6 Ways to Reuse Gift Wrap After Destroying Opened Holiday Gifts

With the holidays well underway, there is excess wrapping paper everywhere. It appears when wrapping presents, and you have to cut off the excess to make your present fit, and again in a pile on the floor after we’ve ripped open our presents.

Instead of feeling guilty looking at a pile of extra paper, try repurposing it. We asked some sustainable cleaning experts for some top ways to reuse wrapping paper for a more sustainable vacation.

Meet the expert

  • Vanessa Terra Bossart is an expert in ecological cleaning and CEO of Green Terra Cleaning Service.
  • Galia Ivanova is the owner of Cleaning Estimate, a UK-based cleaning company offering sustainable cleaning services.

Custom envelopes and cards

Wrapping paper can be repurposed into unique envelopes for thank you notes and cards.

“This gives your office a personalized touch and keeps paper out of the trash,” says Vanessa Terra Bossart, eco-cleaning expert and CEO of Green Terra Cleaning Service.

Galia Ivanova, owner of Cleaning Estimate, has also seen clients reuse wrapping paper in interesting ways.

“I know a client who turned leftover packaging into homemade dinner cards – she just wrote the guests’ names on the blank side and tucked them into napkin rings,” says Ivanova. “It’s a small detail that guests really notice and appreciate.”

Want more cleaning and organizing tips? Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest hacks, expert tips and more!

Accents for gift wrapping

You can still use scraps of wrapping paper to decorate your gift even after wrapping it in paper. Take longer strips and turn them into ribbons with this simple hack. Take smaller pieces and cut them into gift tags; use a hole punch to add a place to thread the ribbon through and attach to the gift.

Covers for drawers and shelves

You can never go wrong with adding drawer or shelf liners to keep your drawers and shelves clean, especially during the holidays when you’re hosting.

“This is an easy way to add a little holiday charm to your storage spaces while extending the life of the paper,” says Bossart.

Colorful pillow pack

Instead of buying peanuts or wrapping paper, you can take leftover wrapping paper and run it through a paper shredder to create colorful, lightweight packaging to protect fragile items. It’s an easy and environmentally friendly alternative to store-bought fillers.

“The result is a vibrant, crumpled filler that works great to soften future gift boxes or store fragile ornaments,” says Ivanova.

Craft Supplies

Save notes for holiday-themed craft projects for the whole family. Kids can use them to make paper necklaces, collages, bracelets, bookmarks, and even handmade ornaments for next year. Stack the pieces on top of each other and fold the stack into a manageable size, then store it with your supplies.

Scraps of wrapping paper can also be used as mats during crafting to keep your floors and tables clean.

Plant Wrapping

If you have regular plant pots or even jars, dress them up by wrapping them in scraps of paper. It’s a great way to add some holiday flair to your interior decor and is very easy to remove once the holiday season is over.

Simply attach the paper with ribbon or twine to add a festive touch to any corner of your home. You don’t even need a piece with straight edges, any piece that is large enough will do.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *