Spring sports are currently ruling the lives of many families. Softball, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, golf, soccer, sailing – kids are out there getting dirty and bringing all that equipment home with them. How can you stay on top of the sports clutter?

• Mud room: If you’re lucky enough to have a mud room in your home, this is the perfect place to organize sports equipment. If you have storage cabinets, purchase a few large wire baskets to place on the floor of each cabinet to hold bats, lacrosse sticks, golf bags and other larger items. Smaller baskets and bins can be used to store gloves, balls, and protective gear.
• Closets: The next best thing to a mud room is an organized closet. If you have a walk in closet, dedicate one area for sports equipment. Even a closet with bifold doors can have a bin on the floor for storing sports items.
• Bins: Large plastic bins are a great way to keep sports stuff organized and contain the dirt. Because a lot of sports items can be large or unwieldy, clear bins are a great place to contain it all. Bins can be stored in the garage, hall closet, or in the kids’ bedrooms.
• Hooks: A peg wall in the garage is the perfect place to install hooks. Baseball gloves, bats, lacrosse sticks and more can be hung on the wall and off the floor. Hang wire mesh baskets to contain smaller items. And the best part is the dirty equipment never even has to come inside!
• Trays: Sports cleats tend to hang on to mud and bring it into your home. Have a boot tray by your garage door or entry door – don’t even allow the cleats to be worn inside.
• Lockers: If your home is tight on free space, invest in a locker for your child’s room. Inexpensive options are available, are tall andnarrow with a small footprint, and can add a nice décor touch to a kid’s bedroom.
• Laundry: Have two separate baskets for uniforms in the same spot that they store their equipment. When the kids come home from the game, put the dirty uniforms in a basket right away. Once laundered, put their uniforms in the “clean” basket so it’s always with their equipment.

Committing to a few easy changes can make life with busy schedules much easier. You may never again have to hear, “Mom – I can’t find my cleats!!!”