The Puzzling Question: How Do You Store and Organize Puzzles?

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of puzzles over the years. Maybe you’re still holding on to all those baby puzzles from when your kids were tots or that really challenging collection of puzzles you’ve yet to complete. Whatever the case, it seems your rec room is overflowing with puzzles! 

But that doesn’t have to be the case. We’re here to help you learn how to store your puzzles and organize your space. Follow along for the best advice on storing puzzles to help bring order to your games.

Preparing Your Puzzles for Storage

Before exploring some of the best puzzle storage solutions, let’s prepare your puzzles for storage. 

First, take inventory of your puzzle collection. Are there puzzles your kids have outgrown? Or some you’ve already completed six times in a row? And how about that one you always avoid because you find it too challenging? Set those puzzles aside and consider donating or gifting them to friends or family. 

Next, review your puzzles and try to remember if any are missing pieces. Place those in a pile to toss. 

That will leave you with only the puzzles you and your family enjoy doing or plan to tackle in the future, meaning all that’s left is finding a proper storage solution for them. So, let’s get into how to store a puzzle!

The Best Puzzle Storage Ideas

If you’re on a mission never to lose puzzle pieces again, it’s time to turn to our puzzle storage solutions! Whether you separate your puzzles into baggies or place them in plastic bins, these puzzle storage ideas will make organizing your collection a breeze.

Separate Them into Ziplock Baggies

No matter how careful you or your kids are, it always seems like a pesky puzzle piece escapes the box, forever leaving you with an unfinishable final product. 

To help prevent that from happening, we suggest separating your puzzles into ziplock baggies. You can even cut off the picture from the cardboard box and place it with the pieces to keep everything in one convenient place. From here, place all your baggies in a designated spot, like a drawer, basket, or cupboard, allowing you and your kiddos to access them easily.

Put Them in Mesh Bags or Pouches

This DIY puzzle storage idea is similar to the ziplock baggie one, except you can place your puzzle pieces and their pictures into mesh bags or pouches. We love this option because it makes it easy for your kids to grab them on the go in case they want to bring them to a friend’s house or on your family vacation. Just be sure to create a go-to spot for your puzzle pouches when they’re not in use so everyone knows where to find them. 

Place Them in Plastic Bins

Plastic bins are another one of the best ways to store puzzles. For this idea, you can either place the puzzles and their respective boxes in one large plastic bin or designate a small plastic bin for each puzzle. You can even label the outside of the bin to identify which puzzle is in each bin. 

This is an especially handy option because the plastic bins are stackable, so you can easily organize and arrange them on a shelf, stack them in your game cupboard, or stash them in a toy chest. 

Tuck Them Away

Even if you’re proud of your extensive puzzle collection, you don’t need to put every box on display. Doing so can make your space look cluttered. Therefore, perhaps one of the best puzzle organization ideas involves finding a place to tuck them out of sight. 

For instance, you could stack them in a closet, place them in an ottoman with a lid, or even store them under your bed. For further organization, consolidate them into baskets, bins, or boxes, making them easy to grab when you or your family wants them. 

Line Them up Along a Shelf

You don’t have to get too fancy if you’re wondering how to organize puzzles. Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as lining your puzzle boxes on a shelf! Make space for your collection on your bookshelf or display your puzzles along a shelf in your game room. This way, you’ll always know where your puzzles are when you feel like putting all the pieces together to create a masterpiece.  

Contact Stor-It Today

Now you have a solid grasp on how to store puzzles. But what if you don’t have enough space for all of them? Finding storage for puzzles in your home can be quite a challenge when other items are occupying every possible space! Consider renting a storage unit for your excess puzzle inventory and other belongings that just aren’t fitting neatly into your home. Stor-It is the oldest and largest storage facility in the state of Idaho, and we offer a wide range of units to suit various needs. 

When making decisions about storage, it’s only natural to have questions about how much space you need and how to store your belongings in a unit. We are happy to answer all your questions, so contact us today!