Horse Barn Hacks: IKEA Edition

From wine holders that make great boot bags to waste sorting bins that could serve a different purpose in your feed room, we’ve rounded up some of the IKEA products that could serve a new purpose in your barn.

Here are five of the things that you may want to pick up you visit an IKEA (in addition to the cinnamon rolls of course!):

1. Stackable Storage Bins – These Sortera bins are marketed as “waste sorting bins,” but they also double perfectly as feed storage containers. The 16-gallon option (currently available for $16) is just the right size to hold one bag of feed, and the 10-gallon version is also great for feed and supplement storage.

2. Shopping Bags – IKEA’s large, reusable (and only $0.99!) shopping bags are also perfect for barn use!

Jenny from New Zealand says, “These big shopping bags from IKEA are the best for carry a couple of slabs of hay without dropping half of it and getting hay all over your clothes!”

Horse owner Barb Fjerstad (who shared the photo below) added that she uses the bags to help her measure and weigh out hay for her insulin resistant and Cushings horses that require their hay to be tracked carefully.

Need some place to house your horses’ blankets or extra sheets, coolers, and saddle pads? These DIMPA storage bags are a great fit, and, at only $5 each, a great price!

Another IKEA bag bonus? If you happen to be in one of the locations that offers non-alcoholic sparkling wine, you might want to pick up a few bottles just for the carrier bag! (Although the sparkling wine isn’t half bad either!) While IKEA may not still offer the fun, unicorn-printed bag (pictured in photo at top left), the wine carrier is also perfect for carrying boots and wraps.

 3. Utility Carts – This Raskog utility cart doesn’t have a secret second purpose, but itdoes make a great utility cart for grooming supplies or anything else you may like easily moveable and accessible in the barn.

4. Towel and/or Pant Racks – If you’re like us and love a good saddle pad collection, you’ll likely also love using IKEA’s towel or pant racks to store them! Check out the Komplement pull-out pants hanger or the Brogrund towel holder. Here’s one example of the pants hanger put into practice.

5.  Storage Systems Galore – IKEA is known for their inexpensive furniture and storage solutions, and many of them are just right for the barn! Here are few great examples:

Pictured are various shapes and sizes of IKEA’s Trofast Storage. (Top photos by Jen Reed Garutti (left) and Sherry Weehunt Dupler (right). Bottom photo by Kimberly Elliott.)

Do you have any other IKEA purchases that you’ve repurposed for the barn? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!