How To Roll Up a Garden Hose Without a Reel

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A hose reel works great when rolling and storing garden hoses. However, there are times when your hose reel may malfunction or even get lost. So you have no other choice except look for an alternative how to roll up a garden hose without a reel.

And if you’ve ever tried to neatly coil and store a hose without a reel, you know how messy and frustrating it can be.

If you are not keen enough, even the hose itself can develop kinks and cracks in the process. Yet, I’m sure this is the last thing you would want to experience with your garden hose.

Luckily we have done all the work for you. We have scrolled the internet and found easy and reliable ways you can use to roll up your garden hose without straining. Keep reading to learn more.

But first, here are things to keep in mind when rolling your hose. Here are some Reels incase you need one;

What To Keep in Mind When Rolling

Garden, Hose, Water, Spray, Nature
Hanged hose

When it comes to rolling up a garden hose, it’s easy to get caught in a never-ending circle. Your hose is coiled, and you’re ready to go—until you realize there’s a kink that won’t unkink. A hose that doesn’t coil properly is annoying, but it can be resolved.

When rolling up your hose without a reel, here are things to keep in mind.

First, start by finding the end of your hose and loop it around so that the end is facing upward. Ensure that the female end of the nozzle side is facing up and the male end of the spigot side is facing down.

You want to make sure that these ends match up so that they can be easily connected when you want to use them again in the future.

Second, always take the time to stretch out the hose before coiling it up when you’re finished using it. Tensioning the hose before rolling it up will help prevent kinks during storage and make your entire process easier in the future.

Finally, make sure that your hand is always on top as you continue wrapping around the outer loops of each coil. This will help give your coil structure so that when you do get to the end, you can use a rubber band or bungee cord around the outside to hold the hose.

Below is how you can roll a garden hose without a reel.

How To Roll Up a Garden Hose Without a Reel

1. Tighten

Before rolling up your garden hose, make sure there is no water left in the hose. To remove any water, tighten the nozzle and turn off the water valve. Then, hold the hose at one end and pull the other end to tighten it as much as you can.

Now that you’ve removed all of the slack from your garden hose, you’re ready to roll!

2. Coil

Coil the hose pipe around your arm, keeping an eye on how tightly you’re coiling it: Too tight and you’ll find yourself with a kinked-up and unusable hose; too loose and you may find the whole thing unwinding of its own accord. Leave a bit of slack between each coil, as this will prevent kinking if the hose is stored in a cool place.

Also, remember to leave a bit of hosepipe uncoiled at the end; this bit won’t be subject to mildew because it’s not touching anything—and you can use it as an easy way to identify your hosepipe.

Read: How to fix a hose end

Hose, Wound Up, Wrapped, Background
Kink-free hose

3. Looping Method

The easiest way to roll up a garden hose—even one without a reel—is to loop it into a figure 8 shape. To do so:

  • Begin by uncoiling the entire length of the hose and laying it flat on the ground.
  • Bend the hose in half at its center point and make another bend in the middle of this arc, forming a figure 8.
  • If needed, move this loop around until you have about equal amounts of hose on either side of the loops.

At this point, you should have two long sections of hose that run parallel to each other on the ground. Pick up one section and bring its ends together to meet at your feet. Now pick up the other section and wrap it around those ends in a spiral fashion until none of the hosen is left.

Read: Hose kink eliminator

4. Clinch

After looping the hose pipe, you have to clinch it. And with clinching, there are various tools you can use; below are the common ones.

  • Hose clamp

Use a hose clamp (also called a pipe or worm drive hose clamp) to fasten the hose into a coil. These are available in stores and are easy to use, especially if you have arthritic hands. They come in various sizes and work by tightening around the outside of the hose with a screw, pull tab, or slide mechanism.

  • Hose strap

This alternative, inexpensive method uses some fabric strap—like a bungee cord—to hold the hose together while making it more compact and manageable. Measure off the length of your desired bundle and cut your preferred fabric strap to that size.

Then lay it out on the ground, coil up your hose over it tightly, and wrap the ends around both sides of the coil, cinching them together, so they stay put.

Hose Pipe, Garden, Hose, Gardening
Hose reel
  • Rubber band

This option is for those who have been blessed with particularly strong hands or live in warmer climates where an elastic rubber band won’t break due to cold weather conditions! If you don’t have any rubber bands handy at home or in your garden shed, you can pick them up for under $2 per pack at any general store.

Coil up your garden hose as described above using a loop method to form neat coils while holding down each layer with one end of your rubber band wrapped around them (this will help keep things secure).

When you reach the end of your desired bundle length, wrap another rubber band around all layers several times until tight and secure to neatly cinch everything.

  • Velcro strap

If rubber bands are scarce or not working as per your expectations, try using velcro straps instead.

Read: What temp will garden hose freeze?

Bottom Line

To wrap up, it may seem like all you need to do is grab the end of your hose, throw it over your shoulder, and start walking. But, as we’ve shown you today, there’s a little more to it than that.

The key is to properly prepare for your roll by first choosing the right method for your situation and garden, then taking the time to properly wrap up that hose before you call it a day.

The result should be perfect when you learn how to roll up a garden hose without a reel while making sure that won’t unravel the first time you step on it—or cost you countless trips back and forth to refill your watering can. So ultimately, you don’t necessarily need a hose reel to store your hose effectively.

Read: How does a garden hose nozzle work?