This is the second of the 10-Minute Family Spring Cleaning Challenges, as I partner with Lisa Soma, Sioux Falls organizing expert and owner of Organizing by Lisa. A Spring cleaning challenge will be provided, to spend 10 minutes in the designated challenge area. Together, Lisa and I will provide some guidance, support and tips. Maybe 10 minutes is all you need, or maybe 10 minutes will provide you a great start, where you can come back and truly transform your space. Completely up to you! Grab the kids to help or head in alone, the call is yours. Have fun with it! If you missed last week's challenge you can check it out here.
This week the challenge is....
Challenge: Spend 10 minutes on board games
I've mentioned at other times that we are definitely a board game family. This has lead to a collection of several board games. And if I am going to be totally transparent, I must admit that we have more than one location for board games in our house. There. I said it. Ha! Please tell me that we are not alone.
How to Spend 10 Minutes:
*Clear the Storage Area
Remove all games from the storage area to create a clean space. To assist with this step, I utilized a small clothes basket to place a majority of the games inside. I knew I only had about 10 minutes and wanted to be able to easily move the games out of the way, if I did not get through them.
*Replace Loose Pieces
If there are any fallen pieces outside of boxes, be sure to place them back in the original game box.
Organizing expert, Lisa Soma suggests that simply repairing corners of game boxes with tape will help them last longer. If you have any boxes broken beyond repair, Lisa recommends considering baggies to store games in. I have been able to locate large sized baggies at the Dollar Tree store. This is a much better deal than the more expensive name brand ones.
*Organize By Size
While returning games to shelving, arrange by size. Lisa Soma also suggests heavier ones on the bottom and lighter ones on top.
*Reduce
Be sure to determine the use and need for each game before placing it back into your storage area. Don't be afraid to get rid of games that have not been used in several months, or have not been opened at all. Lisa suggests keeping only games that are age appropriate for the family, if you have teenagers, it may be time to get rid of Candy Land.
Additional Tips:
*Card Games
Lisa suggestions storing card games in baggies. This is a great way to keep all cards together. If you don't have baggies, a rubber band is another option.
*Basket for Storage
When storing card games, Lisa suggests a tote or basket. We utilize the basket pictured here in our board game closet. It is a great place for kids to place loose game pieces as well, when they don't know where they go.
*Limiting Access
To preserve the integrity of board game boxes and pieces, Lisa suggests to keep board games out of the reach of younger children. Additionally, one game out at a time keeps games organized and prevents pieces from getting lost or intermixed.
*Storage
If you do not have room on shelves for your games, you can also utilize an empty dresser drawer or even an under the bed storage tote.
While decluttering your board game collection, you can easily set aside those games that you are discarding into a small clothes basket. This will allow you to come back to them when you have some additional time to prepare them for sale or donation. You will want to account for all the game pieces and fix boxes, as needed prior to discarding, unless you are discarding to the trash. If you are looking for ways to donate or sell gently used items, you will find several Sioux Falls area local ideas in my article, Organizing the Kid's Room.
*Like the tips that organizing expert, Lisa Soma shared? Be sure to follow her Facebook page, as she shares more organizing tips and provides encouragement to declutter.
