Guide On What To Do With Cardboard Boxes After Moving
You’ve packed everything and moved it to your new house. You did a great job and unpacked everything with ease. Now you’re standing in the middle of your new place surrounded by all of your boxes, but what should you do next?
Well, it’s time to dismantle those cardboard boxes for recycling! After all, they can’t keep living in your house. However, you can’t just toss them in the garbage. So, if you are at a loss for what to do with your cardboard boxes, don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll cover the best options for your old moving boxes.
Check out this Guide On What To Do After Moving House
Tips On How To Make The Unpacking Process Much Easier
Before we get to the full list of how you can use your cardboard boxes after moving house, here are some things on how to make the unpacking process a breeze:
Before Anything Else, Make Sure Your New House Is Clean And Pristine
Whether you are moving into a brand new home or just one that has been recently refurbished, you can expect it to be quite dirty when you first move in. This is true for practically any building – no matter how big and expensive it is and no matter how many times they’ve supposedly cleaned up before your arrival.
You may be able to visit the property after you have exchanged contracts on the property (through auction, this often happens quicker) so you can see what needs to be done before the move-in date.
As such, the very first thing you should do is to make sure that your new house is clean and sanitary.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you will need to deep-clean the entire place (unless it’s a brand new building, of course), but at least start by mopping all the floors and cleaning all the counters, furniture or appliances, if any, and fixtures. It doesn’t take that long to do, and the end result will definitely be worth your time.
Hiring a professional house cleaning service can also help you out. Moving is stressful and the to-do list is never-ending. By hiring a team of cleaners, you can put your energy on other more important tasks while they work on clearing your house of dirt, dust, and debris.
Once you are done with the mopping, have all of your furniture at designated spots so they can help you determine where to place major appliances like refrigerators, washers, couches or dining tables. Most people already have an idea of where they want to place these items, but we recommend that you set each and every piece of furniture at least once in order for them to help you with this task better.
After making sure everything is in its right spot and the floors are clean, it’s time to unpack your boxes. But before doing so, make sure you have all the essentials at hand, such as a tape measure, a marker pen and a set of screwdrivers.
Unpack Your Essential Items First
If you packed an essentials box or an open-first box, then the very first items you should unpack are these. They will most likely include a set of everyday dishes, silverware and cutlery, a set of glasses and a few pots and pans for your kitchen.
You will also want to unpack some toiletries, including body wash, shampoo, toilet paper, toothbrush and toothpaste, and many more. It would also be helpful to have items that will make your first night at the new place as comfortable as possible.
If you have fresh towels, bedsheets and pillows stored in this box, then unpack them too. You can choose to set these items up at their respective spots or leave them inside the bedroom boxes for now.
Unpack All Your Belongings One Room At A Time
Unless your entire home is fully furnished, chances are things can get a bit cluttered once you start unboxing all of your belongings. And the last thing you want to do at this point is to leave them scattered around or place them in random spots so that they won’t clutter up one particular area too much.
Instead, if you want to make the unpacking process as easy and efficient as possible, we recommend you unpack all of your belongings one room at a time.
For example, if the kitchen comes first, then you can arrange cupboards and make sure everything goes to their proper storage area before completely setting up the dining room. After this, you may go on to unpack other rooms in your house, such as the master bedroom, guest bedroom, living room, and so on.
Get As Much Help As Possible
The entire unpacking process can be as difficult as packing everything yourself. After all, you’ll be dealing with all your clothes and all the furniture and other things you own all over again.
It can be incredibly tedious to go through everything you own, especially when it comes to unpacking things in the new house. This is why we recommend that you get as much help as possible, whether this means hiring a moving company or a man with a van who is willing to unpack your boxes for you or just asking family or friends to join in on the task.
Planning on hiring a man and van via WhatManAndVan? Check out our partner companies in your area!
Make It Fun
Taking all the stuff you own out of boxes isn’t necessarily fun. Therefore, we highly recommend that you make unpacking fun by playing your favourite music, lighting up scented candles or having a beer or two. There are various ways to keep yourself engaged and entertained throughout the process without breaking too much of a sweat.
And once you’re done unpacking everything and finally settling into your new place, you can finally say: “We made it! We survived!”
Remember to take care of the little things that may irritate you when doing this process. Whether it’s hiring someone or just getting family and friends involved, make sure to carefully think about your situation before making your final decision on what steps to take.
Need Help Unpacking From Your London Move?
If you’ve recently moved to London and are in need of some assistance unpacking and settling in, consider hiring the same movers who helped you with your relocation. Many moving companies offer additional services such as unpacking, furniture assembly, and even cleaning. This can be a huge help if you’re not quite sure where to start or are feeling overwhelmed by the task of getting everything set up in your new home.
Otherwise, you can hire a London-based unpacking and organization company to come in and help you get everything sorted out. This is often a good option for those who want a little bit more help getting organized after their move.
8 Things You Can Do With Your Cardboard Boxes After Moving
Without further ado, here are eight things you can do with your cardboard boxes after moving:
Tip #1: Don’t Just Toss Your Boxes Out – Recycle Them!
Recycling is the best option for all of those old boxes. It helps the environment and keeps them out of landfills, where they take up a lot of space. Plus, this reduces the risk of them harming the wildlife in these areas.
