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8 Tips to Put Your Leftover Bubble Wrap to Good Use

Leftover Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap. It’s great packing material, kids love to jump on it and make lots of noise, and… what else? If you find yourself flush with bubble wrap after a move, here are a few ways you can recycle bubble wrap to give it a new purpose beyond just making noise.

  1. Use it to pack your groceries

    Protect your groceries with a layer of bubble wrap at the bottom of your reusable grocery bags. It will keep your fruit and produce from bruising when you toss the bags on the kitchen floor, and your glass jars will have some extra protection to keep them from shattering if you go over a bump.

  1. Insulate your windows

    Keep a stash for window insulation during the winter. If your home’s windows tend to be a little bit drafty, a layer of bubble wrap will help keep the warm air inside, where it belongs. Bubble wrap also makes for a creative “privacy screen” on bathroom windows that inconveniently open facing your neighbor’s house.

  1. Keep your accessories in shape

    Stuff your large handbags, totes, or tall boots with bubble wrap to keep them from losing their shape during storage.

  1. Protect your plants

    What would you know, there are uses for bubble wrap in the garden! If you live in a moderate climate that allows you to keep potted plants outside all year, line your pots with bubble wrap before you put in the soil leaving space for the drainage hole in the bottom. That extra layer of insulation will keep your plant’s roots from being damaged by the cold, so long as it doesn’t get below freezing for too long!

  1. Recycle

    If you’re not in to crafts with bubble wrap, give it back to the people who use a lot of it: UPS has an “Eco Responsible Packaging Program that will accept your bubble wrap to be reused, as well as packing peanuts if you have some of those.

  1. Let the kids have fun

    Do you have kids? They have plenty of creative uses for bubble wrap, don’t you worry. Whether they paint it, wrap themselves up in it, or barricade you out of their bedrooms, they can find a way to make it fun. Just be prepared for some popping.

  1. Donate them

    Put it on Craigslist or Freecycle to be picked up by someone who needs it. This might just be the easiest of all the bubble wrap ideas.

  1. Let you inner kid have fun

    How do you dispose of bubble wrap? If we’re honest, adults like popping it too. NYMag even reports that a study done in the 90’s determined it is a legitimate stress reliever, on par with foot jiggling and finger tapping. So while you’re settling in, give yourself permission to pop away!

In between fits of popping, what should you clean first to get yourself fully moved in? We’ve created a chronological list of what to clean first after moving, so you can be prepared for every step along the way.

 

About the author

Unpakt Team