This week on Organize and Cherish, we dig into one of the most common — and most overlooked — storage room culprits: cardboard boxes. We explore a straightforward decision framework for figuring out which boxes deserve a permanent spot in your storage area and which ones are quietly stealing your space. And we talk about what intentional box-keeping actually looks like, so you walk away with a clear plan, not just a pile of flattened cardboard and a vague sense of guilt.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Figuring out which boxes are worth keeping and which ones are creating more of a mess.
- Questions to ask yourself when you are not sure what to do with those cardboard boxes that keep coming back into your space
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
Okay, so let's picture your storage room, which is what we're talking about all year, right? Like, your areas where you store things, specifically those big areas that you don't go into very often. It could be in your garage, it could be the corner of the basement, it could be an offsite storage, whichever it is.
So picture that storage room right now as you're listening, or maybe you're in that area in space right now, and tell me, how many cardboard boxes are there in there? Okay, not boxes that are, like, filled with something meaningful, which that's another conversation about whether you should store things in cardboard boxes or not.
We have an entire episode on bins and all that. Um, I'm talking, you know, empty boxes. Like, boxes that maybe have something in them, but you genuinely can't even remember that, and it's probably the box of something else that you kept because, and be honest here, you thought, “Someday I might need this box.”
Or maybe it's a box that's really pretty and you're keeping it for the just in case. If you just felt a little bit of that, like, recognition like I was talking to you, you are in very good company, and we are talking about it today. So cardboard boxes are one of those most universal storage room situations I encounter with clients.
It's not because people, like, are careless necessarily, like they're … or disorganized, like, meaning, like, they just … Like, it's not always a mess in there with the cardboard boxes. Like, sometimes they're really well-organized, stacked up nicely, and it's usually because boxes are, are useful, right? Sometimes.
Which makes them a really hard item to evaluate because, well, I mean, it's a box. It's a container. It- there's so many multiple uses for it. So then it makes it really hard to let go. And today we are going to kind of untangle that. We're gonna talk about why we keep the boxes, when keeping a box actually makes sense, and how to build more of, like, a framework or a go-to reason so you can make those decisions quickly and without second-guessing yourself the next time you're in there, okay?
Again, we're not talking about getting rid of everything just because. We're talking about intentionality. We're talking about let's think this through and make sure that we have a good game plan. So a quick kinda like reminder as to why we keep them if, if you haven't heard any of our other past episodes.
First, let's just … Cardboard boxes, we're gonna give them a little bit of a grace because I think they get a really bad reputation, and boxes are genuinely objectively, like, useful. They stack. They protect things. They are free, or they are pretty close to it. They came with the item that you bought it in.
They're bio- most of them, not all, but most of them could be biodegradable and/or multifunctional. And unlike a lot of storage containers, they come in the exact size of the thing you actually own because they were made for that thing, which we'll talk about as well. So when we hold onto them, we are not, like, being i- irrational.
We, in our minds, are being practical. Here is what I hear a lot. Uh, be- in case I need to return it. I keep the box in case we move. I keep the box because it's a really nice box. I keep the box because it was expensive, and I feel like I should keep the box. One of my favorites is, I don't know why I kept the box, but I just kept the box.
Usually, it's because of it's a really nice box. It's not always, but usually tied to that one. So none of those reasons are wrong. Some of them are genuinely, like, really good reasons. Yeah, you might return it. You're right. You do need the original box and packaging. But what happens is that all of those reasons kind of blur together over time, and suddenly you have a storage room that is just being taken over by flat-packed cardboard that is not actually serving you anymore.
So the question here is, I want us to focus and work through not the should I get rid of all my boxes. It's going to be which boxes have earned their place, and which ones are just taking up real estate on a feeling. So we're not going to rely on feelings today. We're going to go through the exercises of how can I be intentional about this box or these boxes if there's multiple?
Welcome to the Organized and Cherished podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation, helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you.
Together, we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care. Because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life. Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized Question number one, is there a specific time-bound reason I might need this box?
We're, we need specific here, like specific time-bound reason. So let's say I'm moving in three months. That is a specific and time-bound reason. Keep the boxes. We might move someday. That's not specific. That is hope disguised as a plan. Okay, another one. I bought this TV six months ago, and I'm still in the return window.
That's super specific and time-bound. Hold onto that box. I might want to return this TV maybe eventually or maybe sell it. The return window has almost certainly passed. You may or may not sell it. The buyer of that box may or may not want it. That box is not protecting you anymore. It's not protecting the TV anymore.
You don't know when it will need to protection. There is nothing wrong with keeping a box for a real reason, but we want to be honest about whether the reason is real or in theory. Here's another. Um, question number two is that if the box is protecting something that genuinely needs protecting. So what that means is some items are just better stored in their original box.
