12 Creative Ways To Repurpose An Old Hose Reel Around Your Home And Yard

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Retractable garden hoses have leveled up, as have those designed for hoses used with pressure washers, air compressors, and other machinery. Where once these rotating garden and workshop staples were simple metal spools on a rotating shaft, they now include heavy-duty, weatherproof plastic reels, built-in hose connectors, and wheeled caddies or wall mounts. With a little rejigging, an old hose reel you no longer use can be transformed into a spool for everything from long extension cords and rope to Christmas string lights and backup hoses. Spool no longer spins? Turn it into a wine caddy or fishing pole holder. The old metal hose reels are far from useless, too, at least in terms of decor. With a little wiring knowledge, you could craft a rustic chandelier for your dining room.

Hose reels come in a huge variety of different styles and materials, so keep that in mind when deciding how to repurpose your reel or sourcing a reel for a specific DIY. For example, you wouldn't be able to make a rustic light fixture out of an enclosed plastic retractable hose reel, but the spool from a vintage metal hose reel would be perfect for the job. Whatever you plan to do with the hose reel, make sure you check it over carefully for any loose screws and breaks, tightening and repairing them as needed. Clean the reel with warm, soapy water and a scrubbing brush, allow it to dry completely, and lubricate the mechanism (if you want to use the turning functionality) before attempting a DIY.

Use this genius hack to store and use long extension cords without the hassle. Have a basic hose reel? Wind your cord onto it from both ends, starting in the middle of the cord, and extend the ends in opposite directions. Alternatively, drill out the hose connector of an enclosed, retractable garden hose reel and thread the out-end of the extension cord through that, winding the rest of the cord onto the reel inside. This also works for organizing all snaking power tool cords.

The long, thin hoses for air compressors are notoriously difficult to store; without organization, they risk becoming a trip hazard. Don't leave them in a messy bundle you have to detangle each time you want to use them. Instead, roll them around a retired garden hose spool removed from the caddy. Or, leave the spool in its caddy and remove the garden hose connector port, thread the coupler end of the hose through the hole (where it can connect to your compressor), and wind the rest of the hose onto the spool.

Just as you can quickly and easily convert an old garden hose reel into an air compressor caddy, you can do the same for a used air compressor hose reel, but for pressure washer hoses. Simply adjust the wall mount 90 degrees so the mounting point faces downwards and change the connectors. Have a hose reel on wheels? Hang washing supplies and equipment — think rags, scrubbing brushes, and pressure washer parts — from the bars using hooks. Some wheeled caddies even come with baskets you can use to store hose connectors or cleaning products.

While new string lights arrive neatly wound around a reel, inherited or thrifted sets of Christmas lights don't. To avoid spending hours detangling your lights each time you get them down from the attic, remove the spool from inside a plastic garden hose reel and wind your lights around it. Organize multiple sets this way and stack them for storage. Or, even smarter, keep the spool in its portable caddy so you can leave it in one spot in your yard as you unwind or rewind.

If you can wind a hose around a hose reel, you can do the same with anything long, thin, and flexible. Yup, we're talking about rope, whether you use it for lashing items to your truck bed or you're an avid rock climber. Loop one end around the hook on the spool and wind. If you have lots of different types of ropes, wind each one around individual hose reel spools sitting in a DIY mounting system — either a bench-mounted horizontal bar or dowels sticking out from the wall — for easy, quick dispensing.

Remove the spool from a plastic hose reel and drill a hole through both sides of the hub. Insert a long machine screw through the hole, bolting it at one end. Get a pack of five IMSCREWS Hex 5/16-18 x 5-Inch-Long Stainless Steel Machine Screws for about $13. Drop the magnet end of your fishing tackle into the hub; it will stick to the metal screw. Then, simply wind the remaining rope around the spool and secure the end in a notch on the spool wheel rim.

The wheels of many hose reel spools feature lots of cut outs, designed to make the spool lighter and reduce the cost of materials in manufacturing. Sit the spool on one end and drop the handles of your fishing rods into these cut outs. If you're an avid fisher with lots of rods or the holes in your particular hose reel spool are small, drill out more holes or enlarge the existing holes to fit the rod handles as needed. Distribute the rods around the spool to prevent the holder tipping over.

Bargain hunters, gardeners, and hobbyists often end up with an array of different hoses. Different hoses serve different purposes, after all. Plus, it's a good idea to have something in storage in case your current favorite hose springs a leak. Here's a stylish garden hose storage hack that makes clutter a thing of the past: each time a hose reel wears out and doesn't roll well, use it to store all those hoses you don't use very often. It will keep them tangle-free. Stack the reels on top of each other on a shelf.

Restoring an old hose reel discarded by someone else might not be the most creative repurpose, but it's definitely going to save you money and reduce the load on the landfills. Plus, it's surprisingly easy to do, especially if you're dealing with a high-quality metal hose reel. Look over your second-hand find carefully to assess the damage, purchase missing or broken parts, and replace them. Then, all that's left to do is put your restoration skills to the test by winding on a new hose.

Whether you craft garden art from scrap metal or build industrial chic steel furniture, you need a smart way to organize all those welding leads. Mount two old, heavy-duty metal hose reel spools to a sturdy metal pipe, one atop another. If they don't already have a handle, attach one to each reel. A DONGYANG Ind. Co. Revolving Handle 4.72 Inch Knob Grip costs about $14. If you need to weld on the go, mount the setup to a trailer along with your power source and other equipment.

Need somewhere to store your wine collection? Go rustic by mounting an old metal hose reel to the wall and setting the bottles inside the holes between the spokes of the wheels. If the reel is heavy enough, it might stay in place just sitting on the floor. You can convert a plastic hose reel into a more contemporary wine holder by cutting vertical grooves into a stand made from stained scrap wood and sliding the rims of the wheels into them.

Few things embody the farmhouse aesthetic more than yesteryear's rusty metal tools. If you're lucky enough to pick up a wrought iron hose reel at an antique store or auction, put it to good use indoors by wiring it up as a light fixture. Use an Edison bulb to channel those vintage vibes — an OmiSun Plug-in Retro Hanging Light Kit with Plug-in Cord costs about $10 — and wrap the cord around the spool as if it were a hose to really bring the outdoors in.