29. Manage Your Sports Equipment
We want our children to be active. There are numerous options for them to play on all kinds of sports teams: baseball, softball, football, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey just to name a few. But with those sports comes a whole lot of equipment. When you start to multiply the sports teams by the number of children you have, it can be overwhelming how much equipment you have to store, clean, and keep track of. Many parents I speak to have a hard time keeping control of all their sports equipment.
One of my first big assignments as a professional organizer was to do a room makeover on HGTV's Mission: Organization. The home was a one-bedroom apartment, and the young homeowners had a sports equipment problem. Namely, the man played ice hockey. If you have children who play ice hockey, you know that the equipment is large, sweaty, and plentiful. This man had chosen to dry the pads and jerseys by laying them on top of his dog's crate in his bedroom. Needless to say, his young wife was not happy with that arrangement. Space was limited, so I had to come up with a creative solution to make both homeowners happy. Together we decided that the right room to store the equipment was the balcony, and the right container was a deck box that had airholes for airing out the equipment and keeping it from getting musty. The hockey player just needed to get into the habit of drying out his equipment on his drying rack, then putting it away in his deck box after it was dry.
Most solutions to organizing challenges come from making some decisions and some changes. In the story above, we see that deciding on the right room, the right container, and the right routine can make all the difference. As you look at your dilemmas with sports equipment, keep those three things in mind. If sports equipment is a big problem for your family, before you find your solution, you need to define your problem. Is there too much equipment that you are not using on a regular basis? If that is the case, maybe you just need to weed out the old stuff and contain what you are keeping. Is equipment littered throughout your house, in the mudroom, the family room, and the kids' bedrooms? Maybe you just need to decide on one location for storing the equipment and train your family to keep up with it. Do you have bins or racks somewhere and your children are not using the system? Maybe you need to rethink the location of those bins or work with your children to help them develop the habit of putting away their equipment.
The answer to this question depends on the setup of your home and your own personal preferences. Think about how your family typically leaves the house when running out to a sporting event or practice. Is it through the front door, back door, or garage? Now think about whether or not you have any storage options in that area. Think about where the equipment usually gets dumped and create a solution around that area. My first choice is always the garage. This way you can keep dirty, smelly, and bulky sports equipment out of your living space. If you often leave your house through the garage, putting the equipment there also is a visual reminder for your child to pick up his equipment on his way to the car. If sports equipment is tucked out of the way, it is more likely to be forgotten. If you don't have a garage, some other options include:
Mudroom. Sometimes this is also the laundry room, so make sure the room is big enough to serve both functions before you designate this as the sports equipment area.
Closet. A closet by the back or front door that can be used only for sports equipment is ideal. You can replace the hanging rack with shelves if necessary.
Area by the back door. If you don't have a specific closet or room for storage when you come into your house, you can always create one with a rack, bins, bench, or shelves.
Back porch. If indoor space is limited, an area just outside your house that is protected from the weather is another option for storing sports equipment. The containers you choose will need to be appropriate for this area as well. They will need to be sturdy and weatherproof.
Basement. Like a garage, a basement is a great place to spread out bulky, sweaty sports equipment. The downside to this location is that it may be out of the way in your normal routine, so you may forget what is down there, or you may forget to dry it, clean it, etc.
After you decide where you will keep your sports equipment, ask your children to help you gather up all of their sports equipment (even equipment that is no longer used) from around the house and deposit it in the designated room. With all the equipment assembled, go through it piece by piece, putting like things together. Decide with your children how you would like it sorted. You can put all equipment for one sport together by making piles for baseball, basketball, hockey, football, etc., or you could sort it by which child it belongs to. You could also put similar items together by making piles for balls, sticks, rackets, pads, shoes, skates, whatever works for your family. As you sort the items, discard anything that is broken and set aside items your children have outgrown or no longer use. If you are looking for someplace to take your sports equipment that is still in good condition, do an Internet search for a sports consignment store in your area. You can also donate these to a school, charity, or someone you know, or you can store them as hand-me-downs for younger siblings. When everything is sorted you'll be able to see just what you have and decide what sort of containers will work for your area and equipment.
Photo courtesy of The Container Store
Mudroom Storage. If you have the room, the mudroom (or entryway) is a good place to store sports equipment.
