Almost every sport involves some shoes, so let's start there. Leaving your shoes on the floor takes up a lot of space, so consider a storage bin or tub for off-season sports shoes.
Plenty of sports, like football and rugby, involve muddy boots, so consider a boot rack in the entryway of your home. These keep dirty pairs of boots with the soles facing up, meaning that they aren't getting mud on the floor – and they give the soil a chance to dry, so it's easier to shake off.
Wherever possible in sports equipment storage, disassemble and deflate. Some sports equipment, such as some paddles and golf clubs, can be disassembled for moving or storing. The same goes for bringing in a basketball hoop or football goal for off-season storage in the garage. You can usually deflate most sports balls, so they take up significantly less space.
Football is one of the top sports in the UK (and the world), in part because it requires very little equipment. However, avid footballers still need appropriate sports equipment storage for their boots, shin pads and kit, goalies also need to find somewhere to keep their gloves, and it's more than likely that there is a football that needs storing, too.
It's worth keeping your kit stashed away in your sports bag once it's been cleaned and dried so that there's no need to pack the evening before. During the off-season, deflate footballs and nest shin-pads and stack gloves flat and store in a cool, dry place, ready to go for next year.
In the case of heavy items like weights, it can be dangerous for children to have access, so it's essential to store sports equipment safely out of reach.
Safe sports equipment storage is all about keeping items out of sight of children and in a place where they accidentally reach them. For something like dumbbells, this may mean storing them near ground level in an enclosed space like a footlocker. If they are out in the open, be sure to keep them low to the ground and consider covering them with a towel so that curious fingers don't get crushed.
It's also a good idea to keep rackets, bats and other handheld items out of reach since these too can be hazardous in the wrong hands. Be absolutely sure not to hang anything up that you're trying to keep out of reach since little ones could grab at it and bring the dangerous equipment tumbling down.
Sports equipment storage isn't just about making more room; it's also about ensuring that your precious equipment stays in game-ready condition. Older wooden bats, rackets and sticks require oiling, but most modern sports equipment doesn't – just be sure it's clean and dry before you put it away for the season.
Rather than bury your equipment away, you might want to keep it out on display. A well-placed tennis racket, hockey stick or cricket bat can bring a lot of character to a room – and they're easy to grab when it's time to play. Narrow shelving with a lip, sometimes sold as a picture ledge, is perfect for this, although you can achieve the same effect with a few strategically placed wall hooks.
The same is true for bikes, weights, skateboards, boxing gloves and a whole host of other sports equipment, so long as it is kept neatly. Get creative with the furniture you use to store these items, since storage in plain view may be the easiest solution.
If you want a secure, off-season solution to your sports equipment storage problems, consider Access Self Storage. We have stores across the country and a range of different storage lockers and storage units, sure to fit your needs. Check out our stores, including Access Self Storage Reading, Access Self Storage Portsmouth, Access Self Storage Islington.
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