Creative Ways to Use Boxes After Moving

By Adriana Noton

So, you've reached your new home, you've unpacked and now you're stuck with dozens of moving boxes. Boxes, even when flattened, can take up a lot of space. Unless you're planning to move within the next few months again, it's not worth it to keep them around. So just what can you do to use those boxes once you've finished moving?

There are a number of things you can do with those boxes, but whatever you do, don't throw them out! Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Sell them. How did you get hold of these moving boxes? Chances are, you either bought them from a moving company or else spent a lot of time scavenging suitable ones. It's hard and expensive to find good, sturdy moving boxes, so it stands to reason that others will be looking for the same thing you did just a few weeks ago. They're often willing to purchase boxes that have been used once, at a lower price. You get rid of the boxes and earn a bit of cash and the new buyers gain all the boxes they need for their move at a savings in time and money.

Turn them into storage. While you can certainly leave some things packed in the basement, attic or garage, there are other methods of storage. For example, you can cover the boxes with nice contact paper and stack them to form cheap, sturdy shelves in a child's room. If you do stack them, offsetting is best for stable shelves and you should use something to hold them together. You can either remove the flaps, or screw in door handles to the two that close horizontally and use a hook to hold them shut.

Make a tunnel. This works particularly well for a child's birthday party, but has also been used as a fundraiser. Take all the boxes that you have and open the flaps on both ends, taping them to elongate the box. Now start taping them together to form a long tube. You can actually create a maze this way. To form intersections, you'll need to cut some boxes open and use them to cover the open areas where two or more tunnels meet. This works very well when it's dark, since people can actually become semi-lost inside the box tunnel. The tunnel should hold up for some time, particularly if you've used sturdy tape, like duct tape.

Insulate a garage or attic. Cardboard works well to help insulate, which is actually why many street people use it as bedding. However, you don't need to be poor in order to make very good use of those insulating powers. Use the flattened boxes to cover the roof or walls in a drafty garage and keep things warmer, or use it to lower the temperature a bit in your attic.

Whether you decide to use your moving boxes in your home or sell them and make some extra cash, don't just throw them out. They're still incredibly useful. - 30331

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