Pawsitively Organized: How to Arrange Your Pet Gear With Ease
Pet supplies and gear can take over our homes, if we let it.
Our pets are a big part of our families, bringing us joy and comfort (and many laughs). We take care of them and they take care of us.
But, suddenly, one day, we look around and realize that their “stuff” has taken over our homes.
We see leashes and poop bags in our entryways, food and water dishes, litter boxes and extra litter, grooming supplies, and pet toys strewn across the living room floor. And it’s everywhere because, frankly, pets have a lot of stuff.
Now, we know that they’re totally worth it. We would rather have a home filled with toy mice and chew toys than one without our fur kids and all their love.
But maybe there’s a way to have an organized home AND have fur babies living their best life.
Organize and Store Your Pet Supplies
There are two ways to store your pet supplies. You will need to decide which method will work the best for you, your home, and your pet.
One way is to set up a pet station that will hold all your pet supplies in one place.
You would always know where your pet supplies belong in your home and can easily access anything you need to care for your pets.
Sounds appealing, right?!
However, it does have some disadvantages.
Firstly, you will need an area large enough to hold all the supplies.
This could mean using a hall closet, a cabinet, or a cubby area in your home. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that kind of space in one spot to dedicate to pet gear.
Another issue is that many of the supplies won’t be where you need them. While you’ll know where everything is, you won’t always have convenient access to it.
That means, for many, that not only will it be inconvenient to access, it will also be a bit of a pain to put it all away again.
If you use this method, locate it in a central or convenient location in your home. Store everything in bins so you can just pick what you need and take it with you.
The second method is to set up separate zones throughout your house for your pet supplies and organize the gear based on these zones.
This method can work for most homes. It may even be easier to keep organized once you have systems in place because items will naturally be where you need them and therefore easy to put away and keep organized.
Also, finding a small spot in several rooms to store pet supplies is a lot easier than setting up one large area in your home.
Give your pet a home that is both comfortable and safe for them and stylish and easy to clean for you.
Categorize Your Pet Supplies
The first step to organizing your pet supplies is knowing how much you have and deciding which zones you need to set up for all the supplies.
Since we have both a dog and cat, we have all these categories in our home, but your categories may be slightly different.
1) Food and Treats
In our home, Lucy’s dog food is kept in a large plastic bin in our mudroom, along with her food bowl and water bowl, and her treats.
Hunter’s cat food, treats, and bowls are kept in the kitchen so he can eat in peace, away from Lucy’s ever-present appetite.
We also have his water fountain nearby and keep the extra filters in the same spot.
2) Walking Gear Supplies
It makes sense to keep all your walking gear near your house entrance. Hang their collar, leash, harness, and dog jackets on hooks. Keep a basket or caddy with poop bags, pet wipes, paw cleaner and a clean towel nearby.
3) Blankets and Pet Beds
If you have extra blankets or pillows for your pets, you can store them in a chest or basket in your living room or bedroom. That way, they will be on hand when you need an extra or fresh blanket.
Pet Toys Can Take Over Your Space
It doesn’t take long for pets to strew their toys all over the place. Keep them in one central spot in their play area for easy clean-up after play time.
4) Pet Toys
Keep a basket or crate in the room where your pet plays, such as in your living room or a rec room. The toys can be easily scooped up when your pup or kitty is done with play time and kept nearby for their next play session.
5) Pet Grooming Supplies
Set up a caddy with pet shampoo, brushes, combs, nail clippers, pet toothbrush and pet toothpaste, and any other supplies you need to groom your pets.
Choose an area to keep it such as under your bathroom sink or wherever makes sense to keep it where you will use the supplies.
6) Pet First Aid/Medical Supplies
We have a pet first aid kit in a set of plastic drawers near our front door for easy access if there’s an emergency.
This is also where we keep our pets’ medical records so we can access them quickly in an emergency.
Medications are kept in a small drawer in our kitchen, separate from all human medications because that’s the most convenient place for me to administer them.
You can keep the medications with your pet first aid kit if that makes more sense. The important part is to give everything a home so it doesn’t just end up getting poked here, there, and everywhere.
Learn how to set up your own pet first aid kit to be prepared for pet emergencies
7) Pet Related Cleaning Supplies
Set up a cleaning caddy specifically for dealing with pet messes. Fill it with enzyme cleaner, vinegar cleaner in a spray bottle, baking soda, microfiber cloths, and any other supplies you would commonly use for cleaning up after your pet.
That way, you always have access to your pet-safe cleaning supplies. The last thing you want to do when your dog has vomited is go on a search for the right cleaner for the mess.
8) Cat Litter Supplies
With your cat’s litter box, you can keep a scoop, extra litter, bags for disposal, baking soda for odour neutralizing, a scrub brush and enzyme cleaner for deep cleaning all handy.
Add any other supplies you need and keep them close by for quick access such as a broom and dustpan for tidying up any bits of litter that escape.
Again, the idea is to keep the supplies all together and organized in one spot instead of scattered around.
My cat’s litter box lives in the basement laundry room, under the stairs. All the supplies we need are kept there so we never have to go search for cleaning supplies or extra litter.
Tips and tricks to keep your home clean and tidy when you have fur babies
Declutter and Purge Your Pet Supplies
As you’re going through your pet supplies to categorize and , do a little purging.
Expired medications, damaged toys, and empty containers, and items that you won’t use can be disposed of so you’re not storing items that you don’t need.
There’s no sense in keeping that dog shampoo that made your dog itchy or that catnip toy that your cat has practically destroyed and no longer plays with.
If you have items that can be cleaned and repaired, this is a good time to do it.
Once the initial set-up is complete, it’s much easier to keep each zone organized and clean. You can check all your supplies at once or simply check them during a deep clean room by room.
Summary
Whether you decide to set up one large pet supply station for all your pet’s needs, or pet storage zones in each area of your home, it’s a worthwhile task to keep your pet supplies organized.
Pet gear can quickly take over our homes and keeping it organized by category can make it easier to control the chaos.
Take the time to organize all your pet gear and you’ll find it’s easier to keep your home neat and tidy and to find the pet supplies you need, when you need them.
