Reuse those clementine crates! From Mason:
In the winter, my family of three goes through a crate of clementines about every two weeks. Instead of just throwing away the little crates, I have started using them for storing my two-year old's toys. They are just the right size that they don't get too heavy, and they are built to stack. They'll probably work great in the garage or pantry, as well...
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The staples are nasty on those boxes. I've cut myself open on them too badly to have them in the same house as my 2-year-old. Maybe yours are nicer.
Posted by: Allen Knutson | 13 January 2008 at 02:32 PM
I wish it took us two weeks to go through them. Between me and 3 and 1 year old boys (husband doesn't eat them) we can go through a box in like four days. Its insane.
Posted by: Angela | 13 January 2008 at 04:31 PM
The crates also work very well to organize cards (Christmas, birthdays, etc.) and they work especially well to corral all the packs of flash cards that homeschoolers have on hand.
Posted by: Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings | 13 January 2008 at 05:20 PM
we use them as doll beds!
Posted by: marjorie | 14 January 2008 at 08:16 AM
I use one in a long kitchen drawer to keep little-used items (pastry cutter, electric wok cord, melon baller, etc.) clustered together up front instead of scattered all through the drawer.
Agree about the staples, and the wood seems a bit too likely for slivers for me to be comfortable letting my toddler play with one.
Posted by: Betty | 14 January 2008 at 10:44 AM
I hope you're buying organic clementines, since the ones with pesticide can leach out into the unsealed, untreated wood.
Most clementines are treated with Carbendazim, which is one of the top "filthy four" pesticides detailed by "Friends of the Earth". The main concern is that it's an endocrine disruptor, and may lead to developmental issues when children are exposed to it.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng1277.html
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC32862#Symptoms
Posted by: Willie | 14 January 2008 at 06:29 PM
My husband and I are vinyl record collectors-- we have literally thousands of them. Clementine crates make GREAT holders for 45s. (If anyone remembers actual records...) We also have used regular orange crates for our LPs.
Posted by: Pippin | 12 January 2009 at 12:04 PM