Moving can be an incredibly stressful experience, especially when you’re unpacking and left with more boxes than you know what to do with. Thankfully, there are all kinds of fun things to do with your many empty moving boxes! Read on to find out what you can do with those pesky empty boxes.
Garden Buddy
You can use your old moving boxes in your garden in a couple of ways! You can use the leftover cardboard as knee pads. Kneeling on the cardboard can help offer much-needed relief when working in your garden. You can also use some cardboard boxes as self-recycling bins for compost or to help you kill weeds. Place flattened boxes over weed-filled areas in your yard and cover them with mulch. In a couple of days, the weeds will be gone!
Light Organizer
Do tangled-up Christmas lights drive you crazy? You can use your leftover moving boxes to make an organizer! Wrap your Christmas lights around a flattened cardboard box; they will stay smooth and untangled from each other. Now you can enjoy unpacking your decor and nicely organized lights.
Kid’s Playhouse & Imagination
Moving is not only stressful for the adults involved but can cause children a lot of stress as well. Get your kids involved and let them play with the moving boxes. They can help you break them down, draw or paint on them, or create their own forts. You could also take it a step further and help your kids construct a playhouse, puppet theatre, dollhouse, or pirate ship!
Birdfeeder
If you want to attract more feathered friends to your new home, use your boxes to make birdfeeders! You only need peanut butter, string, cardboard, and birdseed for this easy craft. First, cut your cardboard boxes into different fun shapes! Cut a hole into the shapes, and loop some twine or string through it so you can hang it later. Next, evenly spread the peanut butter onto the cutout shapes and press the birdseed onto the peanut butter. Finally, hang them outside and enjoy the birds that flock to them!
Cat Tent & Scratcher
These crafts are perfect for feline owners. To create a cat tent, put an old t-shirt over a box, and ensure the neckline matches up with the box’s opening. Tuck in or tape the sleeves against the box to make the tent look neat. Put your cat’s favorite toys and comfort objects in the box. Then, reveal this new cozy cave to your furry friend! To make a DIY cardboard cat scratcher, cut your boxes into identical-sized strips and stack them up until you have the width you prefer. Rubber band the stack together, add drops of glue on the edges and allow it to dry. Once your scratcher has dried, add some catnip and present the final work to your furry friend.
Temporary Coasters
Homemade coasters are a fun way to add some temporary decor to your new place that also helps protect your furniture. All you need for these coasters are cardboard, a ruler, scissors, glue, decorative paper, and clear varnish/sealant. First, use the ruler and scissors to cut out squares or circles from cardboard. Next, cut squares or circles out of the decorative paper, and glue them to identical cut cardboard pieces. Finally, use clear varnish/sealant to make the coasters durable and waterproof. Enjoy your beautiful homemade coasters!
Not only are these uses for your cardboard boxes fun but they are also much better for the environment than just trashing your boxes. The next time you have extra cardboard boxes think of these fun ideas, and if you still have boxes you don’t know what to do with, recycle or donate them!
