It’s never too early to start your spring cleaning! Especially as the weather gets warmer and the heavy blankets start to pile up in your tack room.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you clean out your tack room, trunk, or trailer so you can start 2022 feeling refreshed and organized.
1. Blankets
Congratulations, you’ve almost made it through winter! And with the coldest days behind us, it’s time to start thinking about storing those heavy blankets while your horse transitions to a stable sheet. Speaking from personal experience, there is absolutely nothing worse than opening a stinky closet or container at the beginning of winter and realizing your freshly clipped horse is going to have to sport last year's manure crust! You’ll thank yourself (and me) later if you wash the blankets you know you won’t be needing the rest of this season. Whether you wash them yourself or pay for a cleaning service, now is the time to crack down.
Now that you’re fitting a long laundry day into your schedule, it’s time to invest in some vacuum seal bags. You know what I’m talking about, we’ve all seen the infomercials. I’m here to tell you first hand there is NO better way to store your clean blankets. Vacuum seal bags minimize the size and protect your blankets from mice, bugs, and stink. LIFE CHANGING!
Now that the looming tower of stinky blankets is cleared out of your tack room, starting your spring cleaning doesn’t seem like such a daunting task.
2. Old Tack
If you’re like me, and most other horse girls, you hoard old tack. That old pair of stretched out stirrup leathers that you keep around “just in case” are not only taking up space in your tack trunk, they’re also just flat out dangerous and should not ever be put back on a saddle. I’ll admit I might’ve shed a tear or two getting rid of them, but it’s necessary.
Although some things are on their last leg and definitely need to be thrown away, some can be sold or donated! Do you ever wonder why you have 5 million saddle pads laying around even though you only use about 5? Same. Try selling your old tack you don’t use anymore!
In the famous words of Marie Kondo, “Does this spark joy? If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.”
A few great places to sell used tack is Facebook, eBay, and even Equivont! Yes, Equivont! We offer private listings on our site without charging a membership fee. Any item you sell through Equivont for under $500 is completely FREE and you keep all of the profits. Larger ticket items do accrue a very small listing fee once sold, but it’s a small price to pay for the exposure to thousands of buyers we provide each month. Learn more about our For Sale By Owner Listings here. And if you’re a Southern California local, do a quick cleanout this week and meet us in Laguna Niguel for our Sip & Shop Tack Swap on Saturday, February 26! Did I mention there will be free drinks?
Lastly, it is always important to consider those around us who are less fortunate. Equivont hosts a number of nonprofit organizations on our website that could give your unused tack and equipment a wonderful home while also benefiting horses and community members in need.
3. Organize
I may be biased, but we’ve gotten to my favorite part. There is only one place on this planet that rivals the barn (in my eyes)... The Container Store. Or Target, WalMart, or anywhere organizational material can be purchased. I am giving you permission to go crazy. Have meds rolling around your trunk? Put them in a container. Have 20 pairs of riding gloves? Put them in a container, after you’ve gotten rid of the pairs with holes of course–refer to step 2. Create your own set of nesting dolls, but with horse supplies in containers!
Out with the old and in with the new!
Now that you’ve followed these three simple steps to organize your tack room, you deserve a reward. More stuff! You’ve made so much room, that new saddle pad you’ve been eyeing fits perfectly, so go ahead and treat yourself. And 1000% blame me if your hubby questions it.
