How to Convert a Refrigerator to a Toolbox

Remove all food items. Drain any water from the freezer’s ice maker, water dispenser and any water tanks and reservoirs. Wipe down the interior surfaces, including the space under the drawers and the door gasket, to prevent odors from developing. Allow the interior to dry completely.

Turn the temperature control setting to “off” if you intend to plug in the appliance in order to use the interior light.

Remove the door or add a stop to keep it from closing completely to prevent issues with moisture buildup that may affect your tools and lead to mold and mildew on the interior walls of the appliance.

Remove or reposition the shelves and racks to accommodate the sizes of the tools you plan to store. Large hand-held machinery will need more headroom, while closely spaced shelves can hold and display small hand tools, keeping them within easy reach. Line the shelves with cardboard or old baking sheets if you need a cushion between glass shelves and metal tools, or if large spaces between the bars of grille-style shelves allow your tools to fall through the bars. You can also hang small tools by passing them through the slots in the bars of grille-style shelves.

Retain the meat and vegetable drawers for storing odd parts or for keeping projects with loose parts contained. The drawers pull out easily for transfer to your work area.

Find a home for each tool through trial and error. Store pieces such as tubes of caulking in the tall door shelf, and rolls of tape and tape measures in the short door shelves. Use the egg cups to temporarily hold and sort small parts such as washers and nuts. While you can recycle clear jars to enable you to inexpensively see and store small parts, glass jars may break. Coffee cans and plastic food storage containers won’t break on impact, but you can't see through them.