Moving Tips: What to do with packing peanuts after the move

If you use packing peanuts during your move, typically there is just a bunch of polystyrene pieces sitting all around your floor. This can be problematic, but you don't need to throw them all away. Keep in mind, it is not recommended to just throw them away, due to styrofoam not being biodegradable. However, many options are available for all of these seemingly pesky pieces to be used throughout the home.

If you have houseplants, you can take the styrofoam and put it in these pots. While this may seem odd, it actually can help drainage in the pots. Or, if the plants are dried, they can be used to keep them in a solid position.

These items can be used with pillows that have zippers, as well. If there is a pillow - or even bed for a pet - that needs some puffing up, throwing a bunch of these in there could make the pillow fluffier and more even.

Packing peanuts also have a lot of use in the workshop of many homes, even if you didn't consider it before. If there are sharp items such as screwdrivers, these can be capped with the styrofoam pieces. This can technically be useful for many items around the home, so don't worry about getting creative.

In addition, you can take these items and use them as placeholders for finishing nails, as this will allow you a better guide when hanging up pictures and other small items. When the nail is in, you can just get rid of the remaining foam. In addition, the same can be used for screws, as this could help from getting your hand caught from securing the item.

These items can actually make your room smell better, as well. Instead of paying for an air freshener, you can just throw a bunch of these items in a bowl, spray it with perfume and put it in an area where it is not easily accessible. This will keep the room smelling nice for a while.

If worst comes to worst, you can store these items in a box in the attic until the next move. Styrofoam can always be reused, so hanging onto it may be important.