Let me give you a, a really quick, uh, um, background if you don't know this. I've made a couple reels and social media posts about this in the past from our email newsletter, informative, uh, um, email newsletter. But the reason many of these boxes exist with the original item is for transportation purposes only, so to protect the item, which is an asset, or the stuff, you know, from the company.
So they're transporting it from their manufacturer, from their factory, from their storage, where- wherever, and then they're putting it in this package that was designed for the item and then shipping it to you. But it's made entirely so that the item will be protected in transportation from the moment that you bought it to you, you know, to, to receiving it.
So after that, the intention of the company is not always for you to have kept it forevermore. It was simply for the transportation purposes only. So, you know, think about those moments where you can't fit the item back into its original packaging anymore, probably because the temperatures have shifted.
The item has either changed its sizing. Uh, the boxes or the, uh, the box itself might have changed sizing as well. It was only for the purposes of transportation, so you don't need it anymore Um, but there are other times when, yes, it needs to be in its original box. It was intended for that. You know, we're gonna talk about, like, super specific, like, fragile items that have molded packaging.
Think like seasonally, seasonal decor, um, though, you know, to be taken out carefully each year, and they probably have, like, some padding or styrofoam or something. Great. Fine. But again, if, if it's made specific for that item to store it in. If the original box does a job that another container cannot do as well, that's another reason.
So, uh, you know how I feel about cardboard boxes. It's just they c- they just can attract critters, and they just don't keep its shape. But if it's made for the item in a sturdy, well-built box, sure, keep it. We do not need to be overly consuming bins here. That is not the goal. But sometimes a box itself is just better kept in its original box than you trying to put it in a new box.
So what's the purpose? Like, we're not trying to, uh, reinvent the wheel here, okay? So that is a reason to keep the box, and it is earning its spot. But if the box is just a box and the thing inside could live equally well in a bin, on a shelf, or in a different container, the box might be adding friction rather than function.
So I want to be super clear that this is not about forcing yourself to toss the box. It's about asking whether the box is genuinely the best solution, or is it just the default one? Hi, Cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter, and everything in between.
That's why I created the Organize & Cherish weekly email that goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum, inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events. All you have to do is head on over to organizeandcherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter.
It's free. And you can unsubscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show Question number three here I want you to ask is how much space is this box costing me? This one is worth sitting on because cardboard boxes are sneaky.
They feel lightweight, like they're not taking up that much room, but they are three-dimensional, okay? They stack awkwardly sometimes, sometimes very nicely, but many times awkwardly. And because they are not pretty or organized looking, they tend to breed chaos around them. One flat pack television box takes up a significant footprint in a storage room, even when it is leaning against a wall.
A collection of shipping boxes in the corner becomes its own little ecosystem. Things like get shoved behind them, stacked on them, hidden under them. So when you are evaluating a box, whether it's already put together, it was the original box of an item, or it's flattened, I want you to think about the actual cost, not just in money, but also in space, maybe in visual noise, in the friction it creates when you're trying to access the things around it, especially if you're renting an offsite storage room that is truly costing you financial, you know, monthly money.
Sometimes the box is worth that cost, and sometimes it's not. But knowing the cost helps you make the decision clearly instead of just defaulting to keep Here's our next question. If I needed a box like this in the future, could I easily get one? So this one is particularly useful for shipping boxes, if that is something that you do a, quite a bit, not just as a business, but some of you have family members and, and/or you ship a lot of things.
The kind that are functional and generic, rather than the custom or protective. Okay, so those are, like, more the shipping, moving boxes versus a, a box that is molded for an, a specific item. Because those cardboard boxes are one of the most replaceable things on Earth, I mean, neighbors are always getting rid of them, right?
Like right now, I mean, I, I… However you feel about the environment and whatnot, people have a lot of boxes. So your grocery store has them, moving companies have them, people post them on buy nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace constantly, usually for free. Because there's just so many of them, because we, we, we just have created quite a bit of them.
The fear that you will desperately need a box and not have one right now as of today in 2026 is usually not as real as it feels. So holding onto 17 shipping boxes to guard against that possibility is costing you something tangible right now. Okay, there are a couple exceptions of course. Um, if you have a specific fragile, oddly shaped item with a custom cut foam insert, like, that's what I'm talking about when I mean, um, one that is molded to that item.
That original box might be genuinely irreplaceable. I, I have been doing this for 23 years. I cannot think of a, a single time in the last two years where that has been true I do remember, um, a time when someone got a sculpture, and the sculpture that they purchased came with a box that is part of the sculpture.
So that is ir- ir- irreplaceable. It's a very unique sculpture. You can't find another one, so it, it was molded to that sculpture. It comes with it. We're keeping the box. Okay, so I'm not talking about those, though. I'm just talking about the general purpose cardboard boxes that has just been accumulating.
