Upcycling Junk: Turning Trash into Treasure Chests

• You can turn random household junk into immersive, low-cost escape room props that feel custom built.
• The secret is to see every broken gadget or leftover box as either a container, a code surface, or a hidden mechanism.
• A simple system for sorting, cleaning, and labeling your junk will save you money and speed up your game design.
• Upcycled props often feel more real and grounded than store-bought decor, which makes your escape experience stronger.

If you want better escape room props without spending much, start hunting through your junk. Old toolboxes, broken keyboards, cracked picture frames, food containers, kid toys, packaging foam, and even dead electronics can all turn into treasure chests, lockable puzzles, clue holders, and secret compartments. With a bit of cutting, painting, and rethinking, you can build props that are cheaper, stronger, and more original than most things you can buy online.

Why junk is secretly your best escape room partner

I think most escape room owners, or home game hosts, underestimate how much value is sitting in their closets and garages. It feels easier to buy something from an online store. But the truth is, junk offers a few big benefits that paid props struggle to match.

Store-bought prop	Upcycled junk prop
Costs real money every time	Usually free, already in your house or office
Looks generic, others have it	Looks unique, hard to copy
Comes with fixed design, hard to modify	Easy to cut, repaint, and redo as needed
Feels like decor, not always interactive	Can be built around the puzzles from the start
Often feels too clean or fake	Has real wear and history, adds realism

Old junk has one advantage over shiny new props: nobody is afraid to drill, cut, or glue it, so you actually experiment more and create better puzzles.

When you know that something was cheap or free, you relax. You try new ideas. If they fail, fine, you move on. That freedom is huge for escape room design.

How to start an “escape room junk yard” at home or in your venue

Before we walk through specific upcycling ideas, you need a basic system. Otherwise, you just create a messy pile, not a useful resource.

Step 1: Decide what junk is worth keeping

You should not keep everything. That path leads to a room full of trash and no space for players.

Here is a simple filter I use when I look at any object:

• Can this hold something? (container, box, jar, tin, drawer)
• Can this display information? (flat surface, screen, label area)
• Can this move or slide? (hinges, wheels, sliders, dials)
• Can this lock or close in an interesting way?
• Does this match at least one of my current or future themes?

If the answer is “yes” to at least one, I keep it. If not, it goes to actual recycling or trash.

Some categories that almost always pass this filter:

• Old tins, cookie boxes, tea boxes
• Toolboxes, cosmetic cases, camera bags
• Broken keyboards, remote controls, calculators
• Empty bottles, jars with lids, fancy food packaging
• Picture frames, mirrors with cracks, old wall clocks
• Suitcases, briefcases, laptop bags
• Light switches, circuit breakers, old fuse boxes

Step 2: Clean and neutralize the item

You want the object to feel like part of your world, not someone else’s leftovers.

1. Wash or wipe everything. Grease or dust ruins the feel of your props.
2. Remove logos, barcodes, and modern labels if they clash with your theme.
3. Sand rough edges so players do not cut their hands.
4. Spray with a neutral base color if the original color feels cheap.

Even a simple black, gray, or dark brown spray coat can turn a bright plastic toy into something serious enough for an escape room.

Step 3: Sort by function, not by object type

This part matters more than most people think.

Do not store “all electronics together” and “all boxes together”. Store by how you will use them:

• Containers: boxes, cases, jars, tins
• Panels and surfaces: boards, frames, doors, lids
• Interactive parts: knobs, buttons, switches, sliders, wheels
• Decor elements: fake books, statues, empty bottles, picture frames
• Mechanical support: hinges, brackets, springs, magnets

That way, when you think “I need a container that can hide a UV clue”, you go straight to your container bin and pick something suitable.

You design faster when your junk is organized by what it can do, not by what it once was.

From trash to treasure chests: core ideas for upcycled props

Let us get into what you really want: concrete ways to turn random junk into things players can open, decode, and be surprised by.

