Recycled Garden Hose Basket
by DeandrasCrafts in Craft > Reuse
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Recycled Garden Hose Basket
The background story of this hose basket is one of DETERMINATION. Really. I had to finish this project. Maybe some of you can relate....
It started out as a Pinterest pin, such a cool idea to reuse an old (or new I suppose) garden hose that would have ended up in the landfill.
The pin ended up being a fail because there were no instructions, and I was DETERMINED to make one of these, as I had recently purchased a new garden hose to replace the old one you see in these photos.
So the process seemed easy enough, use zip ties and coil the hose to make a basket shape. I've made other material into a useable basket before, so no problem right?
Well, it was pretty easy, I will admit that, but took longer than I expected. My estimate is that with the "warming up" time, that took about 8-hours, the hose wrapping would probably be about 3-hours or so for a total of 11 to 12 hours.
My first dilemma was that the hose was really stiff and did not bend easily. Someone suggested that I stretch it along a fence, but it was winter and that wouldn't have warmed it up. I thought about putting it in the oven, but some of my co-workers said that was a bad idea and it would require me to "stand guard" while it was in there.
A second problem that occurred was that it took more time than planned as I had to go back to the store to buy more zip ties as I underestimated the amount.
Finally, I didn't know how to make the handle. I figured it out of course, but when I do this again, I will make the base and the handle smaller so the basket part is taller. The project sat in our home for a couple weeks (with the handle not done) until my husband grew so irritated with it that I just had to get it finished.
Thankfully for you though, you have this tutorial, and I am personally DETERMINED to get another one done (the back-yard garden hose) now that I know how to do it!
Materials I used:
How I created the basket:
Step 1 ~ After cleaning the hose of all chunky dirt, I stretched the hose along the floor of my work place (I have a really cool boss) and let it sit there all day. I was skeptical that this would work, but it totally did, as the office thermostat is set anywhere from 70 to 75-degrees. As I said earlier, I think stretching the hose on a warm day along the fence would yield the same "warmed up" result, to make the hose more pliable. Make sure all the kinks are pulled out when stretching the hose.
Step 2 ~ Creating the Base
I cleaned the hose as work progressed.
(1) Begin by bending the hose around one end as close as you can to the metal part (or the open end). That bend will be very tight so that there is not a hole in your base.
(2) Turning the work as you progress, wrap the hose around the oval created by the hose end.
(3 & 4) Using a zip tie, place the tie in between rows and tighten around two (2) rows of the hose. (See the photo for (4).)
(5) Continue wrapping the hose around itself to create the base, placing a zip tie in quadrants, as if you were cutting a pie into fourth's across from each other.
(6) Pull the zip ties tightly around the two rows of the hose, but not too tightly to squeeze the hose together.
That's basically it. You repeat this process with every new row, using a zip tie to include the new row made and the previous row, off-setting the ties to make a nice pattern as the work progresses.
There were a lot of kinks in the old hose I used, and as one of the photos describes, I couldn't get them all out to be a round portion of the base. For me, it's understanding the concept that if you didn't know it was there, you probably wouldn't notice it anyway.
The next time I do this I would probably stop the base after seven (7) rows and start the raised portion after that. This particular model has a ten (10) row base, and was about twelve (12) inches in diameter.
Step 3 ~ Creating the Basket
Begin by starting a new row of zip ties as you move up, offsetting the garden hose on the next row, about half-way up the previous row. I placed the new line of zip ties in between the original quadrant of ties. That will add four more rows of zip ties, or a total of eight rows of zip ties as the work progresses.
Continue moving the hose up about halfway of the previous row, continually placing zip ties around two rows, just as was done for the base. There are eight (8) rows of the basket shown in the model here.
Step 4 ~ Creating the Handle
When I got closer to the end of the garden hose, I folded the last five (5) feet or so in half to create the handle.
When I do this again, I will not make the handle as long, but probably use the last four (4) feet (maybe less) to create the handle.
I placed the open end of the hose against the rim of the basket and used a few zip ties to ensure that it was sturdy.
For the other end with the bend in the hose, I used three zip ties using two additional rows below the handle and one row below the handle.
We used the basket outside to hold dog toys.
I could see a basket like this being used as a gag gift (because it's a used hose) or just as a holder for a nicer gift to friends or family. I also thought it would make a cute plant holder.
I hope you can use the tutorial to recycle your old garden hose and save some landfill space too.
Thanks for reading!
I updated the photos to have better descriptions on 2/16/13.
