My idea for tidying up my shed (shop)

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Things were getting out of hand in the shed.I had stuff everywhere - all work surfaces were covered in things I used several projects ago. I was starting to lose stuff.And I really didn't want to devote the couple of hours that it would take to put everything away.So I made a deal with myself. For the past week, every time I went in there - and on the weekend that could easily be a dozen times a day - I put away five things.Just five. Took a couple of minutes at the most each time. It was amazing how well it worked. If you're as messy as me, give it a go.NB. Jack, you won't have any need of this.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:I made a rule, every time I leave the garage I leave it cleaner than I walked in... haven't had a problem since.
Reply:Originally Posted by scott brunsdonThings were getting out of hand in the shed.I had stuff everywhere - all work surfaces were covered in things I used several projects ago. I was starting to lose stuff.And I really didn't want to devote the couple of hours that it would take to put everything away.So I made a deal with myself. For the past week, every time I went in there - and on the weekend that could easily be a dozen times a day - I put away five things.Just five. Took a couple of minutes at the most each time. It was amazing how well it worked. If you're as messy as me, give it a go.NB. Jack, you won't have any need of this.
Reply:Thanks...now to make myself do it
Reply:Scott,Why bother cleaning up right now?  The world is going to end in less than 2 weeks.I'm going to wait until 5-23-11.  If i'm still here, I'll think about cleaning the shop.
Reply:Sometimes I get frustrated because I cannot find something... a tool,  a part I bought,  ad nauseum. So I go to cleaning to find the part... when I  do the reward it is to QUIT the darned cleaning for that round.  The older I get the more forgetful I am, so the more I look for stuff and the cleaner the shop is staying over time.   By the time I'm eighty it will look like Jack Olsens beautiful place.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:You will need to tile your floor like Jack's.  That's gonna be a big project too.........I just start searching.  I try to put things in one location after I pull it from the storage spot, then I only have to make a few steps & viola there it is.  This works until I'm using said tool/part/other stuff & lay it down in a non-logical location.Then I'm searching for hours...................................MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:I'm happy to say that I don't have that problem. I always put things away and clean up after a job is done. If it's late at night maybe finish cleaning up the next morning.  In fast, I sometimes have a little problem the other way, where I will put a tool away when I think I'm done with it, and have to get it out again.Welder- Miller Thunderbolt AC 225-DC 150 Plasma cutter, Miller Spectrum 300O/P torch- Victor 100
Reply:I am a neat freak....Never had that problem.
Reply:man, I wish I was a neat freak, I'm actually quite the opposite  my biggest problem is, too much stuff in too small of a space, so I wind up just moving stuff from place to place to make room where I need to work... I even built overhead storage to try & free up some space but just way to much "stuff"  I like your idea though of touching at least 5 things every time you go in there... gonna try that... any step in the right direction is a good step miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:I "touch" at least 5 things when I go in the shop every time.. But it's just my A.D.D. acting up.!! Then there's the monthly "cleaning fit" when I get tired of tripping over chit and/or clearing table space. Some of my friends have found this to be a good time to be hanging around with an empty truck bed. The only sure way to know absolutely for certain that I will actually need a certain tool is to throw it out during said "fit", or to set it down somewhere illogical when "something shiny" distracts me.....   again..  Oy vey.!!  And they have the audacity to ask me why I drink.!!    d:^)  Schneeks..ESAB 161 LTSCommunicate & adapt, diggit.?ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Reply:This is the danger of only posting your cleaned-up-for-church-on-Sunday pictures.  You become the poster boy for the spotless shop.When mine gets messy (which is often), my approach is pretty similar.  Unless I have an hour or so to go through the whole place, I'll just target one work bench at a time.  In 10 minutes, I can get everything put away from that one spot -- and now I'll have a foothold for the next time I'm there.Sometimes it spills out into the driveway.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Nice pics.. The "Golden Idol" is human again.!!    It's reeeal hard ta work inna shop and keep it neat for very long..     d:^)  Schneeks..ESAB 161 LTSCommunicate & adapt, diggit.?ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Reply:I've seen those pics before Jack. You're not fooling me. I know the sort of stuff that can be done in Photoshop.I have a way of finding stuff, too. Or it's more a way of helping me find things in the future. Now, this will sound dopey, but it works - for me, at least. You know how when you go looking for something, you start in one place and then if it's not there, you look in other places? Something in your brain tells you that the thing belongs in the first place you looked for it. So when I find that thing, I put it back in the first place I looked for it however illogical it might be. Yeah, that definitley sounds dopey.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:Thanks for posting that Jack. I now will not have to go home and kill myself because my garage is never as clean as yours (was).Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler
Reply:A man needs to know their limitations. I am a terribly messy person usually when I trip over something ALL work is immediately stopped and cleaned up. It's too bad safety needs to be impacted before I do it.
