A backyard pool is a constant source of summer joy and a great way to beat the heat. Though pool toys that are left lying around disorganized and tangled into tripping hazards can be a constant source of frustration that steals joy from your backyard pool.
If you’ve recently had a backyard pool installed, or you are sick and tired of tripping over pool toys and equipment, you might want to try a few of the following tips.
Keep Mesh Storage Bins Near The Pool
Pool noodles, life jackets, toys, and miscellaneous floaties that come out of the pool often need a few hours to properly drip dry. Keeping mesh bags near the pool area gives them a place to dry off in the sun, while also reminding your kids and guests of where to put pool items when they are done with them.
Laundry Bags For Towels & Pool Clothes
Having a backyard pool means that you are going to end up doing a lot more laundry. That’s just part of the experience. Though wet pool towels, swimsuits, and other items that are inundated with chlorine or other pool chemicals don’t always play well with other clothes in the laundry basket or the washing machine. Putting a dedicated laundry basket near the pool changing area encourages people to use it, while also helping to keep wet pool clothes and towels separated from the rest of your precious clothing.
Create A Dedicated Space In Your Backyard Tool Shed
If you are blessed with a backyard tool shed that is close to your pool or you can move your tool shed close to the pool, it can be the ideal place to put up loose pool items. Just be sure to give it a dedicated area that is thoroughly away from gas cans, lawnmowers, and other dirty backyard lawn equipment.
Shelves or sealable tote bins can give you a place to put pool items once they are properly try on racks or mesh bags. This is a great way to prevent lightweight things like pool noodles from blowing away on a windy day.
Hooks For Hanging Items
Towel bars and hooks are a great way to keep towels off the ground. Additional hooks also give people a place to put up goggles, swim caps, necklaces, and other hangable items. If you aren’t comfortable with screwing hooks directly into an exterior wall or siding, you might want to try using a temporary hook that holds in place with contact adhesive. If you have a garage or a storage shed nearby you can install a pegboard and hook system in it that is specifically meant for pool items. You could also try doing this in a pool changing room or near the pass-thru door of your garage.
Create A Storage Bench
Benches are a great place for sitting down to take off flip flops or put on goggles before jumping into the pool. Though they can also serve a more functional purpose when used to store items when they aren’t being used. Many have flip-top lids that provide easy access. This encourages use and helps people remember to put everything back in its proper place.
Just take a moment to consider what you will keep in there. If it’s meant to store potentially damp items, then you will want a pool bench that allows air to pass through or has a mesh bottom to let water easily drip out. If the interior is sealed with little to no airflow it should only be used for storing dry items. This will go a long way toward preventing recurring problems with mold and mildew.
Stackable Tote Bins For Pool Chemicals & Tools
If you have little ones around the pool chemicals and cleaning tools can be a serious safety hazard. Putting them up on a shelf might not be sufficient for keeping these things away from curious little hands. Heavy-Duty stackable tote bins often make a great place to store these things. They have lids that veritably lock shut and can be placed on top of the other to minimize the footprint they take up in your deck area of the backyard storage shed.
Big Net Bags For Balls & Floaties
Pumping up a floaty or a classic beach ball can be laborious. Even if you have a dedicated air pump near the pool area, chances are you don’t want to waste precious time blowing these things up every time you want to use them. Yet you also don’t want to leave them laying out where the wind can blow them and pets can potentially play with them.
A giant net bag secured to a storage shed wall or garage exterior gives you the perfect place to store your inflatable items. They are lightweight and typically only require a handful of anchor points. Setting it up under an eave or the drip line of your roof will go a long way toward keeping windblown hazards like sticks or hail from a passing thunderstorm from damaging them.
PVC Pipe Racks For Pool Noodles
Who doesn’t love to play with pool noodles? Creating a dedicated rack to hold them outside keeps them from blowing away, while not having them tracked into your house where they are always getting in the way. Small racks made from PVC will let you insert the holes of the pool noodles at each end so the noodle can drip-dry. If you get the fit just right it will also hold them perfectly tight to keep them from blowing away when you aren’t using the pool noodles.
Thoughtful Seasonal Storage
When the leaves begin to change, it’s time to drain the pool and put the toys away for the long winter ahead. Of course, pool toys, inflatables, and pool equipment is a sizeable investment. So you want to be smart about how and where you store them. Flat tote bins are often a great place to store a lot of pool items. They can then be slid under the bed in guest rooms and kept safe from the ravages of cold that might affect your garage or backyard storage shed.
Larger, long items can often be stored in bins or repurposed net bags that are hung from the ceiling in the garage or stashed away in the basement or attic. This is a great place to keep pool noodles and skimmer nets.
Just make sure to label everything with a black permanent marker, or keep an inventory sheet taped to the inside of the tote bin lid to keep from wasting a lot of time looking for what you want when it’s time to take it all back out again.
