You need this magical way to organize board games

My game closet was an absolute nightmare – until I discovered the most amazing way to organize board games and my whole life changed.

This is THE WAY TO DO IT. Bold statement, I know. But it’s not without justification.

RELATED: Looking for some new board games for your kids? This is my favorite list.

How do your board games look right now?

I’m not going to sugar coat this: my board game storage was a disaster. My kids were pulling games, shoving boxes all around, and jamming the closet door shut.

I actually mastered the push-boxes-slam-door-shut move. It was highly sophisticated.

Something needed to change.

And that’s when I found the miracle product: zipper pouches.

Zipper pouches, friends. The answer is zipper pouches.

I’m not one to throw around click-bait language, but this was a miracle. This changed everything. THIS WAS THE ONE WEIRD TRICK.

Run. DON’T WALK. You need the zipper pouches.

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18-pack of waterproof zipper pouches

Here’s my system for using the pouches:

• Place all the game pieces in the pouch.
• Cut out the lid (so there is a picture of the game in the pouch)

THE END. That’s it. This is not complicated.

Here’s an example of this system at work: Look at all the space that taking this game out of it’s packaging and into the zipper pouch saves?! You can’t see from the picture but it’s also about 1.5 inches shorter.

Does every game work? No.

No, every game doesn’t work because some games have giant boards (I’m looking at you Candy Land and Operation….).

But a lot do. And that “a lot” is good enough for me and was transformative for my closet (how’s that for a million dollar word choice?).

Why does organizing board games in pouches work?

So many reason.

Boxes get flimsy and break through the year.

It makes clean up easier.

It may not seem this way, but it’s actually easier for my kids to find the games they’re looking for. The other way (the disgusting mess pile) was really overwhelming. The kids struggled to use it and be successful.

This made play successful and that’s really important.

Something about this system – having some games in pouches and others still in boxes – really is working for us.

And it’s been working for more than a year. I wouldn’t give you false hope – I’ve been testing this awhile before writing up this post.

(I also just kept forgetting to write it).

FYI: these pouches also work with jigsaw puzzles.

You read that right.

We organize puzzles the same exact way and shocker: it’s been another game changer (pun totally intended).

Same system: I cut out the box photo and place it into the pouch with the pieces. Again, it’s just working so well – I had to make sure everyone knew.

They also work for packing for vacation, snacks in the car, and all sorts of other things. Maybe this post should just have been a love song to these pouches?

Organizing board games with zipper pouches: do it.

If you aren’t happy with how your board games closet or tub or shelf looks: make a change. It’s an easy one, it’s a simple one, and it’s pretty much magic.