How to keep your workshop in tip-top shape

Any good DIY project leaves a trail of dust, tools and various scraps around the workshop. Having a clean, organized workshop you can easily maintain isn’t impossible. Here are tips to eliminate the dust, grime and clutter that are there, and prevent the messes yet to come.

• Utilize ceiling space. Many projects need all the surface area you can get, so when it comes to storing tools or placing extra extension cords, utilize available space above. It’s a great spot to hang wire baskets to get seldom-used tools out of the way, and place hooks for getting extension cords off the floor

• Install magnetic strips. Hand tools, measuring tape and other small items have a way of going rogue while you’re mid-project. Rather than throwing them into a big, cluttered bin, install a few rows of magnetic strips along the wall of your workspace.

• Consolidate with a battery charging station. Misplaced battery packs can delay progress during a project. Avoid the stress and consolidate all of your battery packs into one, central battery charging station. Create a long tray out of wood or metal and place with a dedicated power strip. Use this area as the landing space for all your battery packs, so next time a power tool runs low on juice, you can quickly replace it and keep your projects going.

• Create a garbage station. Running scraps to the garbage, searching for a broom and dustpan, and finding extra garbage bags is a tiring and unwanted step when you’re in the middle of a project. To keep from making multiple trips back and forth to the garbage, create a handy garbage station that corrals the broom, garbage container and extra liners in one spot. Place these items on a tray with wheels and it easily becomes a mobile station so you can get rid of the garbage as you go.

• Cover walls with chalk paint.

Sometimes an organized workshop involves making a space for your creative ideas. Rather than cluttered notebooks and binders of notes, paint the walls of your workshop in chalk paint so you can jot down notes, measurements, timelines and plans in an easily visible spot. This keeps your big ideas top of mind and holds you accountable to any deadlines you have set.

This article is courtesy of Brandpoint.