How to organize sporting goods
I had a special request to write an article on how to organize and store larger sporting good items. Here are my best tips and tricks to find appropriate storage for bulky items as golf clubs, camping gear, skis and hockey gear.
I have worked with families in older homes that lack large entryways and storage closets. Using those limited foyers for storing the kids’ sporting equipment creates an environment where one of the most important areas of the home becomes a dumping ground for outerwear and just about everything else that just does not belong there.
PURPOSEFUL PURGE
First and foremost is a thorough and purposeful purge. Pull everything out in good lighting and have a good scrutinizing look at each item. Be real with yourself when you are contemplating larger items. Have you used those snowshoes or toboggans in the past few years? Are your ski boots and skates gathering dust or perhaps need a repair that is unlikely to happen?
Does footwear fit well and is it comfortable? We want to keep useful items that we get pleasure from using and we are likely to use. We don’t want to waste valuable real estate in our homes with cumbersome items that are just taking up space and aren’t bringing us joy.
We used to hang on to all our old four wheeling and snowmobiling gear — thinking that it might come in handy if someone visited who was ill prepared for the outdoors. After several years of tripping over plastic totes and garbage bags of gear, we decided this was a complete
waste of precious valuable cottage space. The likelihood of someone arriving without any gear was just not a high probability so we donated what was still useful and burned any items that smelled musty or were worn out.
DISTRIBUTE WHAT YOU CULL
Get rid of the stuff that doesn’t serve you. There are charities that would be happy to receive your used sporting goods. Use online selling apps to reclaim some value on higher dollar items. Ski hills and hockey associations often have equipment swaps
— what a great opportunity! Repurposing your dusty unused or gently used items is a win-win situation.
LOOK UP FOR STORAGE OPTIONS
A clever trick of professional organizers is to maximize your vertical storage options. This is especially true with bigger items. Think tennis rackets, canoes, etc. Try to get them off the floor by utilizing the space above eye-level. Installing taller shelving units, hanging surfboards from ceiling rafters in the garage or shed can free up some useful floor space.
HONOUR WHAT YOU LOVE
If a particular sport is a big part of your life and you spend a lot of time participating then by all means, make room for custom storage solutions in your home. We do a lot of sports that require helmets, so we invested in some hanging cabinets with glass doors. I added some puck lighting in each cabinet to show off some of the lovely designs on our helmets and they are completely out of the way yet still can be grabbed quickly to head out for a quick ride on our motorcycles or snowmobiles. I’m thinking of those clever hockey gear stands or golf club racks that have been perfectly designed to store and display pieces of equipment we use daily.
Get rid of sporting equipment that no longer serves you. If it’s not improving your life, make it available to serve someone else. Use every bit of vertical space in your homes and storage areas to pull what you can off lower surfaces and, finally, give frequently used items a place of honour in your homes.