Whether you use your backyard for entertaining, gardening, playing with the kids, relaxing, or a little bit of all of those, it’s a much more enjoyable space when it’s organized. Toys laying all over the place make it hard to mow the lawn, gardening tools without a place to live tend to get ruined in the rain or lost forever. Save your money and your sanity with these genius ideas for making your backyard into a place you can truly sit back and enjoy!
Related: The 9 Things You Should Never Leave Out in the Yard
1. Covered Kiddie Parking Garage by MomEndeavors.com
I just love this idea! As cute as these kid-sized “vehicles” are, they can quickly become an eyesore when left strewn about the back (or front) yards.
2. Poolside Storage by HowToDecorate.com
Think outside the planter box! These versatile containers can be used for much more than just plants. Here they make great poolside towel storage.
3. Outdoor Feet-Washing Station by HGTV
This is a great idea even if you don’t live by the beach. As someone who tends to spend a lot of time barefoot in the backyard, I’m often wishing I had a way to clean my feet off before going back inside. This is such a simple, and attractive option.
4. Backyard Hand-Washing Station
Another simple but smart idea! Create a backyard “sink” by hanging a galvanized bucket from an outdoor faucet to turn it into a hand-washing station. Much better than bringing the dirt inside to wash off. Add a soap dish and a hand towel and you’re ready to go!
5. Outdoor Four-Panel Screen
This is something I’m definitely going to be looking into either making or buying! Right now our big, ugly trash container is on the side of our house for everyone to see. I can’t believe I never thought of this!
6. DIY Garden Shed by A Cultivated Nest
This is one of the cutest DIY garden sheds I have ever seen! Made entirely from discarded doors and windows, it’s just the right size for a small to medium sized garden. Not to mention adorable! :-)
7. Metal Bucket Outdoor Coffee Table by A Place to Nest via Remodelaholic
Love this smart and attractive storage solution. A simple galvanized bucket becomes functional and beautiful backyard furniture.
8. Broken Rake Tool Holder by DIY How To
A seemingly worthless broken rake becomes handy backyard gardening tool storage. Just big enough for the essentials. To build this simple tool hanger, all you need is an old garden rake, a little time, and a big nail or screw to hang it on the wall. I love a great recycling project! :-)
9. DIY Cinder Block Bench by Goods Home Design
Using cinderblocks to make a backyard bench?! Pure genius! I love a project that I can figure out how to do without ever having to read one line of instructions!
10. DIY Cinder Block Potting Bench by Home.work
Another brilliant cinder block proj ect! Potting flowers can be back-breaking work if you don’t have a potting bench, and this one couldn’t be easier to make! All you need are boards and cinderblocks! Perfect for an herb garden.
11. DIY Grill Cart by The Virtual Weber Gas Grill
You can usually find old gas grills for cheap at garage sales. All you need is some some paint and some scrap wood to make your own movable cart to organize all your summer grilling stuff.
12. Outdoor Toy Organization by Domestic Charm
Once again it’s galvanized buckets for the win! “A place for everything and everything in its place” is the concept behind this brilliantly simple organization system for backyard toys. I just love the oversized chalkboard stickers too. No excuse for kids (that can read) not to put their toys away. :-)
More Ideas You'll Love
13. Perfect Hose Holder by Red Farmhouse
If you’re looking for a hose (and sprinkler) holder, a smaller galvanized bucket turned on its side and attached to a wall, or a larger one simply sitting on the ground near the spigot are both nice ways to deal with this backyard necessity! I really hate having a garden hose just laying out on the ground, so I love this idea.
14. Outdoor Storage Bench
There’s no better way to add storage and seating for guests at the same time than a storage bench. There are lots of DIY projects you can find on doing a simple Pinterest search (if you’re handy like that!) but I really love this bench I found on Amazon.
How do you stay organized in the backyard?
Putting things away instead of letting them languish outside makes for a much more organized backyard space. Plus, having beautiful flowers planted makes you want to keep it neat so the colorful yard can be the star not your clutter!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I pinned the repurposed broken rake as a garden tool holder. That is just the ticket for me! Thank you for the winterizing tips, great reminders.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Such great ideas all week. I can’t wait to try some of them!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.we bought one of those expanding hoses to make it easier to wrap around and store.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the backyard ideas. My back yard is a 3 1/2 foot wide x 18 feet long deck. I live in a condo. Some of these ideas will help with organizing and all the other organizing ideas for around the house are good space savers. Actually have done some already and I did go to the container store.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love your site.
