Looking around, you probably feel overwhelmed by the clutter. There’s also a high chance you want to throw in the towel before you begin. We’ve all been there. The best thing to start with is not organizing but decluttering. This will make organizing easier because you’ll have less stuff to work with. Grab some trash bags and cans and start going through your things. If it’s beyond repair or junk, toss it. If you have big items to toss, renting a dumpster is an easy way to declutter; the trash company brings it to you and picks it up when you are done.
Tossing items are just one part of decluttering; selling or donating things you don’t need or want is another. There are many ways to sell and donate items, from dropping things off at Goodwill to selling items on social media. Plus, whatever cash you get from a sale can be used to bolster your organizational budget!
Once you’ve gotten rid of the things you don’t need or want, the organization will be much easier. So how to organize your barn and keep it clean? We have nine ways to keep your barn neat and tidy.
- Replace and fix anything broken (instead of piling it in a corner)
- Create a designated area to clean tack
- Use shelving to keep your helmets clutter-free and accessible
- Keep your blankets or fly sheets hung neatly and labeled for quick access
- Organize your halters by type and separate your lead ropes
- Add shelving to keep supplies off the floor
- Use collapsible saddle racks to save space when not in use
- Keep boots easily accessible and organized
- Keep your aisles cleaned with stall front bags (matching looks better)
Now that you’ve gotten rid of things you don’t want, it’s time to go through your tack, supplies, and riding accessories to see what needs to be replaced and/or fixed. While it’s tempting just to make a “fix it” pile, resist the urge! Fix those ripped blankets, replace straps, wash, and waterproof to give your blankets new life. Mucking equipment falling apart or needing to be replaced? You can get replacement handles and mature forks separately or buy new ones!
When plotting out your organization, it’s vital to save an area for cleaning your tack. Making your barn clean starts with clean tack and supplies! Pick an area with good ventilation and large enough to move around easily. Your area should include places to put your tack up while you clean (or let it dry), such as a shelf with tack hooks. Install plenty of tack racks for your clean or to-be-cleaned tack so you can clean with the efficiency of an assembly line.
Keeping your helmets organized not only makes them easy to find but also keeps them clean and away from dust and pests. Also, keeping helmets hung and not cluttered together helps them dry from sweat and discourage the growth of mold and bacteria. Use racks, shelves, and hat hangers to keep your helmets and hats organized, clean, and easy to find.
Piles of blankets are great on the bed when it’s cold, but horse blankets piled up in the barn are a disaster. Disorganized blankets aren’t just an eyesore; but shorten the life of your blankets. Rodents love to get into the fabric to make nests, bugs can easily tear into the cloth, and mold from sweat can spread like wildfire. Keep your blankets and fly sheets hung neatly on blanket racks to extend their lifetime, as well as make it easier to grab the right blanket or fly sheet you need at a moment’s notice. Have a lot of blankets? Consider a heavy-duty blanket rack. Don’t forget to label your blankets as well!
Grabbing a halter should be just that: a quick grab-and-go. To organize your halters, organize them by type (leather, nylon, etc.). Have more than one horse? You may want to organize the halters further by horse or even by breed. Leads should also be organized by type and hung up using tack racks. Racks vary in size to meet your needs, from three to five hangers, up to 10 hangers and more. Racks can be mounted or portable, so they fit any area that is convenient for you.
We can’t say enough: if you can get it off the floor, do it! Adding shelves not only keeps your supplies off the floor, but provides a designated place to store things. Use tack racks with baskets and bottle holders to keep grooming supplies and medications off the floor. A big plus is portable shelving and racks, which can be stationary or conveniently located. Totes are great to keep your items ready to put in the trailer for a show or just to move around the barn as you do. Shelving units come in all shapes and sizes, so measure your area before buying.
Saddle racks are great to keep your saddles easily accessible and in good condition and give them the chance to dry from sweaty rides. It also keeps your leathers and stirrups from getting tangled in each other and with other saddles. Even better, use fold-down saddle racks to save space when not in use.
Boots attract disorganization: they’re easy to pile up when they don’t have a place and a pain to search through to get the right ones matched up. Keep your boots together and organized by using a boot rack. Boot racks keep your horse boots off the floor and provide a much neater storage option than a plastic bin or bucket. Plus, boot racks give your horse boots the space to dry properly, whether from washing or sweat after a workout.
Look at any barn on Pinterest, and they all look the same in one area: clean, orderly aisles. To keep your aisles from attracting clutter, use stall front bags to put everything you need to get your hands on quickly. Stall front bags hang from the stall door and can handle everything from blankets to grooming supplies, depending on size. Some bags are designed for specific items, such as blanket bags, while others are an all-in-one type. This keeps your aisle clean and your items from dust and dirt. Plus, you can get bags that match your decor or your horse’s tack, adding an element of design to your barn aisle.
