Helping homeowners create an organized backyard is one of the ways retailers and service technicians can promote safety. Hazardous conditions can occur when toys and equipment are left scattered around a pool area, especially when children are running nearby.

“Certainly safety can be an issue,” said Amy Trager, a certified professional organizer based in Chicago and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. “If [the backyard area] happens to include any power tools or gardening instruments – things that are dangerous in little hands – if those things have a place to go that’s out of reach, you certainly decrease the chance of someone using them inappropriately or dangerously.”

For retailers, this equals another product category to carry in the store. Customers scope out new toys and floats, but often don’t think about how to keep their pool area neat with noodles, floating beanbag recliners and other pool toys stored away safely.

“If your child’s toys have a basket or a bucket that they can be stored in and out of the way, basketballs are less likely to get punctures, parts and pieces are less likely to be lost or ruined,” Trager explained. “If you’re doing it well enough, then hopefully you’re saving yourself some time and money of replacing things that you can’t find or have been broken.”

Racks, hooks and bins are all easy and affordable solutions that retailers and techs can recommend to customers to keep their backyards organized. Installing a rack on the side of the patio or house makes a convenient place to keep all the pool toys together and out of the way of rambunctious children. Likewise, adding hooks near the equipment pad or on a nearby fence for hoses or towels will keep everything in a designated place.

Adding an organization system at the beginning of the pool season means that customers will be able to enjoy their well-kept space safely all summer.

To learn more about getting organized, visit the NAPO website, www.napo.net.