How do you keep outdoor toys organized and not an eyesore?
by
Dana
+5
Trying something other than a large plastics bucket. ive been searching for an option that's easily accessible for the kiddos yet doesn't make my backyard look like a playground!
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Check out this link for some great ideas:
http://bargainbriana.com/organizing-kids-outdoor-toys/
Here are some fun ideas I found.
I own a rental cottage and very often have children coming. I bought a large plastic tote on wheels, painted 'TOYS' on the front, placed a number of toys suitable for sand & water in it and set it back in front of the trees. Each spring I go through the tote washing them all and discarding any broken ones. The renters are very good at putting the toys back into the tote when they leave and the lawn always looks clean for the next group. If there are no children, the box is not in the way and therefore not a problem.
There are storage containers for outdoor seating cushion storage. They hold a lot, yet look more like a piece of furniture. I have one that is actually a love seat with storage underneath it. We keep the seat cushions in it so that we don't have to take them in all the time. Something like that probably would work easily for the kids toys and keep them dry if it rains, and still look better than plastic bins.
We use milkcrates . Waterproof, easily moveable, sturdy they have been the only thing standing strong. Plastic containers sun rot, weather. Etc. Zip tie them together. 3 crates x 4 maybe? Get a 13 gallon trash can for the bats, the rackets, the long items etc.
What about a small shed/playhouse with a ramp for "driving" wheeled toys inside including toy wheelbarrows and toy shopping carts full of collected bats,dolls and balls?
Do you have an attached garage with a back door that opens into the backyard? The reason I'm asking is that you could hang a mini child-sized hammock on one of the garage interior walls. Hang it at a child's height where they can easily remove a toy. Then at the end of the day, teach them to pick up and put their toys back in the hammock. The hammock is off the floor so it takes up little room in the garage and is out of the weather so it stays dirt and mildew free. If you have no garage, a mini hammock might still prove to be fun hung on a backyard fence, perhaps under an eavestrough to keep things mostly dry.
I use laundry baskets. You can clean the toys right in the container. Drill several holes in the bottom and they drain. Baskets come in hundreds of colors or can be spray painted with paints made for plastic.