Score More Space: Organizing Sports Gear
Allow our team to show you how self storage can help preserve and keep your sports gear and cherished memorabilia organized and secure.
From the hardwood floors of basketball courts to the turf of football fields, sports are a core part of culture in Ohio and Kentucky and the country at large. If you play a sport or multiple sports, however, you know how quickly your gear can take up space at home. Even sports memorabilia like jerseys, posters, and trophies can quickly clutter your shelves and closets.
Before your hockey gear takes over your bedroom or you have to hit pause on buying your favorite team’s latest gear, turn to self storage.
Self storage isn’t just a solution for creating more room in your house or apartment. Discover how you can use self storage to keep enjoying your sports, maintain your gear’s quality, and preserve your sports memorabilia.
Preparing Sports Gear for Storage
When your sports season wraps up, you don’t have to shuffle your gear around your home until the next one–you can tuck them away in a storage unit! While it seems tempting to just put your items in a storage unit and leave it as that, there’s a bit more to it than that. To reap the full benefits of self storage, you’ll want to take some simple steps to preserve your belongings.
From cleaning the dirt off your outdoor gear to knowing how to place specific equipment into your unit, let us show you how you can go the extra mile in keeping your sports equipment and memorabilia in great shape.
How to Preserve Various Sports Items in Self Storage
Not all sports equipment can be stored the same. As you plan how you will store your belongings within your storage unit, it’s important to know how to place each item without running the risk of damaging it throughout the offseason. Here are some preservation tips for various kinds of sports items.
- Bicycles. Hang your bicycles on wall mounts or freestanding racks.
- Tennis and badminton rackets. Store each racket in a protective covering and keep them upright.
- Sports balls. Use mesh bags or containers to store balls of different sizes.
- Golf clubs. Use specially designated storage bags and keep them upright.
- Skis, snowboards, and ice skates. Hang vertically on wall mounts or protect hooks and edges and relieve excess pressure.
- Wakeboards, water skis, and water polo equipment. Keep in a dry, cool place and surround with protective wrapping.
No matter what kind of sports gear you plan to store, however, remember that sports equipment like protective pads can grow mold in 24-48 hours if they’re not properly dried. Check over your gear for any mold before storage, and if you find any, do some spot cleaning with DIY mold treatment solutions.
Organizing Your Sports Gear
Once your gear is clean and you know how to keep it in good shape, the next step for sports equipment storage is to organize your belongings properly. The best way to do so is to make a system that best keeps groups of items together and helps keep your storage unit clean and orderly.
Utilize Clear and Labeled Bins
One of the best ways to establish an organization system in your storage unit is to use clear and labeled bins. By having clear bins, you can look directly into each container to prevent opening each box individually to find what you need. For an even more organized and seamless system, label each box with what’s in each box. For example, boxes filled with jerseys should be labeled as such.
Group Items Together by Sport
Another way you can keep track of all your sports equipment in self storage is to keep certain groups of items together. For example, keep all your water sports equipment together in one designated area of the unit and all your winter sports gear in another. This can help naturally form a system of what items need to go in front and which items can get away with being further back in your storage unit.
Storage Memorabilia Storage Tips
As you prepare to use your storage unit, make sure you not only have the right storage unit size for your equipment but also have all the tools and supplies you need. Allow us to provide you with some prime storage tips to help make your self storage move-in day process a slam dunk.
Utilize Wall Space
Make the most of every square inch of space in your storage unit by using portable, vertical racks flush against your walls. Specialized equipment racks keep your possessions off the floor of the storage unit, better protecting them and making them easier to reach.
Take Advantage of On-Site Packing Supplies
Don’t have a specific box size for certain sports items or need additional packing material? Instead of making an extra trip to the store, you can instead buy packing supplies right at your storage facility. From various-sized moving boxes to packing tape and covers, you can hit two birds with one stone by purchasing storage supplies on-site at the same storage facility you plan to store at.
Consider Climate-Controlled Storage for Your Temperature-Sensitive Equipment
If you plan to store temperature-sensitive equipment, get additional protection on your supplies by renting a climate-controlled storage unit. These state-of-the-art units are particularly helpful in protecting certain sports equipment and memorabilia that are sensitive to extreme temperatures, like high-tech bicycles, helmets, footballs and basketballs, and protective pads.
Occasionally Check in on Your Sports Gear
Although you’re leaving your belongings in self storage, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check in on them from time to time. It’s a good idea to conduct occasional check-ins to ensure your equipment and memorabilia are in good condition. Make your check-ins easier by choosing a storage company that offers extended access hours at most of their locations.
Rotate Items in and out Throughout the Seasons
With each season comes a new round of sports to play. Instead of keeping all your equipment in at one time, rotate your belongings corresponding to the time of the year. For example, during the summer, you’ll want to keep winter gear, like your snowboarding boots and coat, in storage, and take out your water sports equipment and baseball gear.
If you notice that you’re using some items more than others, bring those items to the front of your unit while less used equipment should be placed in the back.
Get the Best Self Storage for Your Sports Equipment at Stor All
When you have no room in your home to keep your sports equipment during the offseason, choose Stor All for the help you need! We have the best self storage options available for rent throughout both Ohio and Kentucky. Coming in many small, medium, and large storage unit sizes, we’ll provide the space you need.
Ready to get the ball rolling? Contact our team or find your nearest Stor All location today!