Reply:Sweeping out my garage, knocking down cob webs, and cleaning metal dust off the stuff use to be a pita.... now, I just open the doors and use a gas leaf blower to blow it all out the door Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:I look at Jacks'... with the "mess" and WISH mine was anywhere near that clean ... everI do notice some smart things on that shop... lots of cabinets and storage, which I feel is my biggest problem. I got these neat MarineCorp dorm room cabinets that are surplus recently (some might pop up near U too DRMO?)... hold a lot, all metal, lockable and bulletproof, $75 each... might? helpMark > is hydraulic fluid and gas/oli and sawdust easier to clean up off white tile? Nah, better stick with dusty ol' concrete for me.Jack is that a black dial wall phone?   I had one in the store for fun, worked fine clearer than most phones. A kid came in the store and asked to use the phone. "Sure" I said.  He hesitated for awhile I looked over???  "Where are the buttons to push? "he asks... I'm still laughing. Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 05-10-2011 at 10:54 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:After spending 8 hours cleaning my garage a couple of weeks ago, I decided that it takes just as much work to clean up as I go as it does to spend large amounts of time later doing it. The benefit of doing it sooner than later is that I am not losing things and tripping over things.  I have been happier with a cleaner garage to work in (wife too)The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:PapaLion, those look like great cabinets -- and you stole them at that price.  The great thing about covered storage is that everything in it doesn't get covered with sawdust or metal debris.  And once you've established where everything goes, it's a LOT faster to get the place back to where you have space to work and you don't spend half your time scrounging for that level or tape measure you can't find.I took the heavy shelves out of one of my cabinets and use it for storing all kinds of things that would normally end up just cluttered on a shelf somewhere or buried in a box.I fit 42 bins there that I got (pretty cheap) from the local Ikea.And little Jeep, I agree about the best broom being a blower.  I've got an electric that cleans the place out fast.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Jack, as good as your shop has always looked I cannot imagine that you ever let it get out of hand....ever.  The infloor lift and tiled floor are just too cool, as well as the noticable lack of clutter.  I am envious to say the least.BobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:Jack, that red container top left seems a bit out of alignment.Why bother cleaning up right now? The world is going to end in less than 2 weeks.I'm going to wait until 5-23-11. If I'm still here, I'll think about cleaning the shop.
Reply:Originally Posted by scott brunsdonI'm not sure whether it will be the 22nd here or over there - we're a day ahead of you guys.
Reply:If cleanliness is next to Godliness, Jack, you'd be an angel.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:I wish my father would clean his garage.. the area I told him I needed for welding, is covered with so much stuff, I can't even work on it..www.thefusionsolution.comOriginally Posted by speedfreak87I wish my father would clean his garage.. the area I told him I needed for welding, is covered with so much stuff, I can't even work on it..
Reply:If I threw out any of the stuff (or garbage I say) he would kill me.. I already told him I was going to get a dumpster and throw EVERYTHING out.. he shot that down real quick.. I need to find a way to get it through his head that it's very inconvenient to not have my work station clean at all times so I can work when his car is in the garage.. maybe drop some steel on his beloved Impala?  I told him last weekend I have a project coming up for and I NEED to have a quick turn around, so I need my space clear.. in one ear out the other.. But the tank I'm making for his car, he wants it done asap.. clean my area out, and I'll make it in two days.. nope, still cluttered.. very frustrating to not have my own shop/garage..   It's funny, all my stuff is neatly tucked away, all his stuff is thrown all over the place.www.thefusionsolution.com