8 Fun and Smart Ways to Reuse Your Moving Boxes

You finally moved into your new, lovely home or apartment, and everything is great – except the huge pile of moving boxes you used to pack and bring all your things over. Don’t worry though, there are many ways to reuse your moving boxes, other than simply cramming them in the recycling bin. There’s still a lot of “life” left in your sturdy moving boxes, and frankly, it would be a waste to simply recycle them at this point.

1. Use cardboard boxes as storage containers at home or in your self storage unit

We all need plenty of storage containers to organize our belongings properly – and we all know how expensive such containers can be. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on baskets, organizers, and other storage solutions, why not upcycle and reuse your moving boxes? You already own a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and although they might not be as pretty as the cute containers in stores, they are free, they are available – and, with a little bit of work, you can make them look nice.

First, separate your boxes based on size, and decide where you will be using them – inside your drawers, inside the closets, in the garage, or in your storage unit. You can remove the upper flaps for the boxes you are going to use inside the home for easier access to your stored items. These flaps can then be utilized as box dividers, helping you to better organize your belongings. Use duct tape to secure the flaps at the bottom of the boxes and to make them sturdier for long-term storage. Then, use contact paper to decorate the boxes inside and out – not only it will make the boxes look great, but it also makes them sturdier.

Obviously, the boxes you intend to put in your garage, attic, basement, or storage unit need to be closed properly – so keep the upper flaps. Make sure you select the sturdiest boxes, made of thick cardboard, for storage outside of the home.

If putting the boxes with belongings in a self storage unit, don’t forget to label each box. You don’t want to rummage through all of them when searching for something specific, such as your holiday decorations or seasonal clothing. Also, make sure you arrange the boxes on some pallets or a durable tarp to avoid potential humidity-related damages.

2. Furniture made of boxes? Yes, it’s totally doable!

That’s a fun way to use your boxes, particularly if you’re a DIY fan and you don’t have a lot of money after just having moved to a new home to purchase every single piece of furniture that you need. So, why not create some small pieces of furniture out of cardboard you already have? This will work great for things like end tables, nightstands or even small desks.

First, you have to draw the design of the desired piece of furniture – and decide on the dimensions. Then, start taking apart the boxes in cardboard sheets. Transfer your design to the sheets and cut the shapes out. For each part of the furniture, you need to glue together about three or four cardboard sheets to make it sturdy and actually usable.

Once you created all the components of your future piece of furniture, you need to assemble them, using glue as well. Seal the exposed cardboard edges with strips of craft or packing paper and allow the glue to dry off completely.

And now to the really fun part – making your cardboard furniture look great! You can paint it with acrylic paint in your favorite colors, cover it with contact paper, cloth or any other type of finish you might want.

3. Make a playhouse for your kids

If you’re not up to all that work involved in turning your cardboard boxes into actual pieces of furniture, you can do something else that’s a lot less complicated – a playhouse for your children. You’ll need several large moving boxes, preferably of the same size, some duct tape or packing tape, scissors or a box cutter and markers or paint for decorating.

Assemble the base structure by opening up the largest boxes and arranging them to form the walls of the playhouse. Tape the boxes together securely along the seams and corners to ensure stability. Cut out doorways and windows using the box cutter or scissors. Once the basic structure is in place, you can add additional features to enhance the playhouse. You could use extra cardboard to create a pitched roof, for example. Or you could give some extra small boxes to your kids to make “furniture” for the playhouse out of them. Encourage them to paint the exterior with their favorite colors, draw flowers and other designs, or even create a nameplate for their new hideaway. This simple and quick project can bring hours of joy and fun to your children and gain you some uninterrupted home organizing time, much needed after a move.

4. Love gardening? Here’s how cardboard boxes can help you

One common use of cardboard boxes in gardening is for creating a no-dig garden bed. Flatten cardboard boxes directly over grass or weeds in the desired garden area. The cardboard acts as a barrier, blocking sunlight and preventing weed growth. Water the cardboard thoroughly to help it start breaking down and make molding to the ground easier. Once the cardboard is in place, cover it with a thick layer of compost mixed with straw and mulch. Aim for a depth of at least 6-12 inches of organic material to provide a rich growing medium for your plants. Then, simply put the seeds in your garden beds or plant your seedlings. These layers of cardboard and organic material help retain moisture, further suppress weeds and add nutrients to the soil as they decompose. Over time, the cardboard breaks down, adding organic matter to the soil and improving its structure.

