After the stress of moving has dissipated and you’re settled into your new home, you’ll probably look around and find hundreds of empty moving boxes with nowhere to go. The more things you have, the more moving boxes you’ll end up with, but what are you supposed to do with them once you’re done? It seems like a waste to simply throw them away, so instead of tossing them to the curb check out these 9 creative ways to reuse your moving boxes.
1. Transform Them for Your Pets
If you have pets, you understand how weird they can be about boxes. Cats love them more than dogs, but you can take your moving boxes to the next level and transform them for any of your pets. Consider covering the boxes with fabric, stacking and securing boxes to create your own cat tower, or constructing a doghouse for your animals at home. If you use thick enough fabric, you could even create a handy scratching post instead of spending hundreds of dollars on one from the pet store.
2. Try Composting
Did you know that cardboard is compostable? Well, it is, and many people aren’t aware of this. If you already practice composting at home, you can add a few of your old moving boxes to the practice. Just make sure that you take the time to read everything you need to know about composting cardboard boxes and avoid simply throwing them into your composter in one piece. For the best results, experts recommend cutting them into smaller pieces with a shredder or a strong pair of scissors. If you have cardboard that’s particularly messy or molded, skip the compost pile and toss it in the trash or recycling instead. Chemicals and spoiled food products will disrupt the compost process.
3. Put Them in Your Garden
Since cardboard is compostable, you can use your moving boxes in your garden without worry. In fact, cardboard is a great way to mitigate pesky weed growth. If you’re experiencing a weed problem and don’t want to use harsh chemicals, cut the desired shape of cardboard out, lay it down flat on top of the area you want to target, and you’re done! You can water the ground through the cardboard, then add soil or mulch on top of it to avoid any unsightly eyesores. To learn more about how to mitigate weeds with cardboard, check out this helpful article.
4. Give Your Kids Fuel for Imagination
While iPads and Xbox counsels seem to dominate child’s play these days, you can still keep their imagination game strong with some awesome moving box transformations. The opportunities are endless, and some of them are quite simple. For example, if you’ve ever caught your child drawing on the walls, set up an old, large moving box, hand over some colored pens or markets, and let them get to work. They’ll get a chance to draw on “walls” without the lecture. You can also try out a few of the following ideas:
Cardboard Playhouses
Cardboard is extremely versatile and can be made into anything you see fit. For a budget playhouse option, use old moving boxes and create your own. You can have your kids help with decorations to liven them up a bit and watch them come to life.
If you want to take things to the next level, think outside of the box. Creating a unique play dome that doubles as a fort will give your kids a fun space to dream, imagine, and play. This one might take a few more boxes, and attempts, but it’s well worth it for such a cool final product.
In-Home Mazes
If playhouses or forts don’t amuse your kids, try your hand at building an in-home maze. Cut out small doorways in walls of the boxes and set them up in a room in your home. Make sure there’s a clear beginning and end to give your kids a sense of satisfaction and use clips or duct tape to secure them together. Let your kids run wild with markers and sit back and enjoy. In-home mazes also double as sensory play, which helps boost overall development.
Arts and Crafts
Finally, keep a few moving boxes handy for any arts and crafts around the house. You never know when a piece of sturdy cardboard will come in handy. Here are a few great ideas to get you started.
5. Create Decorations
For a more adult-friendly option, try your hand at creating some beautiful decorations. You can use cardboard moving boxes to create wall art, shelving, mirrors, letter garland, lamps, and more. Check out these great ideas to start, then head to Pinterest or Google for more cardboard-friendly décor ideas!
6. Make New Storage Bins
It’s amazing how much money we spend on buying decorate boxes for storage in our homes. Instead of cashing out $20 at Home Goods, grab your old moving boxes and get to work. By cutting out pieces of your moving box and reattaching them together, you can make new storage bins of any size and shape. Creating new boxes out of old boxes seems a bit odd, but it’s a great way to supplement your in-home storage needs. There are even some extravagant options for you to add belts and fabric!
7. Create Nametags for Gifts
With the holidays right around the corner, people are scrambling to get last minute gifts bought, wrapped, and sorted out. Instead of spending an outrageous amount of money for holiday-specific foil nametags, create your own. Find a stencil that you like online then carefully use a box cutter to cut out as many as you need. You can add custom stamps, handwritten notes, or even a dash of paint to brighten things up.
If you’ve already gotten your gifts packed and organized, use your old moving boxes for thank you cards! Simply break them down, cut them into post-card sized shapes and write your message directly on the old box. Just buy stamps and put them in the mail; no envelopes needed.
8. Fill Them for Food or Clothing Drives
It’s the perfect time of year to give back to the community. Instead of throwing out your old moving boxes, consider lending them to friends and families for local food or clothing drives. Use larger boxes for clothing items like winter coats, hats, scarves, and more. Pack up the smaller boxes with non-perishable food items and then deliver them to your favorite charitable organization, a local public school, or any churches that might benefit. If there aren’t any food or clothing drives currently going on, create your own. There’s never a bad time to give back to those less fortunate.
9. Save Them
If you plan on making another move sometime soon, or know that you will at least sometime during your lifetime, consider saving your moving boxes. The price of moving boxes can add up fast, so if you have a habit of moving around frequently, saving them will help save you money. Make sure that you remove any and all tape, take out the packing paper or peanuts, and break down the boxes so that they’re flat like when you bought them. Then, head over to your self storage unit and find a nice place to keep them safe and sound while you enjoy your home. Keeping them out of the way will give you the space you need without feeling wasteful.
As an added benefit, if you need extra storage for your self storage unit, use the moving boxes you already have. They’re the perfect way to store holiday décor, books, movies, and more. Just make sure that what you’re storing doesn’t need any added protection before tucking it away in cardboard for long periods of time.
When you starting using these 9 creative ways to reuse your moving boxes, more creativity will spark and you’ll likely find yourself needing more boxes than you started with! If you still have an overflow of moving boxes, put them into your self storage unit and wait. They’ll come in handy at some point down the line. For all of your self storage needs, The Lock Up Self Storage has you covered. We offer a number of safe and secure storage units that are guaranteed to fit any budget. All of our self storage units are protected by a number of security features like perimeter alarms and individually coded access gates. They’re also all climate controlled so that your things are protected year round, regardless of the weather outside. No matter what storage solutions you need, you’ll find a solution at The Lock Up. Give us a call today at 1-866-327-LOCK to learn more about the available storage units in your area!
