Art House Mark Ham

If you’ve ever ordered something through the mail or purchased a fragile item, you’ve run across foam packaging inserts. Whether they’re the rigid, white polystyrene variety, or squishy charcoal foam, it is wise to keep these materials around as extra foam for packaging, even after you’ve decided you won’t need to return the product they originally protected.

The simplest way to reuse foam packing is to use it as packaging again in something you need to mail. If you’re sending something to a relative or friend or returning a product for repair or work, it’s always smart to protect it as best possible. Often times a product’s original packaging has been thrown away long ago, so we use one that’s “close enough.” Stuffing a makeshift package with soft, polyurethane foam can keep it secure and help absorb impact.

Packaging peanuts are the least-liked packaging material, but even these have some in-home uses. Packaging peanuts can be used as spacers behind pictures to protect the wall and are also helpful for holding a nail in place too, when you begin to hammer.

Firmer open-cell packing materials meanwhile, can also serve an acoustical purpose. When paired with a non-resonant piece of MDF wood for a stand, firm charcoal foam can be used under speakers and subwoofers as a decoupling product, isolating the speaker from the floor. This can reduce the vibrations transmitted through the room, which can be causing annoying rattles and buzzing as small items vibrate along with the frequencies. It can also give your speakers and woofers a clearer sound and lift them to a better listening position. If you’ve got loads of packaging foam and you don’t know what to do with it, try out these ideas and any others you may think of for a more practical approach than simply just throwing it away.