When rewinding a garden hose on the reel, the best approach to avoid tangling it is to wind it slowly while using your free hand to guide the house. If your reel doesn't have a hose guide, use your free hand to pull the hose taut and coil it back and forth over the reel drum in even coils. Rewinding it carelessly with too many slack causes the hose to tangle, making it harder to untangle the next time you wish to use it.