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Tips For Storing Board Games: 10 Expert Ideas

monopoly board game

Board games are a great way to pass the time with your friends and families. You can find board games on about any topic or situation. However, storing board games can be challenging. After all, most families who play board games end up with dozens and dozens of games. Board games are often bulky and take up space, leading to storage difficulties.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can successfully store board games. It largely depends on your home’s design and how much room you have. Plus, some board games are easier to store than others, depending on the box’s size and shape.

Let’s look at some of the easiest and most aesthetic ways to store board games.

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The 10 Expert Tips For Storing Board Games

1. Use Plastic Storage Boxes

You can use the box the game came in for storage purposes. However, many of these cases aren’t that high-quality. Eventually, this can lead to the box ripping. Sometimes, game boxes are strangely shaped or far too larger to put on a shelf.

In these cases, you can use plastic bins to store the games instead. Small sandwich boxes work great for card games, which also tend to have fragile packages. You can also use plastic containers inside boxes to store the tiny pieces. This prevents the parts from becoming lost.

Larger awkwardly shaped games can be moved into larger storage containers with locking lids. If you’re particularly concerned with aesthetics, you can use plastic containers to make the game storage shelf seem more put together.

Lot of empty clear plastic storage boxes stacked
Image By: FotoHelin, Shutterstock

2. Use a Rolling Cart

A rolling game table or cart can easily store board games. You can bring the games into the family area when you want to play and slide them somewhere out of the way when you aren’t. Then, you won’t be running back and forth to get the next board game, and you won’t be stuck with a huge storage shelf in your living room permanently.

There are many out-of-the-way places you can store the cart when you aren’t using it. For instance, you can push it into your laundry room or mudroom. Because the cart rolls around, you don’t have to worry as much about what it looks like. You can easily hide it when company comes over.


3. Reuse a Cupboard

If you have an entertainment center or cupboard of any kind, you can reuse it for board games. Because board games are so oddly shaped and colored, they’re hard to make look good on a shelf. Luckily, you can use a cupboard to eliminate this completely. All you have to do is close the doors, and the games are hidden.

Any cupboard or cabinet works. The more shelves on the inside, the better, as it prevents all the games from falling when you pull one out.


4. Board Game Shelves

If you purchase a cubby shelf, you can quickly turn it into a game storage area. Cubby shelves make it easy to organize games by theme, style, or aesthetics. It makes it much easier to keep things organized when you have several shelves. Plus, cubby shelves work great in just about any area of your home.

The only downside is that you’ll need a lot of storage space to store all of your games. Another option is to keep some games put up and some games out, depending on the mood and age of your family members.

two empty shelves at home
Image By: Song_about_summer, Shutterstock

5. Rotate Games

Rotating games is another way to keep everything organized and aesthetic. You probably don’t play all your games all the time. If you’re like most families, you probably have a few favorites and then cycle through the other games on the shelf.

If this describes you, consider not having all your games displayed at once. Pack up some of your games and put them away for a few months. Then, you can switch out games as your family grows tired of them. This helps keep all of the games fresh and new. Plus, it keeps your shelf a little more organized too.


6. Hanging Closet Organizers

If you’re hurting for room, you may want to use a hanging closet organizer. These organizers can easily be hung in smaller spaces, such as a hall closet. You can devote the whole closet to games with one of these hangers, making it the perfect choice for those with many games.

You’ll need to measure your closet and determine how large of an organizer you can fit. If you’re planning on using the closet solely for games, we recommend getting an organizer that takes up nearly the whole closet.

You may not be able to fit all games on these organizers. Some may be too large, depending on the one you get. However, many closets have internal shelving, where you can store the larger games that don’t fit well. You can also use this method with the previous rotating idea. You don’t have to fit all your games if you rotate them in and out.


7. Rotating Shelves

Some shelves rotate, and while these are usually only designed for smaller items, you can find some made for shoes and similar objects. You can store all your board games in a much smaller space using these rotating shelves. Because the shelf rotates, you don’t have to worry about one board game being in front of the other. It keeps everything organized and accessible.

You can use these in a closet, game room, or storage area and fit more games into the same space with this storage idea.

backgammon boardgame
Image Credit: stevepb, Pixabay

8. Mesh Cases

If you’re really looking to save room, ditch the bulky game boxes for plastic mesh cases. These cases should preferably be malleable. We’re talking about cases designed to hold pencils and other items— not hard cases. Simply empty all of the contents into a bag and then label it. Because the bag is malleable, you can fit many into a smaller space than with bulky cardboard boxes.

There are several ways to go about labeling and many styles of cases you can use. You could write on the case directly with a sharpie in most cases, though this won’t look the best. If you’re going to have the games on a shelf, then aim for more aesthetic cases.

However, this method works best when you’re hiding the games in a closet or cabinet.


9. Custom Labels

If you have the time, consider investing in custom labels for your games. Using an alternative storage option can make it look much more put together, as opposed to just using a Sharpie. However, it can take quite a bit of time to make the labels and print them off. Those with a Cricut may have more luck in this arena, though you can make labels in many ways.

You can also purchase nice-looking label designs online for some more popular games.


10. Keep It Simple

There is no reason to completely reinvent the wheel here. Storing games should be simple. If your storage system is too complex, you’re more likely to abandon it sooner. If you have children, it’s important that they can remove and put away games with minimal help. Your storage system shouldn’t make the games more complicated, after all.

Don’t get carried away and implement a complicated system.

scrabble board game
Image Credit: Hans, Pixabay

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Conclusion

Storing board games is challenging because they are often bulky and oddly shaped. Not all games are the same size or shape. Plus, boxes can rip apart and spill pieces everywhere. Luckily, there are many ways to store your board games a bit easier. You can use plastic containers or mesh bags instead of the original boxes. You can add custom labels or invest in a spinning shelving system. You could add a closet storage shelf to organize all your games. If you regularly play only a few games, try rotating out games, so they always stay new and exciting.


Featured Image Credit: Doerge, Pixabay

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