It is the end of the summer. How does your outdoor storage cabinet look? Is it organized? Does it need some help? This week's post will help you with some easy DIY organization tips that will get that area shipshape before winter.
Jump to:
- Key Takeaways
- First, we need to take everything out of the outdoor storage cabinet.
- Pull together all the gardening tools that you may have.
- Now, it's time to gather all your incesticides.
- Now, it's time to add the divider to the cabinet for winter tarps for the lawn furniture.
- Find a place for the Tarp ropes.
- Find a place for the open bags.
- Use the inside of the doors for extra storage space.
- And lastly, you need to label the shelves for items that just need a home.
- Updated 2026: The Cabinets are STILL Organized
Key Takeaways
- Start by emptying the outdoor storage cabinet and sorting items into categories like gardening tools (affiliate) and insecticides.
- Combine all gardening tools (affiliate) from various places to keep them organized and clean using sand and mineral oil.
- Use dividers, shoeboxes, and labeled bins to store winter tarps and ropes, ensuring everything has a designated space.
- Use the inside of cabinet doors to hang tools (affiliate) with waterproof tape for extra storage.
- Finally, label (affiliate) shelves (affiliate) for easy access to frequently used items to enhance overall Storage Cabinet Organization.
First, we need to take everything out of the outdoor storage cabinet.
Take out the items from the cabinet and sort them by general type. The groups you can use are gloves, insecticides, seeds, gardening tools (affiliate), etc...
Pull together all the gardening tools that you may have.
Check various areas, such as the shed (affiliate), the garage (affiliate), and the cabinets, for all these gardening tools (affiliate). There could be stuff everywhere outside when space is limited.
To keep the tools (affiliate) clean, you can add sand to a bucket and add some mineral oil to the bucket, mixed in with the sand. Then, set the blades of the tools (affiliate) into the bucket. See this image below for guidance.
Now, it's time to gather all your incesticides.
I like to separate it by chemicals and the organic ones. Keeping them separate reminds me that I can use some near my vegetable and herb gardens and others I can not.
Now, it's time to add the divider to the cabinet for winter tarps for the lawn furniture.
Fold up the furniture (affiliate) tarps for the wintertime. Label (affiliate) the shelf, so you know where to put the items when not in use.
Find a place for the Tarp ropes.
It's time to store the tarps' ropes. These can be easily stored in a labeled shoebox.
Find a place for the open bags.
You can easily use an open bin like the one below. When opening the bag, cut a strip of the bag's plastic. Then use it to tie a knot with the excess plastic bag. It's an eas and affordable way to keep bags closed and free from bugs.
You can also use containers and dump out the seeds and other dried items into the individual ones. Do not mix the seeds and the other dried items.
Use the inside of the doors for extra storage space.
If your outdoor cabinet has sturdy doors, you can also use the doors to hang items and tools (affiliate). To do this, you will need to hang the items using some exterior waterproof hook-and-loop tape. It will also need to withstand extreme temperature changes. Here are some hook-and-loop ones I found on Amazon (affiliate) that may be useful for keeping items on the doors. Some may or may not work for your doors. Please read the description before buying them to make sure they will hold the thing you want to hang.
And lastly, you need to label the shelves for items that just need a home.
Some items will just need a home on the shelves (affiliate). But, to remember where they go, you will need to add labels (affiliate).
Keeping the outdoor storage cabinet organized will allow you to get to what you need right away, making your task much easier. I hope this post gives you some inspiration for organizing an outdoor storage cabinet.
Visit our other posts to help you organize your outdoor storage cabinet. (The CAP Titles are posts from our site)
AMAZING AND EASY TIPS TO ORGANIZE AN OUTSIDE CABINET STORAGE ON A BUDGET
HOW TO HAVE AN INCREDIBLY ORGANIZED BACKYARD
11 ORGANIZING TASKS TO DO BEFORE GARDENING SEASON
15 Shed Organization Ideas You Need to Try
Updated 2026: The Cabinets are STILL Organized
Well, the season just started, and I wanted to take a moment and revisit my outdoor cabinets. And, I am happy to say, they are still in good working order and organized despite the cold and wet/snowy weather we had in Pennsylvania last winter.
There is some breaking on the bottom leg of one of the cabinets, but it's not too bad.
This cabinet is used for organizing my tools (affiliate), gloves, garden supplies, plant food, bird food, and potting soil. It is pretty much the way it was when I created it last year. What do you think?
This cabinet is for all our chemicals (natural and toxic). We store bug repellent, organic garden products, weed killer, and cleaners for siding and other areas of the home. The power washer is in the shed (affiliate).
The final cabinet is used for winter storage items. These tarps and ropes cover the tables, chairs, sofas, a/c unit, and other things. I also stored some big rubber bags for making new gardens if we want them. See how we used this in our post: FUN CHEAP AND EASY PRACTICAL OUTDOOR GARDENING IDEAS
Below are some options for outdoor storage cabinets from Amazon (affiliate) (affiliate link).
Ronni says
Outdoor and garage cabinets really do come in handy. I liked how you broke it down step-by-step explaining everything that needs to get done before putting it to rest for the season.
I was watching an organizing show over the weekend and how they used cabinets in the garage to store extras of everything they have in the household. Everything from paper goods to diapers to canned goods. It’s nice to have that bonus space to store what we need to.
Julie Bestry says
Great, detailed tips for keeping your outdoor spaces (including the garage) tidy while keeping the essentials accessible. And I can't wait to share the sand & mineral oil tip with gardening clients!
Janet Schiesl says
Great timing. This is a great organizing project to do now that the weather is cooler.
Seana Turner says
"Zones" are so important in the garage. I actually had a bit of a tiff with my husband this weekend. He started to empty a cabinet to make space for a new freezer, but instead of reviewing the contents (and deciding what to get rid of), he just started moving items into another shed. This really bothered me, because that isn't where they belong. This just meant losing track of them, giving more space for spiders to build webs, etc. I feel strongly that having areas (even shelves) where certain types of items go makes it so much easier to hunt and find what you need! Couldn't agree more.
Sabrina Quairoli says
I get it! I feel frustrated when I can't find what I am looking for when I am doing a task. I do the majority of chores in my home and taking the time to organize these tools and items makes me honor what I do.
Linda Samuels says
We dream of the time for having some outside storage. Currently the type of items you mentioned are being stored in our garage. Building a shed has been on "the list" for a long time, but it's a low priority. There are other house things that need attention before that. So while we don't have an outdoor shed, we did do some letting go of items in the past few weeks. We sorted through many of the cans and bottles of paints, cleaners, and other liquids that had accumulated over the years. My husband was ready to let stuff go, so I took them to our local recycling facility. It felt great!
Sabrina Quairoli says
That's wonderful, Linda! I find that it is more satisfying organizing the outdoor stuff since we usually use them while doing chores. It helps me save time and money when everything is in one place.