This is the most effective way I have found to remove oil stains on concrete driveways. Actually I am covering them up. Purchase a bag of ready-to use concrete mix or borrow a handful of the powder from your neighbor. Just sprinkle a small amount of the powder onto the oil stained spots on your concrete driveway being sure to cover the entire stain with a very thin layer. The next time it rains the water will mix with the concrete powder and form a layer over the oil stain. This layer appears to bond very tightly with the original concrete. Occasionally you may have to spread the powder a second time. This method has worked beautifully for me for a number of years.
Don D.

When my husband was organizing our basement, he drilled small holes near the top of all of our large garden tools (shovels, rakes, pitch forks, etc.). Through that hole he put a loop of heavy telephone wire (we had lots of this for some reason, but jute or sisal rope works just as well). On the wall he put some screw in types of hooks to hang all of those tools from. For small hand tools, we nailed up a few empty coffee cans (one strong nail near the top worked fine for us) and placed our hand tools in them. Both solutions worked well with very little effort on our part.
Kathleen S.

In Florida, we use our garages for storage. We were renting and I needed some cheap way to hang our tools. I bought a piece of peg board, precut. I hung it on the exposed studs with wood screws. Then I bought a box of assorted hooks and used them to hang the tools on. It held a surprising amount! You could go down a whole wall or just one spot!I think the whole project was under $20. This was an easy project.Also if you can find them,discarded kitchen cabinets (from remodeling projects) work great and cheaper than those plastic jobs!
Terri G.

Instead of trying to hang the shovels and rakes, If you nail two 2x4's horizontally across the exposed studs approximately 1 foot off the ground and the second one approximately 3 feet off of the ground, you can slide the handles in between the outside wall and the 2x4's. Most shovels and rakes will fit in the area between the exposed studs and will not stick out into the garage. Using this method you can make the boards diffent heights and this works for shorter tools like short shovels and toys like hockey sticks to!
L.

Lots of stores give away pallets that you can stand on end next to the wall and put the tools in. (long handled only)
Charles M.

I saw a great tip for storing those rakes, shovels, etc. on a do-it-yourself- show. You need a length of heavy-duty chain, some "S" hooks, and some eye screws. Simply insert the eye screws into the top of the handles of the tools. Then, hang the chain from a stud in the ceiling and place the "S" hooks down the chain. Then, hook the tools on the "S" hooks. You can store a lot of tools in a relatively small amount of space.
Julie

For the oil stain there are a few different types of enzyme cleaners.They work well on oil of any type.You just spray it on, let it sit, and wash it off with water.Plus it is safe for the enviroment.
Lisa P.

When I was a kid, my dad, a very handy guy, built something that worked great for storing shovel, axes, hoes, etc. He basically built a wooden frame box with short legs. No top or sides just the frame. Ours was about 5 feet long and stood roughly 3 feet tall. Over the top of this frame he nailed a piece of metal fencing, the kind you use to fence in your yard. He also placed a piece of fencing on the bottom of the frame. Now you just simple slide the handle of the shovel into the holes of the fencing and it stands straight up for easy access.
Tom L

Go to the local hardware store and buy some spring clips. These are C shaped clips that come in various sizes and mount to the wall with one or two screws/nails. Then simply "clip" the tool handle in and your are done. Simple, easy and cheap!
Richard W. G.

An easy and inexpensive solution to organizing lawn tools and the like is empty cans. Coffee cans, large dry formula cans, large canned fruits or vegetable, any kind of can. What you do is cut both the top AND the bottom out of the can with a can opener and then very carefully nail the can to the wall. Place the long handles of the tool into the cans and voila! instant recycled storage.
Leanne W

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