Balcony storage ideas to tidy up so you can slow down

Cushions and chairs

To tame outdoor cushions, think protection from the elements. When you’re not using cushions, keep them in a balcony storage cabinet or box. As for chairs, leaning them on a wall can still be a mess. Get them out of the way. If your chairs don’t fit in storage boxes or tall cabinets, use wall hooks.

Plants and gardening accessories

Give greenery spacious, sturdy storage. Go for metal or plastic-coated metals that can handle wet areas. Open shelves or cabinets have room for pots, watering cans and gardening tools. Plus, they keep mess-prone bags of soil off the floor. Pots that match your shelving will put your plant babies in the spotlight.

Laundry and drying essentials

Practical. Nearly invisible. Those are key phrases for laundry/drying balcony storage ideas, especially in small areas. Like foldable drying racks that can hang out of the way when not in use. Or wall-mounted clothes bars that blend in. A shelving unit is a handy home for soaps, sprays, laundry bins and hanging dryers.

Sports gear and seasonal items

Ice skates. Roller skates. Sand toys. Balls galore. Sports equipment and seasonal hobby items don’t often need special treatment. But they do tend to be bulky and dirty. Use bags, boxes, bins, open shelves or cabinets to contain them. Easy-to-rinse materials are ideal.

Household necessities

Sometimes a balcony does a garage-like job, even if it can’t fit a car or bicycles. A good, find-it-fast overview is key when storing smaller household necessities in an enclosed balcony. Choose stackable boxes and bins, especially ones you can see through, write on or attach labels onto.

Recycling

Think convenient and closed. Recycling will be easier to deal with regularly and nicer to live with in the mean time.

• To keep recycling contained, look for bins with lids or storage/sorting bags that zip closed.
• Choose sizes and features based on what you need to recycle, how often you empty your recycling, how you transport it and whether you need to stack multiple bins.