There is no better time to think of how to winterize your outdoor toys than before winter. We need to protect these outdoor toys from the elements that can cause undue damage.
We store outdoor toys to keep them clean, safe, and fit for use by the next year. Remember that cold winters will bring ice, snow, and rain, which could cause damage to your children’s toys.
To save your toys, you will have to clean, organize and label these toys, create storage spots for them in the shed or garage, and even donate some used ones.
There are different storage facilities that you can use to store the different outdoor you have, based on certain criteria.
How Do You Store Outdoor Toys In The Winter?
There are 4 main things to keep in mind when dealing with storing your outdoor toys for winter, and they include:
- Cleaning the toys
- Creating a storage unit for them
- Organizing and labeling the outdoor toys
- Donating some of the used outdoor toys
1. Cleaning Kids Outdoor Toys
We can never overemphasize the importance of keeping our kid’s outdoor toys clean before storing them for winter; this is because there are so much dirt and filth that can be found from food stains, molds, bugs, sand, dirt, and even bird poop, these are all things that can expose your little ones to diseases and infections.
Tips For Cleaning Outdoor Toys
Some general rules apply to cleaning outdoor toys that will help prevent them from being damaged in the process, including:
1. Avoid getting battery-operated toys wet, as this will cause the toy to malfunction.
2. Do not get toys like playhouses with stickers soaked in water for a long time. Instead, quickly wipe down the toys with a damp washcloth.
3. Clean and cover some toys like Sandboxes so that dirt and debris do not get inside them.
4. Ensure that all the toys are completely dry before storing them so that you do not create room for mold and mildew to grow.
There are a few homemade remedies that will give those toys some sparkling results, including:
1. Dish Soap
When you arm yourself with mild dish soap, some water, and a sponge, then you are on your way to fight off every filth that you have on your outdoor toys. They will get rid of not only grime but they will also eliminate the odor associated with them.
All you need do is to give the toys a good scrub with the sponge and soap, and then use a stream of water from the hose to rinse off the lather.
2. Baking Soda
If the soap and sponge cannot get some tough dirt and stain on your outdoor toys, then it’s time for you to up your game by using a paste of baking powder to achieve deeper cleaning action.
The same way you used dish soap to clean previously, you do with a baking soda paste to get rid of grime, and afterward, rinse the toy.
3. Vinegar
This is another grime-fighting liquid that you need for taking care of your outdoor toys. All you need to do is to make a mixture of vinegar and water. 2 cups of white vinegar to 2 gallons of warm water will work wonders on grime.
You can even get better cleaning action by adding lemon juice to cut through some of the grime. You then use this mixture to clean the toys and then rinse them off with a stream of water from the hose.
4. Dishwasher
If you have small plastic outdoor toys to clean, you can put them on the top rack of the dishwasher, but be sure that the dry heat option is turned off before loading the toys.
2. Creating A Storage Unit For Your Outdoor Toys
To have enough space to store up your outdoor toys for winter, you must be very creative to maximize the available space.
There are 2 main places most people store these toys, usually in the garage or shed. Never be tempted to leave your outdoor toys outside because the harsh weather will damage them, and it is a good idea to invest in a good storage option that will save you so many hassles eventually.
i. Garage Storage
If your garage is like most people’s, it is already crammed with a lot of stuff that you have little or less room for. However, if you can rearrange the items, you might free up some space for outdoor toys.
Here are some tips to effectively store outdoor toys in the garage:
1. Every toy should be kept in a designated spot that is accessible to you and the kids.
2. It is best to put the larger toys on shelves, while the smaller ones can be kept in a bin that has a cover to keep them clean.
3. As much as possible, ensure that you do not have toys lying on the floor because it can cause kids to trip and fall.
4. Use the garage’s vertical space maximally where you can mount big toys without the room feeling cluttered.
ii. Shed
If you have an outdoor storage shed, you can use it to store your kid’s outdoor toys. The same way you treat and store toys in a garage, you also do for a shed.
Since you are more likely to have more storage space in a shed, you can store the more bulky toys like electric cars, bicycles, and what you have in the shed.
3. Organizing And Labeling Thee Outdoor Toys
Organizing and outdoor labeling toys can be a burden, especially if your kids have lots of them, but you can develop a system that will de-clutter your storage.
To organize your outdoor toys for storage, you must sort them into different categories based on certain criteria like size, type of toys, and the likes.
