Mouse Trap as a Glove Holder/Hanger

I spotted the idea of using a mousetrap as a glove holder on another site and decided to give it a try.

I only had to drill a hole in it and it works like a charm! When I need the gloves all it takes is a tug and out they come, ready to use.

Small Charcoal Grill as an Incinerator

I picked up a Weber Smokey Joe grill on one of my scrounging trips and at first didn't have a real use for it as I have a nice propane grill already.

Then I discovered its utility as an incinerator.

In this case I'm burning some scrap wood to get rid of it and have a bit of warmth on a sunny winter day.

I can also burn papers I don't want to go in the trash, cardboard, and like items. Afterward, I can spread the ash on my compost heap or in my flower beds to improve the mineral content in them.

Check your local ordinances, but I doubt anyone would ever get hassled for burning small amounts of burnable waste in a charcoal grill. I do admit this would probably not work in an apartment complex, but then your chances of having a garage are lower as well.

Use a Silverware Caddy as a Tool Holder

I thought this idea up years ago and I've used it ever since. I found a silverware caddy I liked and now I use it to hold tools I'm using during a project. It keeps them nice and tidy as long as the tool pile isn't overly huge.

They can be found at garage sales, thrift stores, or at the discount store. You could even purloin the one in the kitchen if you can get away with it.

Small Lidded Vials Used for Small Parts Storage

I'm sure we've all seen small vials, and various lidded containers floating around in our lives and they do have a use in the garage for storage.

This one is an example. The advantage of the clear ones are the usual being able to quickly identify the contents.

At any rate, free is the watchword when finding storage items for the garage.

Ice Cube Tray used to Organize Small Parts During a Project

I've seen the use of an ice cube tray to organize small parts during a project in several places.  All this means is it works pretty well.

The only problem with the idea is the parts have to be pretty small in order for it to work. It beats just throwing the used up ice cube tray in the trash, so I'm on it!

Baby Food Jars for Storage

Yes, I think it's still possible to get baby food jars in glass containers. The ones I have are pretty old though.

They do have some advantages though. They are smaller than other glass jars, they have lids that reseal decently, and the clear glass makes identifying the contents of the jar pretty easy.

The only real downside is the jar is made of glass making them easy to break if dropped or knocked off the workbench.

Still, they are a decent storage option for free.

Peanut Butter Jars for Storage

My sister is quite the peanut butter fanatic. I think she goes through two or three jars a month. Well, I decided to take a look at the jars as a possible storage container in the garage.  I ran one through the dishwasher to remove the remaining peanut butter and proceeded to clean up the jar to my standards;  namely no labels and no glue.

The peanut butter jars are pretty sturdy and have the decided advantage of being made of clear plastic. The plastic is unlikely to break if the jar is dropped, and being able to see the contents speeds up finding things. I also like that I can label the contents in sharpie. An added bonus, the tops can be color-coded to some extent if you are willing to plan out what the colors mean and be willing to buy different brands of peanut butter to take advantage of the different colored lids.

Plastice Coffee Cans for Storage

At first I lamented the change over of coffee cans from metal to plastic as a loss of a source for storing nuts and bolts.

I got to looking at a can that my sister threw in the trash and realized the plastic ones are at least as good as the metal cans were.

In this case I've got two cans, the larger one has plastic imprinted labels, but the small one had a paper label which I removed along with the glue. The containers are reasonably sturdy, the lids appear to be superior to the old coffee can lids, and it's easy to write the contents on the can in sharpie.

So the venerable coffee can as storage idea still has legs!

Tin Cans Reused in the Garage

I needed containers in the garage and there in the bottom of the trash can was a fresh batch of empty tin cans from making vegetable soup. So I grabbed up a few and headed to the garage for a quick makeover.

 As usual I have to paint my stuff to make it look 'complete'. This is a standard 15.5 oz can.

 Here's another standard sized can.

 I mounted the blue one to a speaker magnet stuck to the column of my drill press.

 The red one became my pen and pencil holder on my project workbench.

 This one is a tomato juice size, 64 oz, I believe.

 Using it to hold my soon to be growing push stick collection at the table saw. I later glued a speaker magnet to the trolly and placed the can on it for more stability.

 A group of smaller cans. The two on the left held mushrooms. The next two are older 6 oz tuna cans, and the last one I suspect was a sardine can. The little ones are convenient to use in a tool chest drawer and the like.

Here's two others that I drilled holes in to hang on the pegboard. The one on the left has art brushes in it and the right one has toothbrushes.