Five outdoor projects to get stuck into this spring

Neaten up your hedges with the Hedge Trimmer

Hedges and bushes don't always need to be trimmed - but they can become quite the menace if they overgrow by paths, windows or doorways. The hedge trimmer can help with that. If you are giving your hedge a cut-back between March-August, give it a careful check for nesting birds first! If there’s any sign of an active nest or one being built, it’s an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 to intentionally damage or destroy the nest. See the RSPB website for more info.

Elizabeth took on this huge hedge outside her house with the hedge trimmer - and what a difference it made! “It’s not my first time using a hedge trimmer, but it’s been a long time! Our hedge trimmer broke and so instead of buying a new one, I borrowed it. It was very easy to pick up and drop back. My four year old took the pictures!”

Blast away the grime on your patio, decking or paths with the pressure washer

If you’re looking to do just one thing to transform your outdoor space, then we suggest the pressure washer! You’ll unearth colours of brick on your patio you never knew existed, or get that decking looking brand new again.

Or if you’re like Sol here, you can also play a game of tetris whilst you’re at it! For bigger spaces, try our heavy duty pressure washer or for smaller spaces or cleaning up things like garden furniture and bikes, try our handheld pressure washer.

Give a new lease of life to your outdoor furniture with the hand sander

Wooden furniture can wear away over the winter with all that wind, rain and saharan dust... So now is the perfect time to give it a fresh lick of paint. Prepare the surface for its new look with our hand sander, just as these two borrowers did. Naa took the opportunity to sand down both her indoor and outdoor tables. She said, "It was brilliant and really easy to borrow. Really enjoyed using the hand sander and it was so easy to use once I had got into it!"

Tidy up those edges with the Strimmer

If your garden has turned into a jungle, or you just want to tackle some messy edges, we present to you the strimmer (or a weed whacker as it's known in Australia. That has no relevance here, but we think the name is funny.) It can trim tall grass down to a manageable length for mowing, or long blades at the sides of paths, raised beds or around trees that the mower misses. Here it is in action with Sustainable Merton who were preparing the ground ready to build a raised bed at the Mitcham Community Orchard.

Reach new heights with the Ladder

Whether it’s plants or branches that need trimming in high up places, or the clearing of some first floor gutters, the ladder can help you get there. Armed with some loppers, Oliver took to the ladder to trim overhanging trees from his neighbour's garden (with their permission) and cleaned the roof of the lean too. "It was absolutely perfect for what we needed, and saved us the £400 we'd been quoted to get someone in, or the cost of buying a bigger ladder ourselves which we'd use once in a blue moon."

We hope that's given you some inspiration for what to get up to outdoors this Spring! You can check out our full catalogue of Things here