The containers you use should blend with the area you have chosen to store the equipment in. They should also make it easier for your children to put their equipment away. Before you purchase any containers or have racks installed, consult with your children because they will be the ones maintaining the system on an ongoing basis. Find out if they like to have their sticks and bats hung up individually on a wall, or if it's OK to put them all together in a bin. Likewise, ask if it's OK to put basketballs, baseballs, and footballs in one bin they might have to dig around in, or if they like them on a wire rack where they can see each one. Children can be particular; sometimes the way things are put away can really confuse them and make it difficult for them to maintain the system. So ask the right questions until you are sure you have a container that makes it easy for your children to find what they need, and to put it away later. For instance, your child might like to have his own bag packed for each sport so all he has to do is grab it and go. Every child is different, so make sure your system matches his habits and preferences. You might want to flip through a catalog with storage containers or take your children with you when you purchase any storage items so you can make sure the items are easy for your children to use. They need to be able to open and close the storage container on their own and reach all the way to the bottom of it. When you hang racks or shelves, hang them at the appropriate level for your child. You may want to consider racks with adjustable heights so they can grow with your child.
Here are some other options for containers in different areas of your home:
Mudroom. If this is a room that you pass through often, it's best to go with storage that is aesthetically pleasing, like a storage bench or a cabinet with doors you can close. Wall cubbies with bins work well here also for the smaller pieces of equipment like caps, gloves, or goggles. Any wet equipment or pads should be dried out first, either in the garage or outside before being stored in the mudroom.
Garage/Basement. Storage in these areas can range from a custom-designed storage system to do-it-yourself wire racks on the wall. You can also use metal trash cans, plastic bins on the floor, and industrial shelving. To make a simple hanging rack, you can start with a piece of wood mounted to the wall, hold up the sticks or bats, and mark where to put in flathead nails or screw-in hooks that will hold them up. You can also hang milk crates from the hooks and make a simple bin for pads and balls. If you've got the classic PegBoard used for tools already in your garage, you can repurpose it for sticks and rackets. A gardening container that is made for rakes and brooms can also hold bats, lacrosse sticks, and tennis rackets. Whatever is big enough for your equipment and sturdy enough to hold it all works well. If you have the money for a custom designed system, many closet makeover companies also design cabinets for the garage. Just make sure your equipment is organized before the consultant designs a system for your family! Also, check online for racks that are specifically designed for your family's favorite sports.
Photo courtesy of The Container Store
Garage Storage. The garage is an ideal place to store sports equipment. Your child will see his equipment on his way to the car before a practice or a game and be less likely to forget anything.
Closet. If you've got a designated closet for sports equipment, protect the floor with a plastic runner or mat. Low shoe racks work well for boots or skates. A sturdy cylindrical bin, such as a trash can or an umbrella holder, can hold sticks and bats. Small bins up on a shelf can hold anything from tennis balls to ski gloves. If you need the hanging bar for jerseys and coats, use it. Otherwise, hang hooks on the back wall for things like tennis rackets, ski poles, sports bags, etc. If the closet is big enough, you can stack bins in one corner for the out-of-season or less-used equipment.
Area by the back door. Much like a mudroom, you can create an area by your back door to hold seasonal sports equipment by bringing in a storage bench and a wall shelf with hooks. Because this area is small, any out-of-season equipment will need to be stored elsewhere in the house. I suggest using plastic storage bins and putting them in a basement or garage until they are needed. Make sure to label them clearly!
Back porch. Like the example in my story, sometimes the only storage option is outside your home. If you have a covered porch or balcony, a plastic deck box with airholes can work well for all kinds of pads, balls, and gloves. If you've got football or hockey pads or skates that need to dry out before they are put away, you can use a clothes drying rack, a clothesline, or simply hang the wet items on a hook or nail outside to air-dry them. Just make sure that whatever you keep out there will not be damaged by the weather.
Once your family makes a decision about where to keep the sports equipment, and you've installed or purchased bins or racks to hold everything, you've got to maintain the system. If you have more than one child or more than one sport, then labeling is essential. Label your sports bags or color-code them for each child. Label the bins with children's names or the name of the sport. Make each child accountable for getting his equipment back to the proper place after every game or practice. Once the season is over, do a clean out of any equipment or clothing that will no longer be used. Pack that sports equipment away until next season and bring out the equipment for the sports your kids are currently playing.