Spring Storage Swap: What Should You Switch and What Should You Store?

One of the greatest aspects of having accessible, secure storage is the ability to swap out items on an as needed or seasonal basis. Gone are the days of storing sports gear, winter clothes, and home décor in an unorganized pile in a garage or attic and hoping for the best. Today’s lifestyle connoisseurs are being smart about storage by choosing the right size of unit and making multiple visits throughout the year to pick up (and store away) personal items on an “as needed” basis. 

Over the years, we’ve seen CubeSmart customers make the most out of their storage units in the most inventive and useful ways. Every spring, we meet folks storing winter clothes, sports gear, patio furniture and decorations used throughout the previous season, and pulling out and cleaning their warm weather counterparts for the coming months.

If you’re wondering how to get the most value and use out of your storage space this spring, you’re in the right spot. Below, we’ll investigate the top items to switch out (and dust off) in spring, and give you plenty of ideas for items you might be able to pack and store in their place.

Storing Sports Gear for Athletes

Let’s face it: even in the best of times, sports gear is oftentimes dirty, sometimes smelly, and almost always in the way. Storing sports gear (and storing it properly), on the other hand, is easy and important.

When the ground starts thawing and the trees start budding, it’s time to clean your winter sports gear and pack it away for the next several months. We’re talking skis, snowboards, sleds, snowshoes, and snowmobiles. Once you’ve got those items safe and secure, pick up your tennis rackets, pickleball rackets, frisbees, kayaks, and surfboards so that you have them easily accessible for any summertime adventure that comes your way. 

Most winter sports enthusiasts can get away with a 5×5 storage unit or, in the case of those storing sports gear for multiple people, a 5×10 storage unit. Bear in mind that if you’re in the market for sports equipment storage that includes a snowmobile or two, you may need a 10×10 storage unit. Check out our piece on how to store sports equipment for creative ideas for maximizing your sports gear storage space.

Need a place to store your skis? Find Storage Near You

Storing Sports Gear for Fans

Storing sports gear that you use as a fan is much different than storing sports gear you use as an athlete. Whether you’ve got kids in games every weekend, are a diehard pro sports fanatic, or just love to tailgate, the items you end up collecting can quickly overwhelm a garage or outdoor shed.

When the winter chill begins to fade away, it’s time to visit your storage space with any portable heaters, blankets, tents, and personal pop-up weather pods. If you’ve got the requisite winter clothes that go along with being an active fan, like beanies, scarves, and coats promoting your team, it’s a good idea to clean and pack them away as well.

While it may be a bit melancholy to say goodbye to your winter fan gear, if only for a few months, you can instantly cheer up by unpacking your summer fan gear! Grab your coolers, cornhole boards, portable grill, golf umbrellas, and sunshades to get ready to cheer your favorite team on through the summer.

Depending on the amount and size of the items you need to store, you may be able to fit everything into a storage locker or simple 5×5 storage unit. Read our recent piece on what fits in a storage locker  to see what size suits, or stop by anytime to speak to a manager for personalized advice.    

Storing Winter Clothes

Storing winter clothes can be a real hassle. They’re big, they’re bulky, they’re plentiful, and boy do they take up tons of closet space. It can be rather difficult to find the room when it’s time to (finally) put away your boots, scarves, hats, coats, snow pants, and gloves. Especially when all you want to think about is bathing suits, flip flops, sundresses, and shorts. Enter self-storage!

While most customers can fit their winter clothes into a storage locker or 5×5 storage unit, some people minimize the space required even further by using a vacuum storage bag to suck all the air out of a container. Be careful, however. Removing the air can be harmful for fabrics or materials and create deep creases in your clothes. Be sure to follow all instructions to minimize risk. Also consider sizing up your storage space so that you don’t have to use storage bags, and can give your garments a bit more breathing room.

For more info and tips, check out our piece on how to store your winter clothing and gear.

Storing Home Décor

Spring is also the season to swap home décor. Most people enjoy storing home decor like holiday decorations, tinder boxes, wreathes, and furniture covers because it means the warm, welcoming days of spring and summer are right around the corner. Swapping out winter décor with summer decorations like planters, garden flags, and wind chimes. Speaking of gardens, spring is also the time to bring the garden tools back out of storage, especially if you’ve got big plans to plant a pollinator garden or vegetable garden this year.

If they’ve been storing patio furniture during the off-season, spring is also the time to take it all out and give it a good cleaning. Fix anything that needs fixing, and invest in a few small plants or other homey touches to brighten it up for the longer days ahead. Check out our piece on how to get your home ready for spring for more tips.

Most customers need at least a 5×5 storage unit or a 5×10 storage unit for their seasonal home decor items, but it varies quite a bit depending on the size and scope of your home décor, of course. It may be best to swing by your local CubeSmart to discuss your specific needs with a manager.

Storing Patio Furniture

Storing your outdoor furniture is definitely the right move over the winter months, be it metal furniture, wicker furniture, or wooden furniture. Storing it correctly, however, requires a little work to make sure you get as much life out of your furniture as possible.

Cleaning patio furniture is extremely important at both ends of its time in storage. While methods vary slightly depending on which material your patio furniture is made of, most if not all of them involve a bucket of warm water, a soft cloth, and detergent or dish soap. Many times you simply have to let the furniture air dry before use, so beware of cleaning them immediately before you want to use them. While it might seem like a needless pain, the pleasure that clean outdoor furniture provides should not be underrated.

If you’re interested in storing patio furniture in the off-season, consider how to consolidate your items to make best use of the space. Customers frequently need a 5×5 storage unit or a 5×10 storage unit for their patio furniture, so think about buying furniture that can be folded or taken apart for storage to cut down on costs. Big dining tables, Adirondack chairs, large wicker furniture, and the like can quickly fill a storage space.

Nowhere to store outdoor furniture at home? Find Storage Near You

Cleaning Grills Before and After Storage

While you might not be technically swapping anything for your grill, we’re still going to count cleaning grills as a key part of getting ready for spring – and grilling season! Whether you’ve got a charcoal grill or a gas grill, it’s important to clean it before and after storage. While charcoal grills can be cleaned using oven cleaner and balled up aluminum foil or steel wool, cleaning a gas grill is quite a different task.

According to Bob Vila, you’ll need two large buckets, dish soap, a wire brush, strong terry cloth rags, a grill degreaser, and some elbow grease to clean a gas grill. Of course, you’ll want to give it an extremely thorough cleaning before storing it, and then hopefully will only need to dust it off a little for its grand unveiling in spring. For more advice, check out our tips on storing your grill for winter. As an important reminder, never store your propane tank.    

Find Storage Near You

We hope these storage swap ideas get you excited for the fun and relaxing days ahead. For more info, check out the following blog posts:

How to Properly Store Patio Furniture in the Winter – Mt. Lake Pool and Patio

How to Clean a Grill | BBQ Cleaning Guide – Popular Mechanics

7 Steps to Organize Home Decor with Easy Storage Solutions – Robyn’s French Nest