Cardboard can also be used in composting. When adding cardboard to a compost pile, it should be torn into small pieces to speed up the decomposition process. Combine the cardboard with green materials, such as kitchen scraps or grass clippings.

Smaller cardboard boxes can also serve as biodegradable seed starters. Fill them with seed-starting mix and plant your seeds as usual. When the seedlings are ready to be transplanted into the garden, the entire cardboard container can be planted directly into the soil. The cardboard will decompose naturally, allowing the plant roots to grow freely while reducing transplant shock.

5. Make a cozy pet house

If you’re like most pet owners, you know how expensive pet houses or beds can be, and you also know very well that your beloved pet is in the business of regularly destroying them. So, why not save some money by making one (or several) pet houses yourself out of the moving boxes you have laying around? Select boxes large enough to comfortably accommodate your pet. Ensure the boxes are clean and free of any staples or tape that could harm your pet.

If you have one large box, you can use it as the primary enclosure. For a more complex design, you can combine multiple boxes to create different sections or levels. Cut out an entrance hole on one side of the box, making sure your pet can easily enter and exit. Smooth the edges of the cutout to prevent any sharp spots from causing injury. You can also cut out a window for ventilation, but make sure it’s positioned in a way that maintains the structure’s integrity.

Use strong packing tape to reinforce the seams and corners. You might also add an internal support by cutting additional cardboard pieces to fit snugly alongside the box’s walls, providing extra rigidity. Once the structure is sound, it’s time to make it cozy. Line the floor of the pet house with a soft, washable blanket or cushion, and add some of your pet’s favorite toys. If you want to personalize the space further, decorate the exterior with non-toxic paint or markers – your furry friend will certainly be delighted.

6. Use them to encourage your kids’ creativity

We already talked about a playhouse made of moving boxes, but that’s not the only option for your boxes. There are many arts and crafts projects for kids that use cardboard boxes. One popular project is creating a puppet theater. Start by cutting a large window out of one side of a large box to serve as the stage. Encourage your kids to decorate the outside with paint, markers or colored paper to make it look like a theater. Then, kids can create puppets using smaller pieces of cardboard, sticks or old socks, drawing and cutting out characters to perform their own imaginative shows.

Or they could create an entire cardboard box city. Gather several boxes of various sizes and let the kids paint and decorate them to resemble buildings such as houses, skyscrapers, stores and schools. Arrange the boxes in an open space to create a miniature cityscape. Children can then use toy cars, action figures or dolls to bring their city to life, providing hours of imaginative play. Or, instead of a playhouse, you could also create a cute and entertaining play kitchen.

The sky’s the limit – there are many other things you could do, such as a cardboard box rocket ship or even a maze. Use several large boxes to create a network of tunnels and passages by cutting out connecting doors and windows. Arrange the boxes in a large room or backyard to form a maze. Kids can crawl through the maze for hours of fun while also developing their problem-solving and navigation skills.

7. Cardboard makes excellent protective padding in your home

You just moved to a new home, and you probably have a few walls to paint and some contractors that will go in and out of your home for a while. This can potentially result in dirty, stained or scratched floors, so why not prevent that from happening? You could, of course, go to a store and spend money on floor protection materials, but you already have perfectly good cardboard at home. Simply open up your boxes into sheets of cardboard and lay them on the floor in the areas where you are doing home improvement work. This will save you a lot of floor cleaning at minimum, and possibly from the expense of having to redo your floors. And, once you’re done, you can still recycle that cardboard.

8. You could sell or donate them to other people planning to move

Finally, if all of the above suggestions sound like a bit too much work, you can simply put an add on local social media groups or forums stating that you have moving boxes to donate – or, why not, sell? Other people who are planning to move also need moving boxes, and they would much rather get them for a discounted price or for free. A big advantage is that you can ask the takers to come pick them up, so you won’t have to actually do much to get rid of them. You’re also helping the environment by prolonging the lifespan of your moving boxes.