I was watching Seinfeld the other day and it got me laughing when he was talking about moving house. He was saying that when you are moving you have a sixth sense that there are empty boxes around. I think this is true, moving companies charge you up to $2 per cardboard storage box when you are moving house. That can really add onto your moving bill. Below I will go into more detail on ways to reuse your cardboard boxes including using them for moving house.

Tip 1: When you use a cardboard storage box for moving house, be sure to add more tape around the seams. Most boxes only come with a single layer of tape or glue on them so make sure you secure them nicely. Duct tape and threaded gaffer tape are the strongest tapes around and will keep your box from splitting open if it has heavy objects inside.

Tip 2: Old files and paper can be placed in individual folders and then stored in your old cardboard shoe storage boxes. Then seal them up with tape and place them someplace dry for storage. Depending on your house and climate, the attic or the basement are places I like to store boxes. If it isn’t a dry area you will risk mold and mildew growing on your boxes and potentially ruining what is inside.

Tip 3: For an ecologically friendly storage method, buy some decorative cardboard storage boxes with lids from a storage shop. These can be used to keep knick knacks, CDs, DVDs and magazines in while looking great at the same time. My wife likes to use them for Christmas and birthday presents.

To do this, simply place some colored tissue paper inside the box and then place the present sitting nicely on the paper. Then grab some 1” thick ribbon and tie a bow around the outside. Very cost effective and the best looking presents around.

Cardboard storage boxes, whether old or new, have many uses throughout your house. I really only scraped the tip of the iceberg here. Just remember when it comes to storing things, think outside the box… or rather ‘inside’ the box.