Used Boxes? "Bad Idea" Says Content Pros!

Wondering where to find free boxes? There are plenty of options out there! Many people suggest checking out big box stores like Walmart and Target, though it seems they’re often compacting their leftover boxes these days. You might also have luck on platforms like Craigslist or Reddit, or by asking neighbors and local retailers. Some college students have found that liquor stores and clothing shops often have plenty of used boxes available for moving.

Another great source is apartment complexes, as many folks have reported finding an abundance of boxes there. But hold on! Do you know how many professional movers actually use boxes from these seemingly endless sources?

Zero! We never recycle boxes – not even the ones from jobs we handle ourselves.

Picture this: an untrained team uses brand new boxes for a pack out after smoke damage. They transport everything with care, but while the items are being cleaned at the company’s headquarters, the boxes are just sitting there, neatly stacked.

When it’s time to pack everything back up, those freshly cleaned items go right back into the same (thoroughly contaminated) boxes. Unfortunately, the processed items end up absorbing all the smoke odors from the boxes, making it seem like nothing was cleaned at all!

Even worse, an inexperienced team might find stacks of boxes behind a grocery store and decide to use them for their next job. While there might not be smoke odors, those boxes have likely held all sorts of things, been exposed to the elements, and could have weak spots or even gotten wet.

One contractor shared an experience where she was called in to fix a job left by inexperienced workers. She found that they had cut the tops off most boxes they had scavenged from behind various stores, and items were sticking out. Understandably, the owners of the high-end property were quite upset.

These kinds of mistakes can reflect poorly on both the contents company and the insurance carrier – it’s just not good business. Boxes are inexpensive, but the items being transported usually are not!