You finally moved to your new home, and you unpacked all of your belongings. You might feel as if you completed all your tasks, but then you find yourself surrounded by packing supplies. One of the last steps after moving with movers Gardner KS residents love is to decide what to do with all the remaining cardboard boxes. If you would rather reuse moving boxes instead of just throwing them away, there are still a lot of options. Below you will find some great suggestions for what you can do with your leftover moving boxes.
Should I reuse moving boxes?
No matter if it is a long-distance or just local move, you will need a lot of packing supplies to pack your belongings. Of course, most visible are cardboard boxes. If you wish to reuse moving boxes, they should be in decent shape. Otherwise, you will not be able to do much with damaged boxes. However, the condition of moving boxes depends on the moving company you hired. That is why, if you want to have some boxes saved, you should hire reliable movers in Kansas for your move. Not only that they will take care of your boxes and your belongings during the relocation, but they will also unpack them carefully.
Reuse cardboard boxes for storage
Once you’ve unpacked, you may realize that some of the items will need to go to storage. Guess what? Cardboard boxes make great organizers. Make sure you pick only the ones with the least wear-and-tear from the recent move. Label them properly, so you know what’s inside every box. Now you can put them away in the basement, attic, garage, or a self-storage unit, and you will have more free space in your home. Just be careful not to keep the boxes in a wet place. You wouldn’t like to risk destroying them and the belongings you stashed inside. If your belongings are still in the box next time you move, that might be a sign it’s time to sell or give them away.
Save them for a next-time move
Life is unpredictable, and you never know whether you will have to move again. For that reason, why don’t you just save and use the same moving supplies for another move? It will save your budget since you will not have to buy new boxes. Furthermore, if you have already marked them, it might also spare your time because you will not have to put labels again. Go through your boxes and select the cleanest and sturdiest. Flatten them and put them aside to use for your next move. Remember to store them away from direct sunlight or moisture.
Keep them for DIY projects
While it’s great to keep moving boxes for a future move or storage, you can also use some for various DIY projects. Here are some cool ideas that will inspire you to reuse moving boxes:
- Repurpose them into beautiful decorative frames or baskets
- Decorate them into lovely decoupage and use them as cardboard trays
- You can use them for gift-wrapping
- Use them to keep posters, photos, paintings, and other framed art from sinking inside their frames.
- Use cardboard boxes for different types of decoration, such as party, Christmas, or Halloween decoration.
- Make a few modern storage cases, painting a few cardboard boxes with paint, markers, or other art material.
Use moving boxes practically
Besides creatively using cardboard boxes, you can use them practically.
- Repurpose moving boxes as insulation. We’re not stating that they work as a replacement for real foam insulation in your house, but they’re still helpful. Cardboard is very good as insulation because of the air caught between the two outer layers of cardboard. If you have an unfinished storage space or attic in your house, use boxes to pad the walls. It’ll help block extreme temperatures and make your residence more energy-efficient.
- If you wish to keep your floors unscratched, cut small pieces, and then put them under your furniture, or just under its legs.
- If you work as an artist, painter, car mechanic, you can put the pieces of the boxes on the floors, tables, or other surfaces when doing handicrafts.
Use boxes in the garden
If you relocated into a house with a yard, you could use moving boxes in your new garden. You can flatten them and use them as pads when you’re working in the garden. It will protect your pants from dirt, and also keep your knees from hurting. Furthermore, you may decide to use some of the moving boxes as self-recycling bins for compost. Still, the best use for cardboard boxes in your garden should be as weed killers. Place flattened boxes over weed-filled sections in the garden, and then cover those cardboard pieces with mulch. Then, just wait a week or so until the weeds and their seeds are eliminated due to the generated heat and blocked sunlight.
Save boxes for play and entertainment
If you have small children, save a few boxes for future creative art projects. Let them unleash their creativity and build a cardboard castle, a playhouse, or even a dollhouse. You can also create a puppet theater out of a large box. We all know that kids love drawing and that no canvas is big enough for them. Instead of letting them draw on walls, give them crayons, and let them use the moving boxes. By keeping your children busy and entertained, you will have more time to settle in your new home.
Use moving boxes as pet houses
Cardboard is perfectly safe for animals and can be used for building pet beds. Remove the top parts to provide the airflow. Make sure to place something soft at the box bottom, such as a blanket or a towel. If you have a cat, and if you want them to stop damaging your carpets or furniture, create a few scratching pads or pillows. If your dog lives in the yard, put some cardboard on the floor of its kennel, and make sure to change it regularly.
As you can see, there are many ways to reuse moving boxes without throwing them out! We hope you found some inspiration, and we wish you good luck!
