How To DIY An Affordable Cleanup Station For Your Garden

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Gardening is a satisfying way to spend time outdoors, whether you're planting vibrant blooms or harvesting fresh vegetables. But tidying up afterward can be a hassle. Every gardener knows how messy it can be to bring dirty tools, muddy shoes, and soil-covered gloves into the house. To solve this problem, Erin Berkyto of the Knotty Garden came up with a simple and genius DIY outdoor washing station at her garden spigot. This outdoor setup makes it easy to rinse off her tools, boots, or even herself, before heading indoors. You can follow her lead to create a convenient yard area for washing up with just a few inexpensive supplies.

To keep her garden hose organized, Berkyto used a four-way garden hose splitter (like this Twinkle Star option) to give her multiple water spouts. She also installed four interlocking deck tiles to create a stable, mud-free surface, along with a short, 1-foot hose for rinsing off her feet, tools, or filling a watering can. She found a way to repurpose a common household staple — a shower organizer — which she hung from the spigot to keep essentials like soap and a nail brush within easy reach. 

For an eco-friendly touch, you can use self-care items with wooden handles (instead of plastic ones) and all-natural soap — runoff from non-biodegradable products could harm nearby plants. If you prefer, you could create a weed-free gravel area beneath your station instead, but it may be less comfortable under your bare feet. As for the shower organizer, it's a good idea to pick up something that can withstand the elements, like this affordable Yasonic rust-resistant shower caddy.

Setting up this station is a snap — you'll wonder why you waited so long to make one! Attaching a splitter to your hose is the most important step. To install yours, first turn off the water supply at the faucet. Most splitters are a universal size, so it should fit your garden hose easily. However, you may need a faucet adapter if the sizes don't match. Attach the splitter to your spigot by twisting it on and hand-tightening it. You could wrap Teflon tape around the faucet's threads before you screw on the splitter to prevent leaks.

Then comes the fun part: Deciding what to add to your spigot. You could add a mini hose like Berkyto did for rinsing off items, but other add-ons you could consider include a soaker hose for slow and deep-watering your garden, or perhaps a lightweight, expandable hose that stretches when filled with water and shrinks when not in use. A few wooden tiles could serve as an attractive backsplash for your station with an equal amount as flooring where you could rest your gardening gear to dry in the sun after rinsing them. How little or how much you add depends on your budget.

Once your splitter is set up and your hoses are attached, all that is left to do is to hang your caddy from your faucet and stock it with your amenities. A travel soap case can keep your soap clean and dry. The best part about this DIY project is that it will make all that time cleaning up outside more efficient and enjoyable.