Don’t know what to do with those snake-like lengths of garden hose once the outdoor washing and watering chores are done? Contain that hose with any one of a number of attractive, downright ingenious and useful forms of garden hose storage solutions now available on the market.
For the gardener with limited outdoor spaces requiring short 7.5 – 15m (25 – 50ft) lengths of hose, a garden hose coil dispenser storage pot or basket is a good choice. Made of a variety of materials from plastic, clay or metal, these containers accept hose through a feed hole into the container, where the hose is simply coiled up neatly inside. To use the hose, simply pull it out of the top of the container, uncoiling only the amount of hose needed. To store, the hose is then re-coiled into the pot by hand, keeping the hose kink-free and ready for the next use.
Storage for Long Lengths of Hose
For longer hose lengths, there are more roomy pot designs available. Made of wicker-look resin, a hose storage basket accepts 45m (150ft) of coiled hose and is great for hose containment on a deck or patio. Coiled hose is discreetly hidden under it’s wicker-look lid, making it look more like a decorative accent basket than a hard-working storage solution.
Hose hangers can accommodate longer hose lengths, and are simple affairs that hang the hose out in the open and ready to use. Hose hangars are bolted to a wall next to the water tap. These wall-mounted hangers do not hide the hose, so careful coiling is needed to keep hose from kinking, twisting or looking like a snarled mass attached to the side of the house or garage.
If the art of coiling wet, muddy or ungainly hose is not your cup of tea, a hose reel could offer a useful form of garden hose storage. The hose reel is bolted directly to the outside of the house or garage wall near the water outlet, like a hose hanger. Hose reels can accommodate 30m (100ft) of hose or more, the simplest being open wire affairs that shed mud and water, making them ideal for rinsing off muddy hoses after use. Some hose reel designs are more solid, looking a bit like a tire rim, fitted with a crank to pull in long lengths of extended hose and coiling it neatly on the reel. While hose reels are handy when unreeling in one direction, they can be cumbersome if the hose must extend in a different direction than the reel collects the hose. To overcome this problem, some hose reels are available with handy swivel mounts that make for easier dispersal and recoil of hose pulled out at multiple angles.
Hidden Garden Hose Storage Options
There are hidden hose reel solutions, too — combining the appearance of a deck side container with a hose reel hidden inside. These can be fit with electric motors to do the reeling-in work for you at the touch of a button. For smaller budgets, less-expensive models require some muscle on your part to turn a crank and pull the hose into the container under your own effort.
Some useful forms of garden hose storage problem-solvers have shown up over the years with the introduction of “ribbon” hose that swells open during use, then collapses flat for reeling up on a hose reel. If working with ungainly, long lengths of hose has you in a quandary, perhaps an extension hydrant might serve your purposes better. Designed with it’s own attractive cabinet, it allows the installation of a water tap where it’s needed without expensive plumbing. The hydrant connects to an existing water outlet and draws water through a common garden hose to another tap set closer to the point of use. Then all that is required is shorter, more easily managed lengths of hose to reach those remote areas of lawn.
