If you don't want to buy a cork board to pin up your bills, shopping lists, notes to self and family members, etc. you can take a slab out of one of your used moving boxes tape it, nail it, or hang it from a wall or door, get some push pins and post up papers!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Used Moving Boxes Tip 05: Halloween Costumes
hallowYou can't beat used moving boxes as a source of Halloween costumes. And I'm not just talking about being a used moving box for Halloween, though to many people just the sight of a moving box triggers a horrific PTSD response (of course that's only because they probably got ripped off buying over-priced new boxes and wasted tons of time, money, and trees by not ordering them from gogreenmovingboxes.com....haha).
Seriously though, you can have A LOT more fun on Halloween by reallocating your shopping time and money and sitting down with the family and carefully and responsibly using a box cutter knife to carve out any shape you want.
Just yesterday I was making a new set of Moving Boxes Man and Boxy Lady costumes for gogreenmovingboxes.com marketing events. It was so much fun and so satisfying when I was able to make an almost totally symmetrical pattern by eyeballing it.
The best fastener for cardboard costumes is thinly sliced laces of used bike inner tube. It basically gives you a cross between rope and rubber bands. You know how rope usually won't keep the proper tension if you really want to keep something tight? By the time you've got a knot on it (unless your a knot pro), there's enough slack to ruin the alignment of whatever your working on. With bike tube, you can pull it extra tight and stretch it far beyond the length needed to secure the objects. Then, you don't have to tie 50 overhand knots to keep it from sliding away. The rubber will create so much friction against itself you can get a way with one knot most of the time.
With this combo of versatile materials, plus some paint and other decorations, you can really be anything you want, at least for a day, unless you're a freak like me and you make a living this way!
Happy Halloween!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Seriously though, you can have A LOT more fun on Halloween by reallocating your shopping time and money and sitting down with the family and carefully and responsibly using a box cutter knife to carve out any shape you want.
Just yesterday I was making a new set of Moving Boxes Man and Boxy Lady costumes for gogreenmovingboxes.com marketing events. It was so much fun and so satisfying when I was able to make an almost totally symmetrical pattern by eyeballing it.
The best fastener for cardboard costumes is thinly sliced laces of used bike inner tube. It basically gives you a cross between rope and rubber bands. You know how rope usually won't keep the proper tension if you really want to keep something tight? By the time you've got a knot on it (unless your a knot pro), there's enough slack to ruin the alignment of whatever your working on. With bike tube, you can pull it extra tight and stretch it far beyond the length needed to secure the objects. Then, you don't have to tie 50 overhand knots to keep it from sliding away. The rubber will create so much friction against itself you can get a way with one knot most of the time.
With this combo of versatile materials, plus some paint and other decorations, you can really be anything you want, at least for a day, unless you're a freak like me and you make a living this way!
Happy Halloween!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
Used Moving Boxes Tip 04: Carpooling Travel Desk
During my hour and 15 minute commute to the office, my carpooling partner and I trade driving shifts each direction. Half the time I drive, the other half I'm on my laptop with a mobile broadband card extending the work day and trying to keep my inbox(es) above water.
Only recently after feeling the effects of minor repetitive stress injury did I realize that I needed to figure out some simple way to have a flat surface to put a mouse on. I was using my finger to move the cursor with the little ball in the middle of the keyboard and it was just killing the tendons in my hand. Not to mention the suboptimal ergonomics of keeping a laptop well positioned in a car, then add to that the days where I drove to the city in the morning and have to sit shotgun in the blazing sun in the afternoon. This forces me to make a little shelter out of the sun shade to keep the sun off the computer (it's blacked out with heat-stroke a few times). Lastly, with the laptop on my lap, after awhile it starts to burn my legs!
As a veteran of the box industry, I never cease to be amazed at the infinite creative applications of cardboard moving and shipping boxes. Just the other day, it dawned on me: use a small lightweight, thin flattened shipping box as a mini desk to protect my lap and give me a surface to use my laser mouse! It's easily replaceable, and won't be a hazard in the event of an accident.
No more burnt lap, a strained hand, and a crooked back!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Only recently after feeling the effects of minor repetitive stress injury did I realize that I needed to figure out some simple way to have a flat surface to put a mouse on. I was using my finger to move the cursor with the little ball in the middle of the keyboard and it was just killing the tendons in my hand. Not to mention the suboptimal ergonomics of keeping a laptop well positioned in a car, then add to that the days where I drove to the city in the morning and have to sit shotgun in the blazing sun in the afternoon. This forces me to make a little shelter out of the sun shade to keep the sun off the computer (it's blacked out with heat-stroke a few times). Lastly, with the laptop on my lap, after awhile it starts to burn my legs!
As a veteran of the box industry, I never cease to be amazed at the infinite creative applications of cardboard moving and shipping boxes. Just the other day, it dawned on me: use a small lightweight, thin flattened shipping box as a mini desk to protect my lap and give me a surface to use my laser mouse! It's easily replaceable, and won't be a hazard in the event of an accident.
