24 Clever Ways to Repurpose Moving Blankets

February 24, 2023

The move is over, so what’s next for all those moving blankets?

Moving blankets are useful during a move for protecting household or business items. But after the move, what comes next for the blankets? They were a great value when you purchased them at Murdoch’s, so should you throw them away? Nah, that’s wasteful.

Should you put them into storage for the next move? That’s a good idea if you have the space.

Reuse them? Hey, there’s a winner! But how?

We thought about reusing moving blankets and discovered a big reveal: the moving blanket is a veritable multitool of blankets. In no particular order, here’s what we came up with for places to use and ways to repurpose moving blankets:

Picnicking A moving blanket makes the perfect picnic blanket. You can throw it on the ground without worrying whether it gets dirty. A moving blanket is tough, padded enough to protect everyone’s bum, and it’s not the end all if it gets soiled with barbecue sauce and Kool-Aid.
Festivals/Concerts Throw it down, sit, and chill until your feet tell you it’s time to get up and dance. Or take it into the backyard for seating for outdoor movie night.
Play Mat Toss it on the floor or take it anywhere for your baby to have a soft surface to play on.
Wrap Stored Valuables Protecting valuables is what a moving blanket does best, so even after the move, wrap items to reduce the risk of damaging them in the garage or storage.
Soundproofing Murdoch’s employees are a diverse bunch, including music makers. For one upbeat employee, moving blankets do double-duty to soundproof a room. “They make great sound treatment for recording,” she attests. “My office is very unstylishly draped in moving blankets, but it sounds great!”
FortsChildren love building forts, and by using moving blankets in combination with furniture, they can explore a range of options.
Car Protection With a moving blanket stored in the trunk of a car, you have options. Will you be hauling kids around, sodas in hand? Pull out the blanket. Do you ever have to chase your dog down after it escapes during a rainstorm? Spread out the blanket. Is your dog shedding? Blanket. Do you need something to pack tight a refillable propane tank so it doesn’t roll around and damage the car trunk or something in it? Blanket. What happens when your car breaks down on a lonely road late at night? Emergency blanket. We even considered using moving blankets to protect a car’s exterior during a hailstorm. Why not?
Staying Warm It’s a blanket. Inside on the sofa, outside under the stars, wherever, it’s an extra layer of warmth.
Camping At a campsite, a moving blanket can be used as a rug at the door of a tent, inside or out. It can be a clean place to lay out camping gear as you set up camp. In a tent, spread out the blanket under sleeping pads for extra comfort and to protect the tent floor.
Sleeping Pad Folded into layers, a moving blanket can replace a sleeping pad or serve as one when the inflatable pad springs a leak.
Spill Cleanup When a big spill happens, a moving blanket can be the first wipe on the job rather than dish or bath towels. For spills when working on machinery, a moving blanket is an easy, inexpensive choice to mop up greasy and oily messes.
Pet & Animal Comfort If your pet likes to hide or sleep under a blanket, ta-dah! For the pets that just have to lay on furniture, again with the ta-dah! Also, moving blankets make great cushioning for pets and animals during transport to the vet or a 4-H competition at the county fair.
Dog Beds An obvious choice for repurposing a moving blanket, and your dog will love it.
Protecting Floors Whether the flooring is hardwood, carpet, tile, stone, or something else, you want to protect it. For areas of excessive use, a moving blanket can serve as a rug to protect those well-traveled areas. If you need to drag a heavy item across the floor, place it in a moving blanket and start dragging with less worry about damaging the floor. A moving blanket also delivers as a temporary cover for floors during construction and renovation work.
Protecting Outdoor Furniture Sun can fade and break down certain outdoor furniture materials, so placing a moving blanket over the furniture when not in use will prolong its life. Then, with a hailstorm in the forecast, you know what to do.
Temporary Rug You need a rug at a key area of your home but haven’t gotten around to purchasing one, so here you go.
Beach Blanket A moving blanket may not be colorful or a good choice for drying off after a swim, but it’s a great place to catch some rays or take a break after a swim.
Exercise One-two-three (breathe)! Used as a comfortable surface for floor exercises, to protect a floor when placed underneath exercise equipment, or as a yoga mat, a moving blanket can be part of your pain and gain.
Insulation Wrapped around basement pipes or a well pump, moving blankets can help keep them from freezing. You can also supplement loft insulation by laying the blankets over it, helping to keep your living spaces below even warmer.
Padding Furniture, soft toys, a favorite pillow, they can break down and lose oomph over time. A moving blanket or pieces from one can fill the need.
Plant Cover That hailstorm we mentioned earlier in “Protecting Outdoor Furniture” — we're back outside, revisiting that. Imagine how moving blankets can protect your precious flower or garden plants. Also, when the weather turns cold, moving blankets can add the insulation plants need to get through the worst.
Cushioning For a comfy seat cushion, additional back support, or a moveable headrest, a moving blanket can take care of it.
Barrier Placed as a barrier between walls and furniture, portable equipment, and other hard-edged items that get pushed around, moving blankets can help to prevent scratches, dents, and holes.
Photoshoot Drape a moving blanket for a photoshoot backdrop. Anyone skilled with a photo-editing application can easily clip photos taken against the neutral background color of a moving blanket.