While it was fun to receive a pile of holiday packages from faraway family, I now have enough packing peanuts to fill a closet. And not the eco-friendly kind, either. Feeling perplexed, I turned to the Web, where I found several clever ways to reuse the petroleum-based polystyrene peanuts, which can take — gasp! — hundreds of years to break down.
• The easiest solution is to drop them off at shipping stores like Mail Boxes, Etc., or offer them up to any business that does a lot of shipping. Call ahead to make sure they'll accept the peanuts. You can also list them on Craigslist or Freecycle in the hopes that someone has a lot of shipping to do and wants to save cash.
• My favorite reuse idea, which I've already done in my backyard, is to place the peanuts in the bottom of potted plants. They provide drainage but don't add weight to the planter like rocks or gravel.
• Stuff them in a sealed plastic bag and layer over the ice in an ice chest. They provide great insulation.
• Use them to hold brad and finish nails in place so you don't smash your fingers when hammering. After a few taps, simply pull the peanut away.
• The peanuts make a comfy filling for pet pillows, though you shouldn't do this if your animal chews on everything in sight, because they can be a choking hazard (likewise, be careful if you have small children).
• A peanut works as well as a foam brush for applying glue and other adhesives.
• Save them to pad next year's Santa costume or a Halloween costume that requires lightweight filling. They're useful for other crafts, as well.
• Place them on the tips of sharp tools so nobody gets stuck fingers when rummaging in a toolbox.
• They float! Use a needle to thread together a few peanuts for a keychain next time you're out boating, just in case.
• I don't advocate fake flowers (they're a pet peeve), but if you do have silk arrangements, you can use peanuts at the bottom of a too-tall vase.
• Refill that deflated beanbag chair in your basement.
• If you used too large a drill bit, drill a screw into the peanut, then cut off the excess foam once the screw is in.
Do you have any creative ideas for reusing foam peanuts?
Image: Shutterstock
Aimee & Todd's Relaxed Chic Home 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Patrik Swivel Chair...
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (23)
Make a necklace out of the peanuts that you have. Send it to one of your enemies. :)
Venchito
I haven't seen packing peanuts in forever. Just those airbag things.
It's amazing how many peanuts it takes to fill up one of those tall ceramic planters - and so much cheaper than potting soil....
Use them as a prop to justify a photo of a cute young woman, that you post on your blog. ;)
@Arkay- hysterical!!
I like to throw our cats into a box filled with them for sheer entertainment value.
And, no, we don't have cable TV.
Put on a pair of roomy sweat pants.
Stuff the pants with peanuts.
Take a photo.
Post photo on door of refrigerator.
Resist the urge to snack.
These are great ideas! I especially like making a floating keychain and applying them to pointy ends of tools.
But Runswithscissors' idea is best.
Oh, runswithscissors, I wish I needed to stuff my pants with packing peanuts for that effect. ;-) I always love your comments!
Fill a white trash bag with it, tie a scarf to split the head and body, draw a face and put a hat on it and you have a snowman :)
I've gone slightly pouf-crazy in recent years, and rather than buy pricey pillow stuffing for them, I stuff them with a combination of packing materials (like packing peanuts) and old clothes.
Hilarious! The best post in a while, here!
You could use them as corniche details. All along the wall, at the upper corner (with the ceiling), glue them repeatedly along a kind of trim to create your own molding with repeat crenel/slots.
When I was a kid my parents made a bean bag and would fill it up with peanuts. It was great because they would get squished after a while so you can constantly refill it. Loved that thing! Soft and warm.
My mom takes them to her local UPS store, so they get a second use.
Cover the opening to a co-worker's cubicle with cling wrap, and then dump the packing peanuts in until they reach the top. Or you could fill their car.*
On a more practical (and less cruel) note, we ship a lot at my office, so we just keep them, along with boxes and other packing materials.
(*Note: I have never done either of these, but I have seen them done to others.)
Just an FYI FedEx and FedEx Office will not take your used packing peanuts. They say they do not reuse them or use them for shipping and packaging....
Do a Curb Alert notice on Craigslist or Freecycle. People who sell on ebay will be happy to take them off your hands.
AnnaMaria, you are a genius!
We had a box of packing peanuts that was a travelling prank when I was in college. They ended up scattered in someone's bed and desk drawers when she was out of town, or filling the freezer, or saran-wrapped to the outside of their bedroom door so that when it opened POW...
I let my ferrets play in it. They dont eat them they only stash them, so no worries.
KarinaM, YES!! Insert ferrets! I love it! I'd fill an office with them...I have a few targets in mind.
As much as I know they're good for environment, I wish there was an alternative to the cornstarch packing peanuts. I'm severely allergic to corn and touching those things is enough to make my hands swell up with hives. Getting packages is always an adventure.