Use a Bucket to Get Organized

Get a bucket and start storing. Let's explore some ways a bucket will help you get organized. Not only at the job but home too! Buckets can be used in almost any area of the house. Need to pack up some stuff for a day trip, throw it in a bucket. 

Safety Tip - Never use a bucket as a step stool or ladder replacement. Standing on buckets is unsafe.

Important and Required Note:

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Here is a quick guide to what is included in this article:


where to organize at your home using a bucket

There a many places to start organizing around the house using a bucket. From the garage to the garden and the food we store, buckets are a great resource to help keep things compact, clean and fresh. Even pet food can be stored in a bucket. 

Think of a bucket as an extra shelf you can move around. We put a lot of things on shelves from books, to the box of crayons, to decorations for specific seasons, even food. Organizing these items into buckets could be the solution you need. Maybe not books, those might be better in a box... 

Put a bucket of dog food next to the dog dish. Put the kids toys in the corner in a bucket, they will play with that too! Keep all of the crayons or markers together in a bucket. You get the idea. If it fits in a bucket, might as well. 


Bucket Organziers for the Garage

It is important to note that buckets come in many different sizes. Some have lids and some do not. Some do not even have a lid available to buy for them. Keep this in mind when buying buckets. Some need to be able to stack on top of one another, others are just for a single purpose (and is the bucket that stacks on top!).

Garbage bucket in the garage

A garage is a great place to relax and do some woodwork or repair a car. When these activities, among others, are undertaken, there is always waste produced. This could be an empty bottle or wood shaving. Whatever it is, it has to go somewhere. 

Don't set it on the bench mixed in with the important things, give a home in a bucket that is designated for garbage. I learned a long time ago to have a "cut buck" nearby when doing finish carpentry. This translates to a bucket near the work area that can be easy accessed to discard unwanted items. 

Storage Bucket in the Garage

As mentioned previously, buckets come many different sizes. We use a bucket for washing the car. In that bucket we keep the things to wash cars with. From scrubby things for the wheels to soft pads for the car to scrapers for the glass and even the soap and wax. The only thing we don't store in the bucket is the water and hose. 

At the workbench there is a small bucket (large cup size) with screws and others with nails and other small parts. From fuses to pencils, anything in the garage can be organized into a category and stored together, in or out of bucket. 

We even use buckets to store tools. Small hand tools can easily be organized into buckets. Put the handles upright and they are easy to grab. That is if you don't have an organizer. Skip down to bucket organizers by clicking here.


Storage Buckets for Food Storage

Most bulk food items already come in a bucket. If you only use them to stash them in a corner, stack them up with labels out so they can easily be identified. 

Using buckets for food storage is a great way to keep the rodents away and out of food. Plastic, while it won't stop them, it will take them longer to break through and they usually go for the easier items like getting into plastic bags or cardboard boxes. 

Another convenient part about a bucket is the handle. This helps get it around. As heavy as food is, this is a huge benefit to moving a bucket rather than a loose bag. If the plastic handle on a bucket breaks, try cutting an old piece of hose and taping it on in place of the broken plastic piece.

Food Storage Bucket Accessories

There are some really awesome items you can buy to go along with food storage buckets. Paid Link!

These bucket lids are amazing! They do so many things. Need a seat, sit down. Need to air tighten your food so it stays fresh, put one of these on. Need to stack buckets so they are not in the way as much, use a Gamma Lid. The lids snap onto most standard bucket sizes (3.5, 5, 6, 7, gallon buckets). Once on, you never have to remove the lid ring. The top will now screw off and the bucket becomes air-tight. Really cool invention! 

Use these on food storage for the family or a waterproof bucket for the boat. Put some pet food in it. The screw system on these lids makes them a time saver and brings convenience to a bucket. The lids even come in different colors if needed to help distinguish between what is inside. We use these in our own home!


Bucket Organizers for the Garden

The garden is another place a bucket becomes a friend. From a place to put weeds or just a place to sit, bring a bucket along. Of course, if you want an organizer and not just a bucket, we have info on that too!

Bucket Organziers for Garden Tools and Gardening

Gardening is a favorite past time for a lot of people. A bucket can help a gardener in a lot of ways. From a place to put garbage, a place to sit or just thing to carry all the tools, try a bucket. Add an organizer and carry tools and garbage weed collection is simultaneous. We have selected a great product below. Be sure to read the reviews to this paid link. 


Garbage bucket for weeds

Use a bucket to put weeds in. Once in the bucket transport them to the compost or trash can. This is an easy way to keep them in a pile while you move along the weed path. Careful not to get a bucket too full of dirt when weeding, it gets heavy. 

The handles on the bucket make it easy to maneuver and position it in a way to help you best. 

If you have an extra bucket and need a place to sit, bring that along for the weeding adventure. Sometimes having something to sit on makes all the difference in the garden.

Once you are all done, store all the tools in the bucket and find a place to keep it stored until next weeding session. 

Bucket organization for the job

It took us a while to get here. Hopefully this is why you came. There are a lot of produce on the market for tool bucket organizers. Some are pretty unreliable. Other are top quality (for a price tag). There are the better majority that are economical and durable. We want to focus in on these products. 

The tool bucket organizer was introduced to me after I had been in the industry for about four years. The new guy who had been doing HVAC a lot longer than me showed up to work with a buckets of tools. That was it. In it he had all the essential hand and power tools that he would need for almost any job that we would do. There were the one off tools that were used for unique situations but for the most part, he didn't need anything else.

This organizer gives a lot of room on the outside so the bigger power tools can fit in the bucket. Paid link!

Or, if that one has too many pockets, this one is also a great product that stores tools easily. Paid link!

If you are a fan of big box store brands, this link is carried in most big box stores. Paid link!

What size bucket do you need for best tool organization?

The best bucket size, well, depends. Do you need to carry around a two foot level, and a few power tools like a reciprocating saw, a porta-band and a drill everywhere you need to be everyday? Or do you just need some basic hand tools and a drill? Everyday is a little different as far as what is installed but the majority of what us professionals do is very similar from day to day. 

If you need more power tools get a bigger buckets. If you have a lot of material to carry around as well, consider a cart (link to page on cart is forthcoming) with buckets as storage bins on the bottom shelf. 

Like in the garage at home, the food storage bins or garden tools, keeping work tools organized just got a lot easier with a bucket organizer. See how convenient life becomes if all you need is a few amount of tools. With a little organization, a bucket could be the new belt. 

Using a bucket is an easy way to stay organized all day and be ready to move on to the next task. If you need to repair the plastic hand grip, use a spent hose and some tape to get the job done.


Road Side Hazard Kits in a Bucket

being prepared in case of a roadside emergency goes beyond triple A. Take some preventative action and put a kit in your car in case of an emergency. 

Be sure to replenish it and check for expiration dates regularly. I have seen these tucked away in the back. Or just bungeed to the side wall so it doesn't roll around. How you stow it is up to you, but be ready in case something happens. Paid Link!


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