Ever wonder where packing peanuts came from? Yes, those little menaces that we used to see more often, with every package that arrived, blowing around and as easy to wrangle as a herd of cats.
From the most basic household items and toys to almost every electronic you use, Styrofoam Packing Peanuts can be found in every corner. If you’re planning to shift places, packing peanuts will keep all your fragile items absolutely secure in the moving boxes for as long as you don’t unwind them.
Apart from shipping, packing peanuts can also be used to bulk up bean bags, cold and hot pads, and everyday crafts around your house.
They may look tiny and easily replaceable, but their importance in the house is unmatched. Here are six facts you should know about these handy household essentials.
The Original Noodles
Packing peanuts were created by Dow Chemical in 1965. Initially, they were produced using pure polystyrene resin. However, in the 1990s, a more eco-friendly version was made for packaging purposes.
Just like every smart invention, this one, too, started with unusual experiments. A smart guy named Maurice Laverna Zweigle placed a raw egg in a cardboard box and filled it with polystyrene noodles. He then flipped the box closed and flung it down from the third floor. To his astonishment, the egg remained unharmed in the box. His invention worked! At first, he decided to call the polyester “spaghetti.”
It was a remarkable discovery. For one, the thin, slender shape of the noodles and their tendency to tangle were the main reasons why the egg was unscathed. They formed a strong cushion-like nest to keep it safe and sound.
With the onset of this fantastic invention, Dow Chemical then began selling these packing foams commercially. Their first exhibition was at the New York Coliseum in 1961, where they sold around 200 pounds of this goody.
The foam was meant to be a replacement for wood ribbons, popcorn, sawdust, and shredded paper – all of which were prone to break and damage the items in a box.
However, the shapes of the noodles were challenging to reproduce. So, Maurice, the smart guy, decided to cut down the shapes and carve them into what now resemble small peanuts. If you were to look at the polystyrene under a microscope, you could see it’s actually just air they’re selling.
The Modern Packing Peanuts
The modern packing peanuts are pretty lightweight and less likely to trap moisture and infestations. They are made in thin and small shapes resembling peanuts from biodegradable materials like crinkled cardboard, bio-plastic nuggets, molded pulp, and even pillow packs filled with air.
These eco-friendly little things naturally break down into safe amounts of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen once you dispose of them. Biodegradable packing peanuts also don’t have a static charge, so they’re infinitely safer than polystyrene, contributing to environmental degradation.
These foam peanuts are now readily available in almost every utility store and widely used as a green packing solution.
Packing peanuts are the most valuable and practical essential. Do yourself a favor and keep a pack in your drawer; you’ll never know when they’ll come in handy!
If you’re a packing material history buff – check out where bubble wrap came from!