It started out as a Pinterest pin, such a cool idea to reuse an old (or new I suppose) garden hose that would have ended up in the landfill.
The pin ended up being a fail because there were no instructions, and I was DETERMINED to make one of these, as I had recently purchased a new garden hose to replace the old one you see in these photos.
So the process seemed easy enough, use zip ties and coil the hose to make a basket shape. I've made other material into a useable basket before, so no problem right?
Well, it was pretty easy, I will admit that, but took longer than I expected. My estimate is that with the "warming up" time, that took about 8-hours, the hose wrapping would probably be about 3-hours or so for a total of 11 to 12 hours.
My first dilemma was that the hose was really stiff and did not bend easily. Someone suggested that I stretch it along a fence, but it was winter and that wouldn't have warmed it up. I thought about putting it in the oven, but some of my co-workers said that was a bad idea and it would require me to "stand guard" while it was in there.
A second problem that occurred was that it took more time than planned as I had to go back to the store to buy more zip ties as I underestimated the amount.
Finally, I didn't know how to make the handle. I figured it out of course, but when I do this again, I will make the base and the handle smaller so the basket part is taller. The project sat in our home for a couple weeks (with the handle not done) until my husband grew so irritated with it that I just had to get it finished.
Thankfully for you though, you have this tutorial, and I am personally DETERMINED to get another one done (the back-yard garden hose) now that I know how to do it!
Materials I used:
- Old garden hose, the one shown was 50-ft long
- 125 (minimum) Zip ties, also known as Twist ties, four (4) inches long
- Paper towels, a rag to initially wipe the hose down and cleaning wipes (to clean as work progressed)
How I created the basket:
Step 1 ~ After cleaning the hose of all chunky dirt, I stretched the hose along the floor of my work place (I have a really cool boss) and let it sit there all day. I was skeptical that this would work, but it totally did, as the office thermostat is set anywhere from 70 to 75-degrees. As I said earlier, I think stretching the hose on a warm day along the fence would yield the same "warmed up" result, to make the hose more pliable. Make sure all the kinks are pulled out when stretching the hose.
Step 2 ~ Creating the Base
I cleaned the hose as work progressed.
(1) Begin by bending the hose around one end as close as you can to the metal part (or the open end). That bend will be very tight so that there is not a hole in your base.
(2) Turning the work as you progress, wrap the hose around the oval created by the hose end.
(3 & 4) Using a zip tie, place the tie in between rows and tighten around two (2) rows of the hose. (See the photo for (4).)
(5) Continue wrapping the hose around itself to create the base, placing a zip tie in quadrants, as if you were cutting a pie into fourth's across from each other.
(6) Pull the zip ties tightly around the two rows of the hose, but not too tightly to squeeze the hose together.
That's basically it. You repeat this process with every new row, using a zip tie to include the new row made and the previous row, off-setting the ties to make a nice pattern as the work progresses.
There were a lot of kinks in the old hose I used, and as one of the photos describes, I couldn't get them all out to be a round portion of the base. For me, it's understanding the concept that if you didn't know it was there, you probably wouldn't notice it anyway.
The next time I do this I would probably stop the base after seven (7) rows and start the raised portion after that. This particular model has a ten (10) row base, and was about twelve (12) inches in diameter.
Step 3 ~ Creating the Basket
Begin by starting a new row of zip ties as you move up, offsetting the garden hose on the next row, about half-way up the previous row. I placed the new line of zip ties in between the original quadrant of ties. That will add four more rows of zip ties, or a total of eight rows of zip ties as the work progresses.
Continue moving the hose up about halfway of the previous row, continually placing zip ties around two rows, just as was done for the base. There are eight (8) rows of the basket shown in the model here.
Step 4 ~ Creating the Handle
When I got closer to the end of the garden hose, I folded the last five (5) feet or so in half to create the handle.
When I do this again, I will not make the handle as long, but probably use the last four (4) feet (maybe less) to create the handle.
I placed the open end of the hose against the rim of the basket and used a few zip ties to ensure that it was sturdy.
For the other end with the bend in the hose, I used three zip ties using two additional rows below the handle and one row below the handle.
We used the basket outside to hold dog toys.
I could see a basket like this being used as a gag gift (because it's a used hose) or just as a holder for a nicer gift to friends or family. I also thought it would make a cute plant holder.
I hope you can use the tutorial to recycle your old garden hose and save some landfill space too.
Thanks for reading!
I updated the photos to have better descriptions on 2/16/13.