Organize and Clean Your Toolbox

• Put a clean cloth or tarp on the floor and dump everything in your tool box out onto the tarp.
• Clean the outside of the box with some household cleaner.
• Clean the inside of the box with a cloth soaked in paint thinner.
• Clean all the oil and dirt off your tools using a rag soaked with paint thinner. Pay special attention to wrenches and screwdrivers.
• Throw away all the rusted screws, bent nails, and other junk that has accumulated in the toolbox over the years and that you'll never use.
• Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the toolbox and lay it in the bottom of the box. It will soak up excess oil and protect your tools.
• If you have a lot of loose wrenches, lay them on a cloth in order of size, then roll them up and tie the bundle with a piece of string.
• Put the tools back in the box in order of reverse popularity, with the least used tools on the bottom of the box. Then you dont have to dig the bottom to find a hand pair of pliers or a favorite screwdriver. Or buy a second toolbox just to store tools you hardly ever use (you know those ones), and buy an open tote box for the tools you carry around all the time for various projects.
• Keep a flashlight in your toolbox, but keep the batteries separate until you need them. Leaving them in the flashlight for a long time can cause them to leak or go dead if the light gets switched on by mistake in the box.
• Throw a few pieces of chalk into the box to absorb moisture and prevent rust from forming on the tools.

Is your toolbox organized or messy? Which tools do you use the most around your home? Let us know!