How to Store Your Cardboard Boxes Properly

Do you have way too many cardboard boxes sitting around and taking up space? Join the club! Before you throw them out and let them go to waste, consider storing them for future use. Read on with BoxGenie to learn everything you need to know about how to store all types of corrugated boxes in addition to recycling them and repurposing them. 

Choose An Ideal Location For Storage

Many people assume that they can just throw corrugated boxes or your subscription boxes in a random location and just forget about them. However, that’s probably not the best idea, so BoxGenie is here to help. Instead, you need to take several different factors into consideration when choosing an ideal location for storing your extra corrugated boxes. Here are some things to keep in mind before simply placing your boxes in the basement or attic and forgetting about them:

• Be sure to avoid storing your corrugated boxes in a location that experiences high amounts of moisture. Some areas like basements are prone to high moisture levels that can affect your corrugated boxes and lead to mold and mildew. Also, make sure that your boxes are kept off the floor so that any potential leaks or floods cannot reach them, waterlog them, and render them useless.
• Be sure to avoid storing your corrugated boxes in a location that may experience insects. If you are aware of insect issues in a certain location, it’s best to avoid storing your boxes there. That’s because insects could infest corrugated boxes and use them as either nesting material or food. Talk about a nasty situation! To prevent insect infestations, make sure that your boxes are completely clean and free of food remnants or crumbs that could attract all sorts of bugs.
• Be sure to avoid storing your corrugated boxes in a location that may have a higher risk for fire, such as an attic. corrugated boxes are flammable, so you need to be very careful about where you put them to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Make sure to keep them away from flammable sources as well as high amounts of other flammable material so that they don’t act as additional tinder in the case of a spark. 
• Finally, be sure to store your corrugated boxes in a location that is easily accessible. That way, you can easily check on your boxes from time to time to make sure that they haven’t been impacted by moisture or bugs. While it may be easy to simply store your boxes and forget about them, you need to be diligent about your storage and routinely check on them to ensure safe and effective storage. 

Prepare Your Boxes For Storage

Once you have designed a safe and ideal location to store your corrugated boxes of all types, it’s time to prep them for storage. This is a very important step in the process and will help ensure that your neatly printed boxes stay in tip-top shape until you need to use them again. 

Whatever you do, don’t simply throw them into a corner without properly preparing them. Here are a few easy steps that you can take to prepare your boxes for storage and make your life a lot easier when you’re ready to reuse them down the line:

1. Empty your boxes of all items before removing any paper, tape, or other packaging materials that may be attached to the box and would inhibit the storage or re-utilization process later on. 
2. Flatten the boxes based on the creases and flaps of the box. It may take you a second to figure out how to properly flatten the box based on the size and design, but once you’ve figured it out once, you can efficiently deconstruct the rest of your boxes in no time. 
3. If you’re storing many different boxes of different sizes, be sure to group them as you’re flattening them based on size so that you can organize them and store them more efficiently. 
4. Once you have your different piles or sections determined, take some rope or string to tie them all together nice and tight so that they stay together and you can maximize your storage space. 
5. If you want to be really thorough, use a pen and paper or even a sticky note to make a note of the size of each box if it isn’t already clearly indicated on the material. This will come in handy later if you’re looking for a specific size box—you’ll know right where to go and won’t have to check each different stack for the right size. 
6. Finally, store the boxes upright behind something that is able to keep them standing up without falling down. You could also lay them flat on top of something in order to maximize floor space. Either way, as mentioned before, just make sure that your boxes are generally out of harm’s way and are in a safe location. 

Can You Recycle Corrugated Boxes?

If you’re not too keen on the idea of storing corrugated boxes indefinitely or don’t have the room to keep them, you may want to consider recycling them. Many people aren’t sure how they can recycle corrugated boxes, but the process is actually quite simple and rewarding with the right tips and tricks. In fact, the recycling process is quite similar to the storage process—so if it turns out that you don’t have to use your boxes again in the near future, you may want to recycle them instead and get some extra space. 

Here’s a quick guide on how you can recycle corrugated boxes:

1. Break down the boxes by removing all materials, including plastic, tapes, and packaging labels. 
2. Flatten the boxes completely based on the pre-existing folds and creases so that you have some sort of flat rectangular piece of corrugated. 
3. Depending on the size and design of the box, you may need to cut various parts of the box in order to get flat pieces. Be sure to safely use a box cutter when doing this.
4. Check the now-flat pieces of corrugated for areas that have come in contact with liquids. Remove affected areas with the boxcutter to ensure proper recycling. 
5. Depending on the amount of corrugated to be recycled and where you live, you may be able to simply put them outside your home on recycling day. Just be sure to check the rain forecast as this will ruin the boxes and make them unfit for recycling. If you don’t have a designated recycling day, you should be able to call your local recycling center and schedule a pickup or simply bring them to a recycling location yourself. 

How To Reuse Your Corrugated Boxes

Corrugated boxes are easy enough to store, but sometimes we keep them around only to never use them again! However, this doesn’t have to be the case, as there are several creative ways that you can reuse your corrugated boxes so that they actually have a purpose rather than just take up space.

If you find that it’s been at least six months to a year that you’ve been storing your boxes with no concrete ideas about future use, check out these ideas on how you can reuse your corrugated boxes:

• Corrugated shoe rack: There’s nothing worse than having a bunch of shoes cluttering your entryway, and buying a shoe rack from the store can be pricey. That being said, it’s totally possible for you to transform your old boxes into a functional shoe rack by cutting them into equal sizes, folding them into triangle shapes, and then securing them together to create a geometric and effective shoe storage solution. 
• Regifting: With the holidays coming up, your old corrugated boxes in storage could really come in handy! Instead of paying a bunch of money for packaging or wrapping at the store, you could simply use your at-home box inventory instead! Just measure the size of the gift you’re trying to wrap, find an appropriate-sized box, and wrap away. Bonus points if the reused box shows something totally different from the actual gift inside to keep things interesting while the receiver is unwrapping it. 
• Home storage: If you’re looking to transform your home before spring cleaning rolls around, consider using your old corrugated boxes for innovative storage methods! Instead of having a bunch of clutter all over the place, use your boxes to organize and store various items ranging from kid’s toys to pet supplies to cleaning supplies, and everything in between! The boxes that were once taking up space in your garage now serve a real purpose in keeping your home clean and organized. 

The Rundown

As you can see, storing your old corrugated boxes doesn’t have to be a hassle. And if you decide that you no longer wish to have them take up space in storage, you’re then able to either recycle them or repurpose them instead. 

If you ever need any more information about corrugated boxes, you can always consult the experts at BoxGenie, who can answer all the questions you have and those you didn’t even think of. 

Sources:

1. https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/11-common-causes-of-house-fires-and-how-to-prevent-them-51360
2. https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-recycle-cardboard-1708978
3. https://www.hometalk.com/12178119/s-15-brilliant-ways-to-reuse-your-empty-cardboard-boxes