No more burnt lap, a strained hand, and a crooked back!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Used Moving Boxes Tip 03: Do-it-yourself box shelving
If you have a stack of same-sized moving boxes you can make a relatively sturdy shelving system with some packing tape. You wouldn't want to fill it with really heavy items but typical garage items, art supplies, cds, even books (if you're careful) will work fine. All you have to do is build each box leaving the top open. Then you just stack them on top of and next to each other so you have a wall of boxes on their sides with the open tops now facing you. Tuck the flaps inside each box and tape each of the boxes together side-to-side and top-to-top.
Once they're secured with tape you'll notice how much structural reinforcement they provide each other. You just want to make sure it's weighted properly with heavier items in the bottom "shelves" to keep it from wanting to fall forward. You may also want to use screws or nails and washers to secure it to the wall behind it. The more secure you make it the more the more heavy duty it will be.
This technology can save a lot of money because most shelving is really expensive to buy new, and if you find anything used or free, typically it will be old fashioned super heavy shelves wood or metal shelves. Those can easily cause injury to move in and out of your place and to transport. It also makes it harder for you to move out.
Not only are moving boxes shelves lighter and safer (when used properly). Moving boxes shelving provides the extra versatility of being easily converted into moving boxes again!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Once they're secured with tape you'll notice how much structural reinforcement they provide each other. You just want to make sure it's weighted properly with heavier items in the bottom "shelves" to keep it from wanting to fall forward. You may also want to use screws or nails and washers to secure it to the wall behind it. The more secure you make it the more the more heavy duty it will be.
This technology can save a lot of money because most shelving is really expensive to buy new, and if you find anything used or free, typically it will be old fashioned super heavy shelves wood or metal shelves. Those can easily cause injury to move in and out of your place and to transport. It also makes it harder for you to move out.
Not only are moving boxes shelves lighter and safer (when used properly). Moving boxes shelving provides the extra versatility of being easily converted into moving boxes again!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Used Moving Boxes Tip 02: Plantable Seed Starters
You can make just about anything with a blender full of used cardboard moving boxes and water. See once the cardboard is broken apart in water, when it dries the fibers naturally bond without adhesive. You just hand shred the cardboard into bits the size of crackers, put in a loosely packed handfull, fill with water and carefully and gently blend until you have an even consistency. You have to closely monitor the resistance on the motor, if it starts to slow down and "cry" lay off and let it cool, you may also need to add more water or take out some of the material (I've killed more than one blender with both cardboard and rough fruit/veggie smoothies more than once! Of course these incidents occur at different times...) When you're able to get it up to full speed running smooth, just a minute or so should do it. Now you're ready to build a civilization out of the most abundant waste material in the world.
One of my favorite applications is the plantable seed starter. Just get a plastic picnic type cup or the like (you know the thin flexible plastic cups), and take handfulls of cardboard smoothie, let the excess water drain through your fist (you don't need to squeeze it dry, you want it to be soupy), then start packing it around the shape of the cup. Cake it on to desired thickness being certain not to leave any open or thin areas.
Now just leave this little hut looking mound out in the sun to dry. It will go from a wet dark brown to a very light brown. Gently squeeze in the middle and start to wiggle loose the plastic cup and take it out.
Now you're ready to fill with fine compost, dibble in a seed as per it's packet instruction and nurse it to a healthy sprout, harden off when appropriate and just drop in the ground to biodegrade in place and enhance the soil like woody mulch!
Happy planting!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
One of my favorite applications is the plantable seed starter. Just get a plastic picnic type cup or the like (you know the thin flexible plastic cups), and take handfulls of cardboard smoothie, let the excess water drain through your fist (you don't need to squeeze it dry, you want it to be soupy), then start packing it around the shape of the cup. Cake it on to desired thickness being certain not to leave any open or thin areas.
Now just leave this little hut looking mound out in the sun to dry. It will go from a wet dark brown to a very light brown. Gently squeeze in the middle and start to wiggle loose the plastic cup and take it out.
Now you're ready to fill with fine compost, dibble in a seed as per it's packet instruction and nurse it to a healthy sprout, harden off when appropriate and just drop in the ground to biodegrade in place and enhance the soil like woody mulch!
Happy planting!
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
Used Moving Boxes Tip 01: Sheet Mulching
One of the best used of retired moving boxes is to cut them open and spread them fully out for use in sheet mulching for organic gardening. It helps keep moisture in the ground, block the sun which kills weeds, and provide habitat for worms and other friendly soil critters.
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
CHOOSE TO REUSE!
-Moving Boxes Man
www.gogreenmovingboxes.com
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Go Green Moving Boxes Mission
Our mission is to make it possible for cost and earth conscious folks to "GO GREEN" to their new home by purchasing our high quality commercially USED boxes for their move!
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