I don’t have to do any of these ideas as I live in FL. No snow or cold weather to contend with. We mow our yards year round so need on going maintenance of our tools and machines. We lose our leaves in spring so we have a yard vac for that. Have already put all hoses in boxes to store out of sight. My biggest pet peeve is I have no pets anymore so now I have wild animals (possums, raccoons, fruit rats, outside cats…) using my backyard as their toilet. What can I do to stop this? My mil suggests mothballs for everything but I really hate the smell of them they make me sick to my stomach.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Nadine, try getting some pet hair from a friend, or a worn out blanket covered in pet hair. Place bits of it around your yard and see if that helps. Also, a fake owl (some are very good looking) can help with even coons and smaller critters. Another thing I’ve used (in mole holes) is “used” cat litter, which seems to make the moles go away (wouldn’t you?). Try looking up organic gardening tips, and they have ideas.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I live in Florida, too, so there is no such thing as putting it up for the winter — we grow gardens in the winter around here (greens, onions, etc.) I’d tried the hanging soap idea, but the fire ants ate the soap. They also eat any bird or pet food outside no matter how well it is stored, so I store it inside. We have to leave a squeeze jug of mechanic’s soap out, if we want to be able to use soap without being bitten. I like the idea of the bucket used both ways, to hold hose and sprinkler heads. Our idea for outdoors is to use our granddaughter’s old metal swingset frame as a trellis, with some leftover fence wire stretched across it. Filled with climbing flowers and veggies, it looks so cute and is useful, too.
Back yard for us consists of a few chairs around our fire pit and an old porch swing that my hubby built a roof over……so, not much to winterize……besides storing the chairs and swing, we need only clean our garden tools after cleaning up for spring planting……this has been a great week full of so many organizing ideas….I’m sorry to see it end…..thanks for helping myself and other, somewhat, disorganized souls…..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.At our outdoor cooking area, the storage room has a large metal rack with storage bins.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love all the outdoor ideas. When storing my birdseed outside in a large tub with a locking lid, I keep a plastic measuring scoop in the birdseed box to help make it easier to actually get the seed in the feeder. I also put the feeder on the box lid to avoid making a mess with the loose seed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the backyard ideas. I love turning the deck area into an outdoor room. I love it for when the weather gets warmer. The only problem is, it gets very hot and humid here in the Midwest in the summertime.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Me again. Yes with our humidity there are some months it’s too hot and humid to hang out, and it doesn’t cool off at night in the Midwest, like it does in Utah..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love these great ideas. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just keep stuff under a tarp next to the garage. Out-of-sight = organized, right? :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the feet washing station, so cute! Another idea for hoses it find a old rim from a car so you can wrap the hose around it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another idea for hose storage: a wide and low ceramic pot, glazed or unglazed, set below the outdoor faucet. Just curl up the hose inside.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really like the feet washing station,too. !I think I’ll try that for my yard. It would be so nice NOT to have dirty or wet footprints trailing from the door to the shower-Any idea where to get the rocks? I’ve never sen flat rocks like those, that wouldn’t hurt the feet:)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.River Rocks!!!! No need to buy, just grab a bucket and go SMOOTH rock hunting on a public beach next to a river! Remember, what you gather, you must be able to carry! Those suckers can be HEAVY!
I love all of these ideas! I don’t have to worry about snow, but I do have lots of kids toys laying around, so I think I will be copying the shelves with labels on the bins!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just spent all day yesterday organizing my garage. My next project is to build a bike rack so instead of kids bikes all over my driveway, there is a place to put them. I spent half the summer climbing over bikes to get in or out of the house, lol.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A pallet works well. Stand it against a wall and put the front bike tire into the slot. You can put about 4 bikes side by side.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A thin storage container from say Walmart houses a 20 pound bag of bird seed perfectly…and keeps mice and bugs out…works great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love all these ideas!! I am still new to the backyard thing, so the only tip I have is to wrap your outside water faucet in cloth to help insulate it! It really helps to prevent the freezing of pipes!! :)
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