You can find one somewhere else, I promise you. Okay, so which ones, um, are worth keeping? So I already mentioned some of the, the, uh, the most obvious ones. These are not… I don't want to declare war on cardboard, okay? Uh, it has its purpose and it has its use. I just see them piling up so quickly that I just want you to be intentional about it.
So what I would consider a box that earns its spot, other than the ones I've already mentioned, which is, like, the original box for high-value electronics, um, but, like, really valuable and/or you need it to return the item, like, if it's within the, its warranty timeframe. Okay, so if you bought something expensive, maybe a camera, a piece of technology, a specialty item, and you know the original packaging adds resale value, that box has financial function.
Keep it, um, but keep it intentionally so, and keep it for a defined period and/or on it just write in a sticky note, “Keeping because it adds value” and/or it's part of the original item. Like, it's one of its… You know, it's, it's like a whole package. The box with that custom foam, again, great. Something to keep for fragile items.
Boxes that you're, you're using for seasonal storage, which we already talked about, but then even those I would put in a more protective bin after that. So if it's, like, your Department 56 little houses, like, for Halloween, put it in its original box because it was molded to that little home, little figurine, whatever it may be, and then put that box in something more protective.
You know, it, and then just go from there. Boxes that you're actively using for an upcoming move, absolutely. Maybe shipping project, absolutely. Again, you want very specific timeframes. So if you didn't answer question number one, then you probably don't need it, okay? So some of the boxes that are probably not earning their spot though, besides the ones I've already mentioned, even though they feel like they should be, uh, again, it's the in- just in case I move one day, I spend a lot of money on this box.
This one's a big one. This one is more common than you think or you may be self-reflecting upon. Um, I say this with so much compassion. The price you paid for something does not determine whether the box needs to live in your storage room forever. So the box is not the item, unless you bought… Like, the box is the item.
That's an entirely different conversation. So the item is the item. If you love the item, keep the item, but the box does not carry the value the thing inside does. Okay? Obviously not talking about those very specific sculptures that you bought from an artist, okay? I'm talking in general. Again, the expired return window box, time to let that one go.
Um, the accumulation of shipping boxes, time to let that one go. The really nice box, like it's cute. I love a beautiful box as much as the next person. My background is in communications and marketing, and marketing with boxes and the way that you deliver something makes all the difference. It makes you feel special.
It ma- it sells the item. I get it. A good packaging, mm, chef's kiss. And sometimes a beautiful box has a second life as storage. Great. If it's sturdy, if it meets the criteria of a box that you could use, and you're actually using it intentionally, great. But if it's just a nice box sitting in a stack with other nice boxes, it's not a storage solution right there, okay?
It, it's just sentiment, which is fine. We're naming it honestly, but it's time to let it go Just to kind of wrap it up here, wrap this beautiful cardboard box up, when we do keep the boxes that we don't need, it's almost never really about the boxes, okay? We have found in, in organized, professional organizing, is that it's about the feeling that letting go of the box means letting go of the option that it represents.
So the return option maybe, the moving option, the someday option, the I made a good decision option. And I want to name that gently, because it really does matter. Boxes are physical evidence that we were prepared, that we thought ahead, that we bought the item, that we are not being wasteful. Those are not bad impulses, but, and then they do come from really good places, but at some point, holding onto every box stops being preparedness and starts being the storage room equivalent of keeping every option open forever.
And you're also not a warehouse. And keeping every option open forever means your storage room fills up with maybes, and maybes take up real es- good real estate. So letting go of a box you do not have a specific use for is not wasteful, it's not careless. It really is making room, literally and figuratively, for the things that do have a place in your life right now.
So I want you to hold on to, that you can almost always get a box. And remember, right, you can always get a box when you actually need one. What you can't get back is the space and the clarity that comes from a storage room that is just free of all this mental, visual clutter. We will get you that box somewhere else, I promise you.
And if it's a specialty box, keep it, have, like, a little boundary of a corner of those special boxes, and everything else needs to go. So you're gonna go into your s- storage space. You're gonna pull out the cardboard boxes, the flat-packed, the filled ones, the stacked pretty ones, all of them. And then we're gonna go through our four questions.
Is there a specific time-bound reason I might need this? Is it protecting something that genuinely needs this packaging? What is the real cost in space? And could I get one if I actually needed it, okay? If a box passes those questions, it stays, and it stays intentionally. You know why it's there. And if it doesn't pass, it goes.
And I want you to recycle it, pass it along quickly. Maybe, um, if you know some, obviously somebody that's maybe moving, offer it to them. You know, boxes have a funny way of migrating right back in if you leave them sitting around. If you give it to someone else, I'm su- you will be able to get something similar or even better back, so don't you worry.
Okay, so that is the action for the week. Have a wonderful rest of the week. Happy organizing. I'll talk to you next week Thank you for listening to the Organize & Cherish Podcast with The Organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player.
It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast. Until next time, happy organizing