How to easily coil a hose

You can buy all sorts of hose reels and carts — some of them are so elaborate they look like machines the fire department ought to be operating. However, you do not need to spend money on these contraptions.

If you handle your hose right, you can coil it easily without the fancy gizmos.

1. A garden hose with longitudinal stripes helps you coil the hose without twists — just keep the stripes running straight as you coil and uncoil.
2. Un-kink a hose by pulling one end across the lawn; the weight of the hose will help pull out those twists, and you can judge by the stripes when it's straight.
3. Leave a bulky hose in the sun for an hour, and it will be much more pliable and easy to coil.

Inexpensive wall hangers — decorative or plain — make fine places to coil a hose. But if you want to recycle something from home, try these alternatives:

1. Cut down an old plastic trash can until you have a tub about 46 centimetres (18 inches) deep. Punch drainage holes in the base and coil the hose inside.
2. Spin the hose around an old automobile wheel lying flat on the ground. You can dress up the wheel with a coat or two of green or white metal paint to look good in the garden.
3. Turn a large old terracotta pot upside down and wrap the hose around it.
4. To store a hose in winter, drive a stout nail into the wall or a stud in a garage or shed, hang one side of an old bicycle inner tube over the nail, loop the other end through a coiled hose, then pull that end up to hang it over the nail.

Before storing a hose for any length of time, screw the two ends together so that bugs can't nest inside.