Jigsaw Puzzle Storage Ideas

Here we give you tips and advice on storing and organizing both wooden jigsaw puzzle and cardboard jigsaw puzzle. Scroll down, or choose from one of the menu below:

Peg or knob puzzle storage using puzzle storage box or case
Wooden puzzle storage - the cheap way
Cardboard puzzle storage tips
Tips for storing unfinished cardboard jigsaw puzzle
Tips for avoiding the mess while playing with jigsaw puzzles

Without a proper wooden puzzle storage system, storing wooden peg puzzles or knob puzzles is a nightmare. It is impossible to stack and get them balanced because these puzzles have pegs or knobs. In addition, there will always be pieces of jigsaw puzzle go missing.

Therefore, we recommend you to buy a puzzle storage case or puzzle storage box for storing this type of wooden puzzle.

A puzzle storage case is like a box with several rows of racks in it. There is enough clearance between the rack to allow sufficient room for knob or peg puzzles. We think that puzzle storage case or puzzle storage box is an ideal system for wooden jigsaw puzzle storage. When it comes to play time, it is easy to take the wooden puzzle out of the puzzle storage case and when the play is over, it is equally easy for you or your child to slide the knob or peg puzzles back into the case. This system is so easy to use that even a young toddler can be taught to do it.

These puzzle storage box usually comes with enough racks to store 12 peg puzzles. However, if you have jumbo knob puzzles, you have to get a special kind of case because their sizes are different from those of the ordinary peg puzzles.

Cheap ways of storing wooden peg puzzles.

If you don't mind separating the jigsaw puzzle board from the pieces, here is the cheap way of storing and organizing wooden jigsaw puzzles with or without knobs:

First, tackle the jigsaw puzzle pieces first. Get a big sturdy bag and put all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle into the bag. Label the bag, for instance: dog puzzle, with a permanent marker. Alternatively, you can label the bag using a numbering system, for instance: puzzle no.1.

Second, label the jigsaw puzzle board. Label the board exacly the same as you would label the component bag. Therefore, if you label the bag using a numbering system (e.g. puzzle no.1) then label the puzzle board the same way.

Once you finish these, you have two choices on how you want to proceed on storing those items:

First, drawer system . Get a chest of drawers and put all the board of the jigsaw puzzles in a drawer . Get smaller containers or bins and place the ziploc bags containing jigsaw pieces in there. Then put the containers into the drawer. Label the drawer with picture and in writing.

Second, shelf system Get a shelf and a small container. Put all the jigsaw puzzle board on the shelf side by side like you would have done for storing books. Place the jigsaw puzzle board with the long side facing the bottom of the shelf. Alternatively, you can make a stack of jigsaw puzzle board on the shelf or put the jigsaw puzzle board in a big container and then place the big container on a shelf. Next, put the bags containing small jigsaw puzzle pieces in a small container and put this container on the shelf. Label each container with picture and in writing.

We think that this jigsaw puzzle storage system is cheap, space-efficient , and it minimizes the accidental spillage of jigsaw puzzle pieces. However, since this system is rather complicated for young children you may have to help young toddler to get the matching pieces and board out for playing and help him with putting the puzzles away.

Tips for cardboard jigsaw puzzle storage.

For cardboard jigsaw puzzle storage, we recommend you to store the jigsaw puzzle pieces without the original box because storing them with the boxes poses several problems:

• Box can get damaged over time even after reinforcing each corner with a tape.
• Storing in a box takes a lot of space since each box takes up more storage space than the component inside it.
• Possibility of spillage when the box is accidently dropped

Therefore, we recommend you to store jigsaw puzzle pieces without the original boxes as follows:

• Put the small pieces into a ziploc bag. Don't forget to cut part of the puzzle box which contains the puzzle picture and put that in the bag for a reminder on how the puzzle should look like.
• Put the bag in a container or a drawer.

However, if you still want to store jigsaw puzzle with the original box, you can do these followings to minimize the problems described above:

• Put all the small pieces of the cardboard jigsaw puzzle in a bag before putting them into the jigsaw puzzle box to eliminate an accidental spillage nightmare.
• Store the puzzle box side by side on the shelf with the longest side touching the bottom of the shelf. This way, you increase the durability of the box and make the jigsaw puzzle box more easily accessible. Do not to stack them since the one located at the bottom of the pile will be damaged from bearing the weight of other boxes. Furthermore it is more difficult to pull out the jigsaw puzzle stored in this way.

Tips for storing unfinished cardboard jigsaw puzzles.

Sometimes we do not finish the cardboard jigsaw puzzle in one session. To store the unfinished jigsaw puzzle, we recommend you to get jigsaw puzzle storage mats .

Assemble the puzzle pieces on the mat until you decide to finish with them. You can then roll up the jigsaw puzzle storage mat which has the incomplete cardboard jigsaw puzzle in it, put it in a tube and it is ready for storage. Next time you or your child want to continue with the jigsaw puzzle, just un-roll the jigsaw puzzle storage mats.

Jigsaw puzzle storage mats can also serve other function. With jigsaw puzzle storage mat, it is easy to transport the unfinished cardboard puzzle from one area to another. This way, you will always have the dinner table available for .... dinner !

Tips for avoiding the scattering of jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Jigsaw puzzle pieces can be one of the main source of mess in the house. To avoid the mess, apply this rule in your household:

• One set of jigsaw puzzle at one time. This means that one set of jigsaw puzzle has to be cleared up before the kid pulls out the next one. This will avoid the mixing of various set and will prevent the pieces from scattering all around the house.
• Do not allow your children to carry around pieces of jigsaw puzzle in the house. Try to contain the mess in one designated place.
• Put a piece of fabric underneath the 'jigsaw puzzle play area' when your family is working with a lot of very small puzzle from cardboard puzzle, or better, use the jigsaw puzzle storage mat. This way, it is easy to clean up when the activity finishes.

Happy playing, and hopefully, no more lost puzzle pieces ... (and no more mess) !

Links to other toy storage tips:

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