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Every home seems to attract cardboard boxes. They find their way into your house with online deliveries, grocery orders, gifts, and when you move. Instead of throwing them out, repurpose them. These five clever ways of upcycling cardboard boxes will save you money and help the environment.
Handy for Storage
Why buy plastic or cardboard storage boxes when you could reuse the boxes you already have? Boxes can easily be taken apart and stored flat after a move, then reassembled with packing tape when they are ready to use.
Upcycled boxes are a great place to store Christmas decorations and winter clothes, suggests One Green Planet. Once full, they also stack easily so they do not take up too much space.
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Use as Gift Boxes
Smaller boxes can be reused for a special birthday or holiday gift. There are so many ways to make a plain box beautiful. Check out A Cultivated Nest to find out how to beautify shoe boxes, cereal boxes, and even diaper boxes! Use them around the house or to dress up a special gift.
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Pamper Your Pet
If you have a dog or cat, there are many ways to reuse cardboard boxes. Cats especially love to play with cardboard boxes. Make them into a scratch post as detailed on this YouTube video from Cats and Pats. Basically, cut the box into thin strips and fold into a thick roll.
Or, turn your cardboard box into a pet bed, as suggested by Earth911. Simply make a hole into one side, place a pillow in the box and you have a safe and sweet home for your furry friend.
One last idea to create a cat castle, as seen on cuteness. Using five cardboard boxes, you can create an epic castle for kitty to play queen complete with towers and a drawbridge!
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Use for Gardening
Reuse those boxes to create a no-dig permaculture garden bed. Remove the tape and staples from your boxes and soak them. Lay them down on the earth where you want to create a flower bed. The boxes will smother all the weeds, according to Permaculture News.
Then add a layer of compost, mulch, dried leaves, and grass clippings, remembering to keep everything moist, then plant. The cardboard will eventually break down and become food for the plants.
Another idea from Earth911 is to turn smaller boxes into planters. Tape up the bottom and sides, and place a plastic bag in the box, poking small holes for drainage. Then fill with soil and plant.
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Get Creative Around the House
These creative recycling ideas turn trash into treasures. Cut a box up and use the sides as a canvas for your next acrylic painting masterpiece, as seen in this YouTube video from Jay Lee Painting. You can even use another piece of the box for your palette.
You can also cut the cardboard into shapes and use it for decorations around your home. Use your imagination and think out of the box!
