Mind Popping Things to Do with Bubble Wrap After You Move Home

Congratulations, your home move is over, everything is unpacked. Nearly time to relax and enjoy your new home.

Nearly, because there is one last home moving task to tackle, the mountain of packing materials piled up.

It is then that the immortal home moving question pops into your head: what to do with bubble wrap after you move home?

Well, bookmark this page because you are going to keep popping back time and again for more inspiration on things you can do with bubble wrap.

From practical to fun, useful to creative, this guide on things to do with bubble wrap after you move home will give you plenty of ideas.

So pop on the kettle and settle down to be inspired by all the uses we have found for bubble wrap.

Did you know? Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by Marc Chavennes and Alfred W Fielding as a wall covering. However, the idea never caught on and in 1960 they founded Sealed Air Corp with Bubble Wrap being their signature brand.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Bubble Wrap

Is bubble wrap recyclable? In most counties, you can recycle bubble wrap by putting it in the plastics recycling bin along with your plastic bottles but check with your local council first. However, you won’t need to even consider recycling once you find out all the amazing uses for bubble wrap!

Is bubble wrap toxic? The air bubbles trapped within bubble wrap are just that, air, so are not toxic. In fact, the air inside bubble wrap is so sterile the plastic bubbles are being used as test tubes.  However, the plastic is petroleum based and gives off toxic fumes when burnt and takes many years to biodegrade although biodegradable versions of bubble wrap are available.

Is bubble wrap a good insulator? Yes, the air pockets act as air traps regulating the temperature.

Can bubble wrap keep things cool? Yes, wrap your bottles of drink in bubble wrap to keep them cool on long car journeys. You can even put bubble wrap on your windows to keep your room cool in summer.

Can I use bubble wrap to insulate pipes? Yes, just cover the pipe in bubble wrap and seal with duct tape.

Can you use bubble wrap to insulate a loft? No, bubble wrap is not breathable nor is it fireproof.

Is bubble wrap good for soundproofing? Yes, you can cover the walls and ceiling of an entire room to soundproof it cheaply and easily.

Is bubble wrap waterproof? Yes, you could even make a shower curtain out of your leftover bubble wrap.

Can I use bubble wrap as insulation for windows? On a single paned window, bubble wrap is claimed to reduce heat loss by up to 50%. It is easy to fix bubble wrap to a window, just spray the window pane in water, spray one side of the bubble wrap and lightly press the two wet surfaces together. When the weather warms up just peel the bubble wrap off. Save the bubble wrap and you can use it again next winter. You can use this idea to insulate greenhouses and your home.

Did you know? One minute of popping bubble wrap reduces stress as much as a 30-minute massage.

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13 Practical Ways to Reuse Bubble Wrap

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  Annoyed by those creases that hangers leave on your trousers? Just roll some bubble wrap around the hanging bar, bubble side down, tape it in place and voila, no more creases.

• Stuff shoes and handbags with bubble wrap so they keep their shape.
• Line grocery bags with bubble wrap to stop your frozen food from defrosting before you get home.
• Cover the shelves of your fridge with bubble wrap to stop the fruit and vegetables from getting bruised. It will also keep your vegetable drawer clean too.
• Wrap plant pots in bubble wrap to protect them from frost.
• Build a bubble wrap greenhouse to raise your seedlings. Just bend stiff wire into hoops and place over your seed trays, then fix your bubble wrap over the hoops to create mini greenhouses. Make sure you put a small slit in the roof of your greenhouse so that the plants can breathe and you can easily water your seedlings.
• Line your greenhouse with bubble wrap to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
• Kill weeds in your garden by laying bubble wrap as a blanket over the weeds. After about six weeks your soil should be weed free.
• Insulate your compost bin. The rise in temperature that the bubble wrap will create will help decompose the contents of your compost bin quicker.
• Wrap bananas in bubble wrap and place them in the fridge to stop them from going black.
• Stop condensation on your water cistern by lining the cistern with bubble wrap.
• Make a comfy handle for brooms and hand tools by wrapping them in bubble wrap.
• Cover your car windscreen with bubble wrap in the winter to stop it from frosting over.

Did you know? On the last Monday in January, parts of the USA celebrate Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

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7 Creative Uses for Bubble Wrap

What can you use bubble wrap for when you are feeling creative? Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

• Create a Bubble Wrap calendar. Using a page per month write the number of days for that month, spacing them so that the bubble wrap bubbles cover each date. Then glue the bubble wrap over the dates so that they line up. Repeat a page per month for the whole year. Then have fun popping a bubble each day of the year.
• Inject bubbles with paint to create wall art.
• Create a stained glass effect by injecting coloured water into the bubbles of your excess bubble wrap and then fix the sheet to a window pane. Inject the colour at the top of the bubble so that it does not spill out.
• Make individual jellies by injecting liquid jelly into each bubble. Once the jelly has set just pop them out.
• Wrap an empty toilet roll tube in bubble wrap to create a stencil for creating unique wrapping paper or works of art.
• When going on a long journey create a poppable eye spy game. At the top of a sheet of paper have colours of cars or objects. Affix bubble wrap to the sheet of paper, then each time you see a red car or a green traffic light, for example, pop the bubble.
• For an effective shower curtain, just hang bubble wrap from your shower curtain pole by threading hoops through the doubled over edge of the sheet bubble warp.

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6 Fun Ideas for a Bubble Wrap Party

If you are having a home warming party and really cannot use or get rid of your unwanted bubble wrap why not have some fun with it?

• Have a bubble popping contest.
• Wrap bubble wrap around your feet, step in a bowl of paint and have a painting competition.
• How about a fancy dress party with the costumes having to be made from bubble wrap.
• Play Bubble Wrap bingo. Write the numbers on the air pockets which are then popped when the number is called.
• Make stencils for a children’s painting party activity. Cut our shapes for them to print or paint or allow them to scrunch up balls of bubble wrap to make abstract paintings.

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5 Tips on How to Get Rid of Bubble Wrap

If you are neither creative nor practical, how do you dispose of bubble wrap?

• There are plenty of free ad websites where you can donate your bubble wrap to somebody who needs it such as freecycle.org
• Give your used bubble wrap to friends or family. Social websites are a great place to get the word out that you have bubble wrap going free.
• Perhaps your local schools would like it to use in their art classes?
• Would the local allotment society or gardening club be grateful of it for insulating their plants and greenhouses?
• Offer it to local homeless people. Bubble wrap is great for extra warmth and to add a layer of comfort for sleeping on.
• Sell your unwanted bubble wrap on a listing site such as ebay.co.uk

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So that just leaves the very last home moving task to complete. Take the time to leave a review for the removal company you hired to move you. It is useful not only for the removal company to know what they got right or wrong but is essential for other home movers so that they can make an informed decision on who they should hire to move them.

Must know: How to write a review for a removal company

Leave a review for the removal company you hired here.

And visit our home moving advice section next week to find out what to do with cardboard boxes after you have moved home.

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