Tips to organize your outdoor living space

The summer weather here in the Carolinas kicks up outdoor entertaining more than a few notches. If you haven’t already pulled together your yard, patio, and deck, Baker Residential has some ideas and tips to organize your outdoor living space to maximize your enjoyment.

Start by decluttering.

Any home organization starts with removing your excess stuff. The same holds true for organizing your outdoor living space. First, get yourself in a purging mindset. If you spend time wondering whether or not to keep or discard, you’re probably overthinking the decision. Be bold. Either commit fully to keeping something, knowing you are not replacing it, or ruthlessly discard or donate it.

Before you start wandering aimlessly around your yard, here’s a checklist that can give you direction to make the most of your time:

Furniture. Is your outdoor furniture—including cushions, pillows, and rugs—clean and orderly? Inspect them for damage, dirt, rust, and mildew. Replace any items that have outlived their contribution to your outdoor decor.

Lawn games. From cornhole to croquet, bocce to badminton, you might have a stash of lawn games somewhere in or near your outdoor living space. How have you stored them? Check every game for damage and missing pieces to avoid the immense disappointment when you have a group ready to play but the game isn’t usable.

Grilling tools. Take inventory of your tongs, spatula, fork, grill brush, and other grilling tools. You should clean them after each use, but even so, inspect them to see if they're in good condition. Never use tools that have rust; if the rust is transferred to food, it’s hazardous when ingested.

Gardening tools. Sort through all of your gardening tools and supplies. Clean every tool to avoid spreading bacteria and other things that are lurking there. Sharpen the blades and oil any garden tools that need lubrication. Check your gardening gloves for holes or tears; replace them if they can’t protect your hands any longer. Next, sort through your collection of pots. Discard the broken ones and pare down the plastic plant pots you’ve been saving “just in case” by donating them to a garden club or properly recycling them. Remember, you’re decluttering. You don’t need all those pots!

Potting soil, fertilizer, topsoil, mulch, and other landscaping materials might have become infested with insects or mold. Sniff the contents of your bags and containers, and dispose of anything that smells foul. 

Outdoor tableware. Before you set a table for guests, make sure your outdoor dinnerware is clean and free of chips, cracks, and other damage. Sort through all of your tableware, including tablecloths, and then make a list of what you need to replace. If you have usable items but not a complete set (and that matters to you), donate it to a local thrift shop, church, or community center.

Rethink your usual plan.

Now that you’ve purged your outdoor living space, the next step is to organize what remains. Resist the temptation to follow the way you’ve always done it. You’re starting fresh! Rather than submit to the same habits, think about the way you use your outdoor living space. Map it out like you would an interior room. With that plan in hand, determine where you need to place outdoor storage. Maybe use a decorative storage ottoman to keep pillows and throws tucked away, combining function and style. Keep your lawn games handy and safe in a weather-proof deck box, positioned where players can conveniently get the equipment.

You have a wide range of choices for outdoor storage bins, boxes, benches, and sheds. Once you know what you need to keep in each container, organize the items. Use smaller bins and baskets to keep things together, like garden tools in a tote stashed within a weather-proof container.

Are you ready for a new outdoor living experience?

Baker Residential is building communities of single-family homes and townhomes in desirable locations throughout the Research Triangle of NC. If you’re ready to buy a new home that better suits your needs now, we’ll have brand new townhomes and homes for sale in Raleigh, Durham, Wake Forest, and Apex. Sign up for our VIP List so you’re the first to get the latest updates.