Though I haven't had any in a long while, I'm a big fan of Altoids and went through a lot of tins. I've kept many of them for a long while, using some of them to hold board game components or the occasional desk bits.
But recently, as I was organizing my desk, I happened to find a stash of my tins. I found they stacked nice vertically (so they don't slide about) and the edge is just wide enough for a label (these printed from a brother P-touch labeler).
With all these (and room for a few more below the buttons), my desk drawer is so much neater and easier to find stuff.
NOTE: I used to store smaller batteries (AAA, AA, 9V, etc.) in these tins as well. Bad idea: don't do that. You could short the batteries. While unlikely to happen with most batteries, I opened one tin to find several AA batteries corroding, and another tin was actually warm because two 9V batteries inside were shorting, generating heat and swelling. So... no batteries!
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Maxineb1969 10 months ago | reply
Great idea. I just couldn't bear to throw the ones away that I had. And since I use wireless headphones at night (my hubby is a truck driver and doesn't like noise when asleep) I am storing batteries in one. And since a crafter I am, I am using on for pins. Now what to do with the rest LOL.
matthew_moss 7 months ago | reply
It's unlikely, but I just found several AAs in one tin all corroded and useless, and two 9Vs in another tin that were slightly swollen and quite warm to the touch (so much that the tin itself was also warm).
If you want to put batteries in, then you really need to line the tin with something non-conductive so as to prevent shorting the batteries.
sjsusock 2 months ago | reply
This is an awesome idea! I am always looking for new tips on up cycling! Do you mind if I reference this post and picture in my blog chic spaces.wordpress.com? I would love to share it, and as a fellow Altoid lover, I finally can put the tins to good use.
Again, thanks for the awesome tip!
Sam
matthew_moss 2 months ago | reply