If you’re looking to do some home organization and you need file boxes, then it’s a pretty simple matter of going to the store and buying them, right? Well, depending on what you’re storing you could purchase either plastic or cardboard boxes, each of which has its strengths and weaknesses. This article is an attempt to list those.
For cardboard boxes, it’s somewhat obvious. They’re light, and are easy to move around the house with little trouble. They’re also cheap, often you can get a dozen of them for under $10, so if you have a large amount of paperwork or anything else that you just need in one spot, this is probably the choice for you. They’re quick to put together too, so even that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The biggest problem with cardboard is that it can degrade relatively quickly (just a few years if it’s low quality) so if you need to keep anything over the long term you’ll probably want to use plastic instead. Also, it’s not airtight, and so the exposure to the air can make its contents fall apart quicker too.
Plastic does not have this problem. These file boxes are often airtight and so can store papers for a longer time without affecting their quality. Plastic is stronger, won’t degrade, and can have more stacked on it than cardboard can handle.
The downside here is that plastic is heavier than cardboard, and it’s more expensive too. The containers will have some heft to them even before you put anything in them, so if you need to store a lot, prepare to be breathing hard before you’re able to get it up into your attic. It’s also pricey, so you could break the bank buying a dozen or more of these.
Take these facts into consideration while making your choice of storage boxes, and you’ll easily make the correct purchase for your specific need.
