Bonus Room Organization Made Simple

If you are lucky enough to have a Bonus Room in your home, consider yourself both blessed and cursed all at the same time.  LOL!  The extra square footage can be a God send; however, if you don’t have a clear picture of what your Bonus Room is going to function as, it can become a nightmare.  Define your space, before you get started with decluttering and organizing your Bonus Room.  What’s it going to be?  Bonus Rooms can make great:  Game Rooms, Playrooms, Home Theaters, Personal Gyms, Craft Rooms, a Man Cave, or something entirely different.  The fun part is you get to choose!  Just be clear with yourself and the entire family before you begin your Bonus Room organization.

Once you have it narrowed down, it’s time to start decluttering and organizing your Bonus Room.  I thought I’d share some popular types of things that might be stored in your Bonus Room, depending on how you decide to define it, and how you can organize the space after it has been decluttered.  (This is a great time to sort through items and decide what to keep, donate, sell, trash, shred or move to another space.)

Games in your Bonus Room –

• Gather them all together as you get started. 
• Go through each one and check for missing or broken pieces. 
• Store small game pieces and cards in snack-size Ziplock bags to keep items contained. 
• If the box is not in the best of shape, replace the box.  I like to use clear plastic shoe boxes that can be purchased at a discount store.   Be sure to label it, so you know what’s inside.
• Store game boxes on their sides so they are easier to remove from their shelf. 
• Place playing cards in a plastic soap holder and store them in a basket to keep them contained. 
• To add a bit of beauty to the games, display loose game items such as poker chips, dominoes, and dice in mason jars on an open shelf.

Puzzles –

• If the box is broken, keep the picture of puzzle and toss the box.  Again, I like to use clear plastic shoe boxes for larger puzzles. 
• Use clear photo boxes for small puzzles. 
• For extra-large or wooden kids puzzles, scrapbook paper boxes are the perfect choice. 
• Reusable freezer bags stored in a basket works well too.
• For unfinished puzzles, puzzle trays and mats are excellent options for storing your puzzles when you aren’t quite finished. 

DVDs and CDs –

• Ditch the cases.  Instead, use envelopes designed for DVDs and CDs, such as these. 
• Sort and divide your DVDs and CDs into subject categories.  Label the different categories and store in baskets.  Some of the categories I like to sort my DVDs into are: Action, Animation, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Favorites, Fitness, History, Holiday, Musicals, Nature, Sci-Fi, and Superheroes.
• You can sort your CDs the same way by music genre:  Rock, Rap, Classical, Country, Pop, etc.

Toys in your Bonus Room –

• Always store your kids’ toys at their level.  Too high, then they can’t reach, and you’ve got a safety hazard, so only go as high as the top of their head.
• Group like items together.  Kitchen toys together.  Trains together.  Dolls together.  Blocks together.  Etc.
• Label toy storage bins with visual ques, such as a picture of a truck for the bin that contains the trucks.  This will encourage them to put things back where they go.
• You can also use open bins or clear storage containers, so the little ones can see where things belong.
• If your Bonus Room is focused on the kids, create stations.  Create a dress-up station.  A reading nook.  A crafting center.  This also helps to keep items contained, as only those items go in that station.
• Get the kids involved in creating their space in the Bonus Room and be sure to make it fun.  Play a game while sorting, by rewarding them for getting all the books in a pile, or for finding all the stuffed animals.
• Lastly, be sure to rotate toys regularly.  This gives the little an opportunity to have something new to play with every so often.

Workout Equipment in your Bonus Room –

• To gather your gym equipment in one location, grab yourself a storage rack.  This will help you put items away at the end of your workout and keep it neat and tidy.    
• Take advantage of wall space.  Hang items such as jump ropes, elastic bands and bars to keep them off the floor.
• If updating paint, choose colors that motivate you and hang a mirror and motivational signs that will inspire you in the space.
• Don’t forget to include a music station so you can work out to your favorite tunes.
• And finally, be sure to include some sort of cleaning station so you can wipe up the sweat when you are finished.

Craft Supplies –

• Refer back to my previous post about having a dedicated crafting space.

Man Cave in your Bonus Room –

• When setting up and organizing your Bonus Room as a Man Cave, keep it minimal.
• Used closed storage behind closet doors.
• Pick a theme and stick to it, whether it is baseball, football, hockey, or water polo for that matter.
• Have a focal point in the room, probably the TV, and incorporate furniture with built in storage to keep it out of sight and out of mind.  

Your Bonus Room truly is a bonus.  Take advantage of the space you have, but be sure to make it your own, whatever that may be!

Here’s to organizing your Bonus Room, (whatever that looks like) and RESETTING your life!

Roberta

Organization isn’t about perfection; it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money, and improving your overall quality of life.”

– CHRISTINA SCALISE

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