| On Storing the Stuff of Summer |
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Sept.24, 2001 -- The comforts of summer, the pillows, cushions and daybed, will need to be packed away before winter sets in. (SHNS photo courtesy Chris Madden Inc.)
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By Chris Casson Madden
Scripps Howard News Service Psychologically it seems that summer ended abruptly this year. While the days now through the end of October may still feel sunny and warm, the night air gives broad hints that winter indeed is on its way. So, it is time to store the stuff of summer, to put away our toys and keep them out of winter's worst weather. If you are like me, the stuff of summer has been accumulating over the years. We no longer have just one place to dine outdoors, we have multiple areas for either intimate or large group dinners. It is the same for seating. We have the protected seating area covered with an awning, furnished with a mahogany daybed and wicker chairs, but we also have lawn chairs and a chaise near the flower garden. And just the mention of garden brings to mind all the equipment needed to maintain it -- the rakes, spades, clippers, hoes, hoses, wheel barrel, pots and mower. Those need to be stored. But so do the real toys of summer -- the bikes, helmets, roller blades, lacrosse sticks, tennis rackets, basketballs, baseballs, gloves and bats, golf bags and shoes. Did I forget something? This year the vast accumulation of stuff to be stored seems overwhelming. Fortunately, I love the challenge of organizing the equipment of summer living and I have found some good sources for help in meeting the challenge. Two mail order catalogs arrived recently with items I imagine will make the task of "putting away" easier. Both the Frontgate catalog (800-626-6488) and Holdeverything (800-421-2264) offer steel sports rack organizers. They differ in design but both offer adjustable hooks, brackets and baskets for holding large and small balls, rackets, safety gear and bats. Holdeverything also has a rack for two golf bags and shelves for shoes. Frontgate sells a floor to ceiling pedestal to hold bicycles with optional hooks and baskets for skates and equipment. The Container Store and Ikea were two other places I love to browse for organizing ideas. Both stores offer wooden shelving units to assemble as well as plastic bins, buckets and boxes to use for storage. But if shopping isn't the first thing you would do to get organized, look around the house and you will soon come up with some ingenious storage solutions. Gather all the various pieces of sports equipment, for example, and store them in bushel baskets. Likewise, store all your picnic gear in one or two coolers that will fit neatly on a shelf in the basement or garage. If you're really clever, work on a pulley system to raise and lower a shelf in your garage to store things out of the way and to take advantage of a high-ceiling garage. And if you have a canoe or kayak, you could use that craft for storage and then raise or lower it from your garage rafters. No matter what you invest in or the ingenious way you manage to solve your storage dilemma, keep in mind these tips before you store and hopefully your summer gear will be ready when you are when the weather is warm again: - Consider ease of access before storing. If just the thought of crawling up into the attic with picnic gear and lawn furniture makes you break out in a sweat, find someplace else to store the stuff. Maybe it is time you invest in some shelving to make storage closer to hand.
- Make sure your storage area is dry and ventilated and that you wrap items appropriately. Tight plastic wrap can be deadly for any items that need to breathe or where mildew can grow. Lawn furniture cushions, for example, should be thoroughly dry before storing and then placed loosely in a nylon or plastic bag just to keep them dust free. It may be necessary to run a dehumidifier in your storage area until the air is colder and dryer in the winter.
- Donate or throw away before you store. If your children have outgrown their skates or ski boots, don't store them; get rid of them. Likewise, don't store items that need repair or replacement. If you have a lawn chair that needs new webbing, replace it now or throw it out.
- Store like items together and keep your storage system logical. And make sure you label everything. Divide and conquer your storage by separating the sporting equipment from the garden tools. Likewise keep all picnic items separate from the life preservers, wet suits and pool toys. Once items are wrapped, packed or ready for the shelves, label them, even if you can see the contents. Marriages have been saved by very clear labeling such as "Picnic Items Only" or "Baseball, Tennis, and Basketballs."
- If you don't have indoor storage for all your garden furniture, stack where possible and invest in specially made heavy-duty plastic covers. Keep the furniture in a protected or obscured area of the garden or deck.
- Make sure all your equipment is clean and maintained before storing. Mud or dirt can cause rust, mildew or deterioration if not removed before storing. Clean furniture and equipment and then cover it to keep it dust free. Beside protection, clean items mean that summer can begin as soon as you get them out of storage.
- If the idea of finding storage for all your gear is exhausting there is another option: rent a space.
However you decide to deal with the stuff of summer you will feel better once it is taken care of and you have given yourself one less thing to worry about this winter. We all likely will have other things on our minds by then. (Chris Casson Madden, host of the Home & Garden Television show Interiors by Design, is also the author of 13 books, including the newly released Getaways: Carefree Retreats for All Seasons, Clarkson Potter Publishers.)
RESOURCES :
Getaways: Carefree Retreats for All Seasons
Model: 0609603205
Author: Chris Casson Madden
(2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Clarkson Potter/The Crown Publishing Group/Random House
Website: www.randomhouse.com
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