Sports fans will know that being sporty is more than just a hobby – it’s a lifestyle. And this lifestyle usually comes with a lot of equipment: from bulky bikes and golf clubs to more fragile items like tennis rackets and badminton rackets. Usually, you’ll have invested in this equipment, so it needs to be cared for and stored correctly.
In this blog, we’ll share five tips for storing sporting equipment effectively to ensure you can continue to compete like the athlete you are, and also still have space in your home!
Tip 1: Why it’s important to store sporting equipment properly
In short, sporting equipment isn’t cheap, so it should be maintained and cared for to ensure it continues to operate effectively and doesn’t become damaged, warped or rusty.
To prolong the lifespan of sports gear, after each use, ensure you brush off any dirt or grass, and allow it to dry off to prevent rust or mould from forming.
Before you put the kit away in sealed containers or bags, ensure it has fully dried off, or else you risk the growth of mould or mildew, and these tend to emit unpleasant odours.
Environmental factors, such as humidity, changes in temperature and pests are a danger to sporting equipment. This is where self-storage units come in handy as they provide spaces with ambient temperatures, perfect for keeping your items out of harm’s way.
Tip 2: Figure out what you have
If you and your family are active and enjoy sports, you’ll quickly find that you accumulate a lot of sporting equipment.
It’s a good idea to figure out what you have so you can work out if there’s anything that you no longer need, allowing you to save some space. We’ll look into this in more detail below.
Do a stocktake
Where do you currently store all of your equipment? Is it in your garage, your shed, the utility room or even the hallway?
Methodically gather up all your sports gear so everything is in one place and then do a stocktake to fully understand if you have duplicates, if you and your family have outgrown items, and check whether any of your sports equipment has suffered any damage while being stored or used.
Decide what you want to keep & what you want to give away
Once you’ve done a stocktake, you can decide what sporting equipment you are keeping, what you are selling or donating, and what needs to go to the recycling unit.
This exercise will allow you to cut down on the amount of sporting equipment you are looking to store and makes this a much more manageable and enjoyable task!
Tip 3: Organise, organise, organise
When you know the sporting equipment you’re keeping, the best way to ensure it is stored correctly is to get it all organised.
Everyday essentials
Up first, select all of your sporting equipment that makes up everyday essentials. This is the sporting equipment that you are reaching for regularly. This could be tennis rackets, hockey sticks, footballs, bikes, helmets and various sports kits and shoes, like trainers or studs.
Ensure these are stored in easy-to-access areas of your house, as you are going to be needing to use them regularly, meaning they need to be on hand.
Seasonal sports gear
Seasonal sports gear refers to the sporting equipment that you use during certain times of the year, such as skis, snowboards, boots, base layers, gloves, etc. You tend to need these sorts of things for taking part in winter sports.
Meanwhile, during the summer months, you will likely be using paddleboards, kayaks, wet suits, dry robes, cricket bats, pads and golf clubs more regularly.
By sorting through your sporting equipment into the different seasons, you can identify a number of items that you could put into self-storage units for large portions of the year.
And the great thing is, due to the seasonal nature, whatever you take out, you then free up space to sub in the seasonal equipment you’ve just finished with!
Camping equipment
Items like tents or camping chairs are likely to be something you use infrequently. Therefore, if you don’t have the space to store this at home, a self-storage unit is a smart option. However, please be aware that you can’t store flammable items, such as stoves, in self-storage, due to safety concerns.
You can rest easy knowing that this expensive equipment is in a safe place, where it won’t be exposed to the elements or any wear and tear, ensuring the next time you go camping, you’re as snug as a bug!
You also won’t be tripping over these items in your house, garden or shed, which is a definite bonus if you aren’t using them frequently.
Tip 4: Find a home for everything
By taking the time to carefully put away sporting equipment after use, you’ll know where it is for next time, and it will be in tip-top condition.
Plus, if everything has its rightful place, you’ll never have that moment of panic where you can’t find what you’re looking for right before you’re due to be somewhere.
It also cuts down questions from children looking for certain items; if they know where everything lives, they can always be sure to find it!
Everything in its rightful place
For smaller items, if you have a shed, a garage, or even a cupboard under the stairs, a good idea is to install shelving units and kit these out with labelled plastic containers. Loose items, like gloves, pads, balls and helmets can go into these boxes.
You could also install hooks for sports bags filled with your kit – hockey bags, tennis bags, etc – and hang these up, so they aren’t on the floor.
Bike racks are a brilliant thing to invest in if your floor space is limited and you have bikes to store that you use regularly. These ensure bikes are carefully put away while still being easy to access, and you won’t find yourself tripping over them.
Tip 5: Find a self-storage unit
For those larger sporting items that you use less regularly, such as your seasonal sports gear that we mentioned above, you might find using a self-storage unit to be a bit of a life (and space) saver!
You’ll want to locate one that is easy to get to so that you aren’t having to drive for miles when you wish to swap in some of your seasonal gear, or when you want to get out your special occasion camping kit, for example!
If you’re in Glasgow, GTW Storage could be the perfect solution for you as we’re based in the city centre. You can come into our premises, no appointment required, meet our staff, discuss your requirements and see the facilities for yourself.
We offer a range of competitively priced personal self-storage options, so there is really something for everyone.
If you’d prefer, you can give us a ring or send us an enquiry email in the first instance!
Conclusion
We hope now that you’ve read this blog, you’re feeling equipped with some safe-saving hacks for your sporting equipment, and you can free up space in your home as a result!
To learn more about how self-storage with GTW Storage can help you, click here, or get in touch with our team.