Idea 1: Metal tins as smart treasure chests

Think of cookie tins, tea tins, old candy boxes, lunch boxes. They already look like mini chests, they close nicely, and magnets love them.

Basic puzzle chest from a cookie tin

Take a round cookie tin from last year’s holiday season. Clean it. Spray it a single muted color. Stick a custom label on top like “Specimen Storage” or “Cargo Unit 7”.

Then add:

• A small hasp and a 3-digit lock on the front
• A false bottom inside the tin made of cardboard or foam board
• A hidden UV clue under the false bottom

The tin now works on two levels.

1. The lock combination opens the tin for a first clue or key.
2. The team later realizes there is a second secret space below the base.

You can even cut small holes in the sides of the tin and run colored wires through, then connect it to a fake “control panel” elsewhere. It does not need to be real electronics, it just needs to look like it is part of the system.

Magnet-locked tin using junk fridge magnets

If you have old fridge magnets, glue one inside the lid of the tin. Then mount the tin behind a wooden board or under a table surface.

Now the tin only opens when players slide a second magnet over the correct spot on the outside surface. That second magnet might be hidden inside another object in the room.

Magnet tricks are some of the cheapest ways to feel “high tech” without any real electronics skills.

Idea 2: Broken drawers as false-bottom treasure vaults

Old desks are gold. A single broken drawer can support three or four separate puzzles if you design around it.

Simple false bottom using leftover flooring

Grab a shallow drawer that slides out fairly smoothly.

• Cut a thin piece of scrap wood or leftover laminate flooring to just fit inside.
• Glue short wood strips around the inside sides of the drawer, about 1.5 cm from the bottom.
• Rest the false floor on those strips.

Now you have:

Layer	Use
Top layer	Visible clutter, decoy items, maybe a minor clue
Hidden layer	Main key, code, or final piece of a bigger puzzle

If you want to add a logic twist, cut a tiny finger hole at the back of the false bottom, then cover it with a stack of paper or an object that must be moved in the right order.

Drawer that only opens at a certain angle

Here is one more variation you can do with scrap wire and a few screws from other junk furniture.

• Attach a small weight (like a metal nut) inside the drawer at the front, tied to a wire.
• Run the wire through a ring so it acts as a basic tilt sensor.
• When the drawer is flat, the weight blocks a latch. When the drawer is lifted at a slight angle, the weight moves and the latch can be pulled.

You can hide the instruction for the correct angle in a painting, a blueprint, or a map on the wall. It feels clever, but it is built from trash parts.

Idea 3: Dead electronics as puzzle interfaces

Old keyboards, phones, DVD players, routers, TVs, and remotes can all act as input devices, even if nothing inside them works.

Keyboard cipher from an old office PC

Take a cheap, dead keyboard.

• Pop off a bunch of keys, leaving clear gaps.
• Under those gaps, draw or glue small symbols or numbers.
• Place an instruction anywhere in the room that says “Only the broken keys tell the truth” or something close.

The players now look at the pattern of missing keys, map those to letters, and get a code word.

You can also repaint some keys and use them for color-based clues. For example, every red key might match a red light pattern somewhere else.

Remote-control puzzle using button positions

Grab an old TV remote.

• Paint over the labels of all buttons except a few you care about.
• Place a chart nearby that shows shapes or icons in the same pattern as those buttons.
• The pattern spells a number or word once they map it correctly.

The player never needs the remote to turn anything on. It just acts as a code mask that matches a separate panel or poster.

Router “access panel” from an old networking box

Take an old WiFi router or switch.

• Remove internal boards if they are sharp or too cluttered.
• Mount the shell on a wall as if it is part of the building network.
• Label the ports with letters or icons you invent.

Then design a puzzle where the team must plug colored cables in the “correct” ports, based on a diagram or log sheet. At the end of the sequence, a magnet or simple latch elsewhere unlocks because they pulled the right cable.

This feels high tech to players, but it is just fake cabling and some low-level mechanics.

