What To Do With Leftover Packing Materials

In the weeks leading up to a house move, it’s easy to become solely focused on the day of the move itself. Once you have made the transition from the old home to the new one, there are still many tasks that need to be undertaken before you can fully settle in and start to relax in your new place.

For starters, what do you do with all of the moving boxes and packing materials you’ve collected over the process of the move? While you could simply put all of it in the bin and be done with it, you would be missing out on the opportunity to find meaningful new ways to use your supplies. Plus, sending it all straight to landfill isn’t the best solution for the environment.

Here are some top tips for what you can do with leftover packing materials after you’ve moved to a new home. 

Reuse It

There are three main ways you could reuse your boxes and bubble wrap. The first is to fold it up and put it somewhere safe for the next move. If you’re in a temporary living situation or you know it’s likely that you will be looking to move again in the next 1-2 years, holding on to your packing materials can be a great help in the future.

You can also reuse your boxes as storage. Stack items that you don’t use very often inside your packing boxes and pop them in your garage or self-storage unit. Moving cartons are ideal for storing books, electrical items and mementos you may not want to display, but still want to keep.

Finally, you could use your leftover butcher paper and bubble wrap as cushioning materials in your holiday luggage. It’s so easy for fragile items to break in a suitcase when it gets hauled on and off a plane. Give your items some extra protection by wrapping them in your old packing materials.

Get Organised

Aside from storing items you only take out once or twice a year, your moving boxes can also help you organise your frequently used items. By disassembling the boxes and cutting up the cardboard with a Stanley knife, you can create custom drawer organisers.

As per Marie Kondo’s storage tips, everything you own should have a designated space in your home. Drawers filled with clothing, stationery or kitchen utensils can quickly become cluttered, making it difficult to find what you need. You can solve this problem by carving up your cardboard boxes and dividing your drawers into compartments.

Garden With It

When breaking down your storage boxes for your drawer organisers, make sure you put some aside for your garden. The cardboard from your boxes can be used to prevent weeds from growing in your flower bed or vegetable patch.

To create a weed barrier, all you have to do is submerge your cardboard in the soil, water it down and bury it. The damp cardboard will smother the weeds and stop them from pushing through to the surface of your garden.

Donate It

If you’ve got family and friends gearing up for a house move, they will probably be more than happy to take your leftover packing materials off your hands. Alternatively, you could always donate your used boxes to charities that can use them for various purposes. Given the insulative properties of cardboard, your packing boxes could be a great help to the homeless and those in need.

Get Crafty

For those with young kids, cardboard storage boxes offer infinite art and craft possibilities. From dollhouses to makeshift Halloween costumes, you’re only limited by your own creativity.

If fur children are your preference, you could create all sorts of pet friendly cubbies and play spaces. Cats may turn their noses up at expensive, gimmicky toys, but give them a cardboard box and they will occupy themselves for hours. Smaller pets such as mice and guinea pigs could get a kick out of a cardboard maze, while rabbits will enjoy having a flattened packing box on the bottom of their hutch in the colder months.

Recycle It

If you absolutely cannot find a single way to repurpose your packing boxes and materials, you can always take them to a recycling centre. As bin liners can’t be recycled, you could always make your way through your storage box collection by setting them up as indoor recycling bins. Once filled with empty egg cartons and washed milk bottles, you could tip the box and its contents in your recycling collection bin.

No matter what you decide to do with your packing materials, you can always get everything you need for your next move at Ezi Storage. We are Perth’s one-stop shop for packing boxes and protective materials.

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from Ezi Storage https://www.ezistorage.com.au/packing-and-storage-tips/blog/what-to-do-with-leftover-packing-materials/