Good outdoor toy storage is hard to come by! I get super frustrated with ours.
If my dog isn’t chewing up my kid’s toys, the toys are either covered in mud or they’re strewn all over our yard. So I had pretty much accepted the fact that we would always have the most ghetto-looking yard on the block. But then I decided to try organizing their toys one last time.
And I’m pretty happy with the result!
If you’re looking for a way to organize your kid’s outdoor toys, look no further. This outdoor toy storage idea is quick and easy to put together, and best of all, it’s waterproof! Let’s get right into it!
THE PROBLEM
Last year, I purchased a couple of stacking bins from The Home Depot for my kid’s outdoor toys. But as their toy collection started to grow, the storage solution wasn’t working anymore.
My husband uses the bins for pool storage and my dog thinks that since they are just her size, she has free rein of all the balls.
And those bins aren’t exactly mom-friendly.
When your 3-year old daughter starts screaming about dead June bugs at the bottom of the bin, the last thing you want to do is dump the bin out, spray it with a hose, and then try to stack the bins back on top of each other. Yeah right, I have 4 kids and 2 chronic illnesses.
Ain’t nobody got time fo that! 🤦
So I needed to come up with a quick and easy way to solve all of our problems:
- Waterproof
- Mom-friendly
- Out of reach from the dog
- Individual categories for each type of toy
Related Post: 8 Ways to Organize Kid’s Toys When You’re Tired of the Mess
THE SOLUTION
I just love these black wire shelves! This is the same type of shelf I use for our swimwear corner.
It works really well for short-term home projects. For example, since we don’t use our swimwear corner all year long, I can easily move the wire shelf to another area of the house.
I had an extra shelf in my garage that I put to use for our outdoor toys.
If you don’t have a shelving unit available, you can purchase one from Walmart or Target for $50-$70, depending on sales.
But the most important part is these drink tubs:
You can get them for like $2.99 each at Walmart in the kitchen aisle.
I snatched up two of each color, sky blue, royal blue, and red. For less than $25!
Since they are made to be used as ice buckets, they’re totally waterproof. 👌
They are kinda flimsy, but that’s okay in my book because we have A LOT of outdoor toys to fill them up with. So I’m not worried that they will blow over with the wind.
Unfortunately, I can’t find these exact drink tubs available online. They must only be available instore at Walmart.
But you can click here to check out some similar drink tubs from Amazon. There is a 4-pack for under $17.
THE LABELS
Since I’m probably the last person on the planet to not have a Cricut Machine, I couldn’t make gorgeous, giant labels like I wanted to. 😔
Instead, I used an Avery sticker paper template and printed them right off my computer.
You can see where the labels end on the front of each bucket. But it’s not really visible in person. And I’m not picky!
This is outdoor toy storage after all… I fully expect them to be filthy and falling apart by the end of the summer. (Which is why I was so happy to have spent less than $25 for the bins!)
Plus, the labels are easily removable so if and when I ever do get a Cricut, I can quickly remove the original labels!
HERE’S WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you’re frustrated with your kid’s muddy toys taking over your backyard, this outdoor toy storage solution will be perfect for you!
All you need is a couple of ice buckets from Walmart and a wire shelf. That’s it!
Actually, the wire shelf isn’t even necessary. And neither are the labels.
You could just as well use a small outdoor table to keep these buckets on.
They’re waterproof and not too shallow. Which means they’re just right for little hands to be able to reach inside.
This storage solution has been a game-changer for our outdoor toys!
If this sounds like something you can do, click here to check out the drink bins on Amazon, or check the kitchen aisle at your local Walmart.
And good luck with your organizing projects! 😉
Dreaming of a few organizing projects for your own home?
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