To categorize the toys, simply classifying them into different categories will help you keep toys of the same type together, making getting each toy when you need it very easy.
You can store toys of the same category in separate baskets, containers, or tubs. You can use zippered pouches and zip-lock bags to eliminate bulky packaging, saving you lots of space.
Also, do your labeling creatively, and be sure to label all toys appropriately because proper labeling makes your outdoor toy organization more efficient.
There are different ways of labeling sorted toys so that it doesn’t look boring: you can use blackboard labels, label tape, simple cardboard labels, and iron-on transfer labels.
4. Donating Some Of The Used Outdoor Toys
Donating some used toys is a charitable thing but also an opportunity to free up space in your home. You have to teach kids how to let go of toys that do not give them so much joy to play with or even those they have outgrown.
Granted that some toys hold sentimental value for you and your kids, but some can be donated without them feeling a tug in their hearts.
There are outdoor toys that kids have that are similar; it is time to give some of such toys away so that you can have space for the different toys they enjoy playing with. After all, it is nice to teach kids the joy of sharing what they have with others.
Best Solutions for Storing Outdoor Toys
There are different ways you can store your kid’s outdoor house, using some conventional and some not-so-conventional solutions; some of them include:
1. Shelving
This is a very common way of storing toys, and if you want to store outdoor toys, you need to pick a clear spot in the corner of the shed or garage and place the shelves there.
Then get large wire baskets or plastic crates where you will place large toys like scooters, inflatable balls and playhouses, and the like, and then place them on the shelves.
2. Rolling Crates
These units are a great option for Storing Outdoor Toys because they are mobile. You can place your toys in the rolling Crates a d put them on or under the shelves. The sports equipment organizer is a great choice and can hold many toys.
3. Hanging Crates
This is an interesting way of storing Outdoor toys, and you can use everyday materials around you like a hanging crate for hanging toys.
For instance, old gates in your backyard, wooden crates, and large plastic wires can be re-purposed into hanging crates for toys.
To do this, however, you will have to add a strong panel of metal along the wall for hanging the crates, and you will also drill the crates into the panel or even use hooks to place the crates in the metal panel for hanging outdoor toys.
4. Storage Bench
Your storage Bench can double as a storage solution and a seating area in the shed, garage, or even the living room. You can use this dual-purpose bench to keep pool toys and other such stuff.
5. Reinvented Table Parking
This is a very easy way of storing some outdoor toys. All you need do is get a long and high plastic table in the garage she’d or any convenient place in the house where you will use the top to store more toys while the under hold other bulky toys like sandboxes.
6. Stackable Storage Drawers
You can use plastic drawers to make makeshift storage in the corner of your garage for storing outdoor toys. This will save you space and keep your garage organized too. There are very affordable plastic crates that you can stack on each other, label them and use a storage drawer.
7. Wall Hangers
You can use your wall Hangs for storing toys like your kid’s ride-on toys. To hang heavy toys, you must ensure that the wall hanger is strong and can carry the weight of the toys
8. Outdoor Toy Boxes
If there isn’t enough room in your garage, shed, or even your house for storing your outdoor toys, then you can use a weather-resistant sturdy outdoor toy box.
You can even decorate these toy boxes and keep them as a decorating element in your space. There are outdoor toy boxes that are large as a 70- gallon storage bin which can double as an outdoor bench and toy box.
These toy boxes are sleek and have a back and an armrest, making them fit to be used as a patio bench. No one will ever imagine this is where you store your kid’s toys because it doesn’t look like a toy box. You should, however, know that this unit is a little expensive.
Conclusion
Storing your outdoor toys for winter is a means of keeping them safe from harsh atmospheric conditions. You should, however, ensure that you clean these toys properly before storing them.
They must also be sorted into categories and appropriately labeled before storing them in the garage, shed, outdoor toy boxes, or any other convenient place.
You can use storage devices like wall hangers, benches, and shelves, amongst others, to conserve all the space you can use in any outdoor toy storage facility.
Helpful Links:
- 10 Best Backyard Playsets
- 5 Best Airsoft BBs Brands
- Best Air Pressure Water Gun
- Are Plastic Kiddie Pools Safe?
We trust this article helped you know how you can store outdoor toys in the winter. You may also want to check out How To Make A Wooden Slide Slippery.
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