Patio furniture, garden tools, beach stuff—where does it all go?
Summer’s great with sunshine, barbecues and the weekends at the beach. But the flip side? Once autumn rolls in, all that gear becomes clutter. Your patio set isn’t exactly made to double as a winter coffee table, and your pool float flamingo isn’t seasonal decor.
And if you live in a small space, the “just shove it in the garage” strategy doesn’t work, because you don’t have a garage. The good news is that a few smart moves now can save you a winter’s worth of stress. Here’s how to store your summer gear without losing your mind, or your square footage in the process.
Shrink wrap your patio cushions
Outdoor cushions soak up water like sponges and pick up mildew if you leave them out. But they’re also huge and take up way too much space indoors. Use vacuum storage bags to shrink them down to a manageable size. You’ll be amazed how flat they get, and you won’t be digging out smelly cushions come spring.
Store garden tools vertically
If your shovel, rake, and shears are just leaning against the wall, you’re wasting space. Hang them on a pegboard or use wall-mounted hooks to keep everything vertical and out of the way. Bonus: You won’t trip over a rake at 6 a.m. in January.
Pool toys? Deflate and bag them
Inflatables are fun until you’re staring at a four-foot unicorn taking up half your hallway. Deflate everything and store it all in a large mesh laundry bag. The mesh lets air circulate so nothing gets funky, and you can hang the whole thing on a hook or stash it in a closet.
Create a beach gear bin
Sand toys, umbrellas, towels, and boogie boards have no business living in your hallway year-round. Toss them in a labeled storage bin with a tight lid. Keep similar items together so next summer you don’t have to turn the house upside down to find one snorkel.
Rent a storage unit
And if you’ve hit the wall, literally, because your closet just won’t hold another bin, there’s an easier solution. If space is a major factor, you might want to find a storage unit. You can stash away the grill, the oversized chairs, the cooler you only use for Fourth of July—and not trip over them every time you try to vacuum.
A storage unit keeps your gear safe, dry, and out of your hair. Come spring, just pop over, grab your stuff, and you’re ready to go without digging through boxes labeled “misc.”
