16th May 2022
You feel elated to have carried the last box out of your old home. You’re then filled with relief (and often exhaustion) once the last box enters your new home. However, the moving house journey doesn’t finish there. You still need to unpack all the boxes – then there is the challenge of what to do next with your packing supplies.
You need a lot of packing materials to move home with ease. However, once you have moved into your new home and unpacked everything – you’re left with a lot of packing supplies. Very quickly your new beautiful home is full of empty cardboard boxes everywhere you turn.
In this blog post we look at what to do with your packing supplies once you’re unpacked.
You may be wondering if you should keep them for your next house move. Maybe it’s worth selling them on to try and get some money back from the house move. It might be nice to give them to strangers or friends for free, to help them reduce their moving costs. Maybe the packing boxes are best off in the recycling?
There are lots of different options to consider. You can keep them, sell them, gift them or recycle them. Which option could be best for you and your packing equipment?
If you are renting or relocating, you may want to consider keeping your packing materials. It’s likely you’ll need them again, so if you have somewhere to keep them this can save you money when you next move.
What To Do With Your Packing Supplies Once You’ve Moved
Let’s look at some of the things you can do with your packing supplies once you have made the move.
Moving Boxes
Moving boxes are often really good quality cardboard. They are strong and sturdy, so they can be used again for future moves or for storing belongings in our storage units. If you have moving boxes that have remained intact and undamaged, flatten them out and store them somewhere safe and dry. You can then get them out when you need them for storing seasonal goods, popping things into a storage facility or for a future house move.
If you have moving boxes that haven’t survived very well, think about other ways that they can be used. They can be repurposed to protect your floors while you are painting your new home for example. If you are placing art work into storage, then strips of this cardboard can be used to protect the frames and the art work.
Clean packing boxes are great fun for children too. Let them go wild with their imagination to make a car, a castle, a playhouse, maze, fort or a puppet show stand. If you have cats, you’ll know that they love cardboard boxes too. All you need to do is leave the boxes on the floor and your cats will do the rest.
You could share a post on social media to sell your boxes or offer them to people locally that are also moving house. There are animal charities that will welcome your donations of cardboard boxes with open arms. These can be used for animal entertainment and nourishment too.
Think about the boxes you have, if you are likely to need them or if you have a way to use them. If not, why not sell or donate them?
Packing Paper
Packing paper is often perfectly reusable if it hasn’t become damaged or stained during the move. You’ve seen how useful it has been when you moved house this time. It will be just as useful next time you move house.
The best way to protect your packing paper and keep it safe for your next move is to place the sheets into a clean plastic bag. Where possible, seal the bag. This will help keep them safe from dust, moisture, bugs and other pests. If you have a storage unit, you can store these easily in the storage space. At least this way you will know they are safe, dry and secure.
If your packing paper has become damaged in the move, it can still be used. Packing paper is great for covering walls, floors and furniture during DIY projects around the home. You’ll find that this is especially the case when you are painting a room.
Again, if you have no need for the packing paper, then why not offer it to friends and family who may also be moving house. If you’re feeling crafty, you could turn it into some fancy wrapping paper for the festive season.
Bubble Wrap
While bubble wrap can be recycled with ease, there is a lot more than can be done with it. If you can keep your bubble wrap undamaged and un-popped (as tempting as it is to pop) then it can have a wide range of uses. The best thing to do with your undamaged bubble wrap is to keep it and store it safely. It will always come in handy in the future. Whether you are sending something fragile, placing ornaments into storage or moving in the future. You’ll be glad you kept the bubble wrap.
Bubble wrap is also a really good insulator. You can use it on your doors and windows to insulate your home. If you have delicate plants, bubble wrap can also be used to insulate these during the colder months of the year. Do you have boots, shoes and handbags that are rarely used, or used seasonally? You can stuff them with bubble wrap to help them keep their shape.
However, as we have already touched on – bubble wrap is great fun. Whether you’re looking to entertain the kids with a pop-able floor they can run around on, or as a stress release after moving home. There aren’t many people that can resist giving bubble wrap a little pop!
Packing Peanuts
There are different types of packing peanuts on the market. You can get starch-based packing peanuts which are degradable or polystyrene-based foam ones that are non-degradable. There are great for protecting your fragile items when you move. They are also really good for filling gaps in boxes that will be stacked in storage. The packing peanuts make the boxes stronger and sturdier, therefore protecting the items inside the boxes when it’s in storage for a length of time.
While they can be saved for your next house move, or for protecting items in storage, packing peanuts have other uses too. For example, packing peanuts are a great drainage solution to form a drainage system in the base of flower pots.
If you have some crafty talents, packing peanuts can also be used to make garlands for the Christmas tree or a seasonal wreath for the front door. Your kids will love playing with packing peanuts and getting crafty with them too. Just make sure you don’t leave young children unattended with the packing peanuts as they can be a choking hazard.
Now we have given you some ideas of what to do with your packing supplies once you have moved home, you just need to decide what ideas are best for you. Then, the only thing that is left to do is to sit back and enjoy your new home, packing supplies free!
Decluttering And Clearing Out Storage And Packing Supplies Sooner Is Better
Whether you have been moving home, or changing business location, there are serious benefits to be gained from decluttering.
Clearing out clutter helps you feel more relaxed, it also helps improve productivity whether you are working from the office, or working from home.
So, if you are wondering what to do with your packing supplies once you’ve moved, declutter as quickly as possible so you can enjoy your new space properly.
