ONE BUCKET. TEN GENIUS HACKS.

THERE'S A $5 DO-IT-ALL PROBLEM SOLVER JUST SITTING IN YOUR GARAGE. PUT IT TO WORK!

- PAUL SMITH & ROY BERENDSOHN

They sit like sentries at the end caps of big-box stores. Towers of orange, blue, red, or white stocked at eye level. Their mere presence whispers: And we absolutely do. The bucket has been an indispensable tool throughout the ages, evolving alongside human civilization, taking on a multitude of uses and made from a multitude of materials—from copper, bronze, wood, leather, and galvanized metal to (finally) plastic. Today, we deploy them in so many capacities it’s easy to forget just how simple they are. You probably have one sitting in a shed, its walls lacquered with dried leaves from last season’s gutter cleaning, or in your garage, overflowing with car-wash supplies or tattered baseballs from your Little League coaching days. But the basic bucket can do so much more than passively take up space. Its straightforward design and affordability beg for creative application both inside and outside your work area. Here are our 10 favorite ways to get more bang for your bucket.

1 / STRAP ON A NAIL BAG

If you have the big DeWalt tool belt, it can be strapped around a five-gallon bucket, forming an all-purpose tool holder that can carry anything for a day’s work, including hardware, hand tools, power tools, and a two-foot level. Yes, you can buy organizers specially designed to fit such a bucket, but the improvised solution works just as well.

2 / RIG UP A WORK LIGHT

This is the proverbial oldest trick in the book, but it works well. Use a couple of spring clamps to hold a work light to the bucket’s lip. You can get creative and use multiple lights to illuminate a broad area.

3 / PLANT A CONTAINER GARDEN