As you unpack your moving boxes, think about how you can freshen up your new home. Premium indoor tiles can instantly lift your living spaces. Sleek and durable Indoor tiles from Paving Supplies AU offer endless design options for modern and traditional homes. Whether you’re renovating your kitchen, bathroom or living room, these high-quality tiles are a practical and stylish solution for any decor. Up your floors and recycle your old materials and you’ll have a sustainable and beautiful home.
Remember to remove all packing materials before recycling your cardboard boxes. This includes any paper, markers, tape, or other material used to pack your belongings securely. You don’t want it to end up in a landfill, but you also don’t want it mixing with the recycled products made from your cardboard boxes.
You may leave your used cardboard boxes in your local recycling centre or leave it in recycling bins outside your house. However, if you don’t have those options available to you, the next best thing is to break down each box and flatten it before disposal.
Tip #2: Use Them In Your Garden
Deter deer from eating your plants by protecting them with cardboard! Just place a piece of cardboard around the base of each plant, and secure it with some rocks or mulch, so it doesn’t blow away. We also recommend placing small stakes in the ground and securing the cardboard to the stakes with twine. This way, you can keep it in place while still leaving room to water your plants.
If you don’t have deer around your garden, you could use the cardboard box as a raised bed for planting vegetables or other edible plant life! Just cut out holes where you would like to plant them and fill the area with soil. Then, plant the seeds and watch them grow!
Tip #3: Give Them Back To Your Man and Van or Moving Company
If you’ve hired a man and van or a removals company to pack and move your belongings, you can choose to return the used moving boxes (and your leftover cardboard boxes) back to them. This helps keep the traffic and rubbish down at their warehouse, and it’s an easy way for your man and van team to reuse what they already have.
This is actually a great option for anyone who doesn’t have time to dismantle their cardboard boxes or find other uses for them. Some moving companies even offer collection services to pick up old boxes from your door once you’ve packed everything away. With others, you can just leave a small amount of cash or a separate card for the man and van in your new home, and they’ll swing by to pick up your leftover boxes before dropping off your keys.
Tip #4: Have Your Kids Play With Them
Moving house can be a very stressful and hectic time. It can put a lot of pressure on everyone, especially the kids! This is why we recommend getting your little ones involved whenever possible.
It doesn’t matter if they’re playing with an old box, trying to break it down, or building something fun and creative with them – this helps release all of that excess energy and keeps them busy for hours. Plus, it’s a fun way to teach them about recycling!
If you don’t want your kids digging around in your dustbin or pulling apart the recycling bin, we do recommend playing with these boxes outside. Otherwise, it can get a little messy, and you could end up with some loose packing peanuts or other small objects stuck to the floor or carpets.
Tip #5: Give It Away To Others Who Plan On Moving House Soon
If you’ve had your moving boxes for a while and don’t plan on using them again, why not give them away to someone else? This is actually one of the best ways to recycle used moving boxes. After all, you’ll find that not many people will refuse free moving boxes.
This means these empty moving boxes get put to good use instead of taking up space in your new home or your old one! A great way to do this is by putting a small notice on your local supermarket’s community board or the free section on Craigslist. Or better yet, see if you can find a Facebook group for people moving away from your city or town.
Tip #6: Upcycle Your Used Moving Boxes
If you don’t have time to recycle your used moving boxes on the day that you move out, then the best thing you can do is upcycle them! This means turning them into some other product instead of throwing them away.
One idea is to turn the box into a bookcase – just cut some shelves out and staple or glue it together. Then, paint it with something sleek, so it doesn’t look like your old moving box! This is a great way to get rid of old packing boxes without needing to put in too much effort.
Another option is to turn the box into some new office or bedroom storage space. Just cut out an opening at the top of the box where you can slip in some fabric or drawer liners. Staple the top closed so everything stays in place, and then use it as a filing cabinet, an under-bed storage box, or even just as another piece of furniture to prop up your feet!
There are tons of ways that you can reuse old moving boxes if you’ve got the time. Just get creative and see what you can come up with!
Tip #7: Donate Them To Charity
Don’t forget about donating your used moving boxes to charity! There are tons of great causes out there that will accept donations of moving supplies to help their work.
Your best bet is to do a quick Google search to find the closest charity shop or thrift store in your area that accepts donations. You can then drop off your old boxes and know that they’re going towards a great cause.
Tip #8: Use Them For Storage
If you’re moving into a smaller house or flat, then it makes sense to start reusing your old boxes right away. This is because when you move in, you’ll need some extra storage space – even if it’s just for a few days!
Instead of buying expensive plastic storage bins from the supermarket, try cutting open one side of the moving box and folding it down. Then, staple or tape some thick brown paper to the outside of the box (or some other sturdy material) so that the box is easy to stack but also secure. Finally, label your boxes with what’s inside or mark them with masking tape for easy identification later on!
This way, you’ve got a cheap, easy to make storage box that you can use until you’ve got everything unpacked.
So there you have it! If you follow these 8 steps, you should be able to recycle most of the moving boxes that you used when moving house. For more relocation tips, check out our moving advice section.
Good luck with your recycling efforts!