You’ve just completed your move and you don’t see yourself pulling up stakes again anytime soon. And that’s a good thing as you have just completed two or three months of a very stressful transition from your old home to your current residence.
The one question that remains is this one: should you throw out or repurpose your moving boxes? Clearly, giving these boxes the toss seems like the logical answer, especially if you want to declutter your home. On the other hand, if you were to maintain a collection of boxes, you’d be able to find other uses for them.
Your Moving Boxes
Hundreds of moving boxes can take up plenty of space, room that you’d much rather use for other things, such as parking your car in the garage. Yet, if you were to break these boxes down — remove the filler material and the tape that holds the boxes together — you can fold and store them just about anywhere.
Use the smallest boxes to hold books and other items you might need right away, but certainly aren’t willing to part with. For instance, if you plan to eventually build a bookcase, then those stored books can be retrieved and put on display. Just keep them in boxes and store the books in a dry place to avoid damage.
Larger boxes can come in handy too and may be used for the express purpose of holding your empty smaller boxes. Knock down and fold each of the smaller boxes and place these in your larger boxes. Then, store these boxes in a dry place, one that isn’t prone to collecting dust or mildew.
If you count wardrobe boxes among those you used to make your move, these boxes can prove invaluable for the continued storing of delicate items you don’t want to keep exposed to the elements. Simply ensure that each box has its share of moth repellant inside. Recheck same in six months, replenishing as necessary.
When to Let Boxes Go
There will come a point where your box collection is simply too much. It is one thing to keep a few dozen boxes, but if your collection is composed of hundreds of boxes, then eliminating the extraneous ones makes perfect sense.
Before you simply throw out boxes, consider this: someone in your new neighborhood may be ready to make a move and will need boxes to help them complete their transition. Keep an eye out for neighborhood notices, typically found on Craigslistand other online sites requesting such boxes. Connect with one or more individuals and you may be able to reduce your personal box collection to a more manageable size.
Your Next Move
What if your current move is only a temporary assignment, as in one or two years? That’s a long time to keep boxes around that simply take up a lot of space. On the other hand, you will avoid the hassle of acquiring a new collection of boxes when the time comes explains the North American Moving Company.
Perhaps a happy medium here is to simply discard a portion of the boxes, particularly those that are odd sized, too small, or simply didn’t hold up well over the last move. These boxes can include any that have been torn or have holes as well as boxes that were crushed under the weight or otherwise too flimsy for moving. Take the damaged boxes to your local recycling center for handling.
As for the remainder of your boxes, break them down, place them in a bundle and store them in a clean, dry place.Then, just as you’re ready to make your next move, you’ll have boxes at the ready to begin your packing once again.
