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An immutable law of the universe is that no matter how big your house is, you eventually fill it up with stuff. And if you’re starting off with a small house to begin with, you hit maximum storage pretty quickly. That can make DIY home maintenance and other projects a challenge, because so many of the tools you need are kind of enormous and awkwardly-shaped, making their storage problematic even in spacious homes.
While hand tools like hammers and screwdrivers can usually be stashed creatively, larger items eat up your spare room pretty quickly—unless you opt for a folding or collapsible version. These tools do the same job, but shrink down when not in use so they can squeeze into tight spots or unexpected locations, solving your storage problems.
A folding ladder is easy to store in a garage or shed
Ladders can be some of the biggest storage challenges because they are, by their very nature, extremely large and rigid. If you don’t have enough vertical or horizontal space to store a ladder, it can wind up just sort of standing in an odd place, collecting dust in between uses and making your home look like a perpetual job site.
You have two small-space options to solve for this, though. The most common is a telescoping ladder, which collapses down to a portion of its height when not in use. This can make it a lot easier to find storage space in a closet or other location, and it can even be hidden behind furniture. Another option is a folding ladder like this one from DuoSaftey, which folds into a stick-like form when not in use, minimizing its horizontal footprint instead of its vertical footprint.
This wheeled cart can be store in a laundry room or closet
A sturdy, wheeled cart is incredibly useful in a lot of maintenance and repair jobs, making it easy to transport tools and materials around the area. But who has the space to have a whole cart just sitting around until it’s needed? A folding cart is the answer: It folds flat for easy storage, but snaps into a sturdy full-sized cart that can handle up to 300 pounds of weight when it’s needed.
Get a collapsible bubble level that folds around corners
A bubble level is a necessity if you want your home projects to look like a sane, rational person performed the work. But a full-size level is often difficult to find space for, and smaller levels aren’t as useful for larger projects.
This folding level not only collapses into a tiny form factor for storage, it can be bent and used to check level around corners, which is one of those DIY superpowers you don’t realize you need until you learn about its existence.
This folding saw is great for the occasional DIY project
Saws are another rigid tool that can be problematic to store. Hanging them on a wall is a good solution that gets them out of the way, but if you need to pack your tools out of sight, you need to consider a folding saw like this one. If you saw wood every day of your life, you might not want this, but if you need a saw for the occasional quick project around the house and don’t have storage space to spare, this will get the job done and fold up and away when not needed.
Store this pop-up workbench in the garage
Like rolling carts, workbenches are incredibly useful when you need a flat surface to work on, but become a real pain when it’s time to store them away. Luckily, you can pick up a folding workbench like this one from DeWalt. It’s a sturdy work surface that can support up to 1,000 pounds, but when the job is done, it folds up to be slid into the tightest spot you have available.
This collapsible bucket fits under the sink or in a utility closet
Everyone needs a job bucket in the house, but the traditional five-gallon bucket not only takes up more space than you realize, it also becomes a place to store stuff in, making it a chore to unpack every time you need to use it. A folding bucket like this one isn’t quite as large (it’s only three gallons), but it collapses into an easily-stored flat configuration when you’re not using it, preventing it from tempting you with all that empty space.
A folding hand truck can transport heavy stuff and then get tucked away in a closet
For years, I had a hand truck stored in my crawl space, because a hand truck was an incredibly useful thing. Any time I had to move bags of cement or large items around, I’d have to climb down into that nightmarish crawl space and retrieve the hand truck, which was a pain in the butt. Now I have this folding handtruck, which does the same job (it can handle more than 300 pounds) but can be tucked away in a closet when not in use.
Use this folding shovel for gardening and clearing out snow
Every house needs a shovel. You either have a garden or backyard where digging will occasionally be needed, or you’ll need to clear snow from your sidewalks and driveway. Or both! Shovels tend to be left in garages or outside when not in use, but if you need to store yours in a small space inside, a folding option is a real space-saver. It collapses into a compact square that will squeeze into any space, but it’s sturdy enough for the toughest jobs you can throw at it.