Idea 4: Food packaging as modular secret boxes

Food packaging is an underrated source of free “chests”. Think about:

• Coffee cans
• Pringles-style tubes
• Fancy chocolate boxes with dividers
• Wine boxes
• Ice cream tubs with lids

Once you strip labels and repaint, you get neutral shapes you can turn into almost anything.

Code cylinder from a chip tube

Take a tall cardboard snack tube.

• Cut several rings from another tube of the same size.
• Slide them onto the original tube like a stack of discs.
• Write letters or symbols around each ring.

Now you have a rotating cipher device, like a simple cryptex. Set a target word. When the player lines up the correct letters through a small window, a slit in the tube allows a pin to move and free a small lid at the bottom.

You may need to experiment a bit here. It is not always right on the first attempt. That is normal. I have thrown away a few early versions of these before I landed on a smooth one.

Multi-layer clue box from a chocolate assortment tray

You know those plastic inserts that hold different chocolates in little compartments? Keep those.

• Spray them a dark color so they do not scream “candy”.
• Put different symbols or small rings in each cavity.
• Cover the tray with a rich-looking lid or a wooden board.

Now design a note in the game that says something like “Only the bitter ones matter” or “Count every third slot”. That hint tells the players which compartments to read.

The result might be a sequence of numbers written on small tokens in the chosen slots. Players feel like they found hidden logic inside what looked like decoration.

Idea 5: Picture frames as clue layers and sliding puzzles

Old frames, broken glass, and outdated art prints are ideal for puzzles involving layers, hidden text, and misdirection.

Layered art with different reveal modes

Use an old frame with glass.

• Put one printed picture at the back, maybe an old map or diagram.
• Add a transparent sheet in front with extra markings that only make sense under UV or red light.
• Place a top mat or border that hides part of the design.

You can then hide a UV flashlight somewhere else in the room. When players shine it on the frame, new symbols appear that guide them to a hidden drawer or chest.

Sliding panel frame that opens a secret nook

Mount several small frames in a grid on a wall. Behind one of them, cut a hole in the wall or attach a small box to the back.

• Hang most frames with normal hooks.
• Hang the “secret” frame with two sliding bracket pieces from a broken drawer rail.

Now only that frame can slide sideways and reveal the hidden compartment. Your hint might be hidden in a difference between that picture and the others, or tied to a code that tells them the right frame position.

Building real treasure chests from near-trash materials

Sometimes you want that classic “treasure chest” moment. The lid opens, players feel like they have actually found something big.

You do not need to buy an expensive wooden chest for that. You can piece one together from items that were heading for the bin.

Core structure ideas

You need three things for a chest:

• A body that can store objects
• A lid or top panel
• Some way to lock or seal it

Here are some cheap base bodies you can repurpose:

• Old plastic storage boxes
• Cat litter tubs (thoroughly cleaned, of course)
• Toolboxes with broken handles
• Crumpled suitcase shells
• Nightstand drawers screwed together

Example: From broken suitcase to pirate chest

Say you have a broken carry-on suitcase. The wheels are bad. The zipper jams. You are about to throw it away.

1. Rip out the inner fabric and foam.
2. Fix the lid so it closes straight. You might screw simple hinges along one side if needed.
3. Glue or screw strips of scrap wood or cardboard on the outside to suggest panels.
4. Paint the whole thing to look like aged wood. Spray first, then add darker streaks with a brush.
5. Attach metal brackets or handles from other furniture to add weight and texture.

For the lock, you have a few cheap options:

• Add a hasp and use a standard padlock.
• Use two loops of chain that must both be freed by different keys.
• Build a simple sliding bolt that only moves when a magnet from elsewhere is placed on the correct spot.

This “chest” might not be perfect. The edges may still show that it was once a suitcase. That is fine. In a dark room with focused lighting, players just see a sturdy, heavy box. Their brain fills the gaps.

Example: Stack of drawers as a multi-stage vault

Find three old drawers from a junk dresser. Different sizes work fine.

• Stack them like a tower.
• Screw them together from the inside.
• Add a flat board on top as a lid, held by two simple hinges from another piece of furniture.

Now each drawer can be its own lock or code stage. For example:

1. The bottom drawer opens with a 4-digit lock that the team solves by counting items in the room.
2. The middle drawer is tied shut with rope that only comes off when players pull a pin out from another prop.
3. The top board is held by a hidden latch that releases when players push three spots in the right order on the sides.

A good treasure chest is less about polished carpentry and more about how many meaningful stages you can pack into that one object.

Designing puzzles around the junk you actually have

One mistake I see is people planning complex props that require parts they do not own. Then they stall.

There is a simpler path. Start from what you already have and build puzzles outward from there.

Step 1: Take inventory of your junk stock

Pull everything out into one space and quickly sort:

• Containers (all sizes)
• Flat surfaces (boards, panels, frames, doors)
• Moving parts (knobs, switches, wheels, pulleys, sliders)
• Metal bits (hinges, brackets, springs, magnets, chains)
• Decor shapes (bottles, statues, figurines, masks)

Now ask yourself three questions:

1. What kind of world could these objects belong to? (ship, secret lab, forgotten office, bunker, antique shop, etc.)
2. Which items look strong enough for repeated use by groups of 4 to 6 players?
3. Which items already look curious, as if they are hiding something?

Those questions guide your theme and your first puzzle ideas.

Step 2: Map junk pieces to puzzle roles

Every puzzle needs a few roles filled:

• Input: How players express their answer (numbers, letters, positions, physical actions)
• Process: The logic that connects clue to answer
• Output: The thing that responds when they are right (latch moves, lid opens, light turns on)

Look at your junk and assign roles:

Junk item	Good role	Example use
Old keyboard	Input	Press 3 correct keys in order to get code
Cookie tin	Output	Opens when correct lock combo is entered elsewhere
Picture frame	Clue display	Holds layered map with UV markings
Router	Input + decoration	Players plug cables in right ports to “route power”
Drawer stack	Output stages	Each drawer opens after a different puzzle

If you follow this, you start to design puzzles that fit your objects, instead of trying to force objects into ideas that do not match them.

Step 3: Layer story on top of function

Once the mechanical or logical role is clear, then you add story flavor. For example:

• An old router becomes a “power control node” on a spaceship.
• A cookie tin becomes “sealed lab sample vault B-3”.
• A stack of drawers becomes “the archivist’s forbidden index”.

The story does not change the function, but it changes how players feel. They treat the same bit of junk as something meaningful, because the world suggests that it matters.

Making junk props safe and durable

Here is where I need to push back on a bad habit I see: people upcycle junk but skip any durability work. Then, after ten groups, props fail, and they blame the players.

If you want your upcycled treasure chests to last, reinforce them a bit.

Common weak points to fix early

• Thin cardboard edges that tear when pulled
• Pressboard furniture with screws that strip out
• Small plastic latches that snap under force
• Loose hinges that bend after many openings

You can fix many of these with cheap scrap material:

• Glue popsicle sticks or spare wood strips under thin surfaces
• Add small metal brackets at corners from old shelves
• Use longer screws into fresh pilot holes instead of reusing old threads
• Cover stress points with cloth tape or gaffer tape, then paint over it

Test like a rough player, not like a designer

When you test a prop, do not handle it gently. Yank on it in the way that a frustrated group might. Twist it a bit. Try to open it the wrong way.

If a prop barely survives your gentle test, it will fail fast under real players who are stressed, rushed, and not afraid to pull.

This might sound harsh, but it will save you time and reviews later.

Practical examples: Junk-to-treasure builds from real rooms

To make this less abstract, let me walk through a few full builds I have seen or helped with. I will change details so we stay clear of direct copies from any competitor.

Example 1: The mechanic’s locker from scrap car parts

Theme: Small-town garage mystery.

Base junk used:

• Old metal locker with dents
• Broken car radio
• Disconnected dashboard switches
• Assorted nuts and bolts in rusty containers

Puzzle chain:

1. Players find a fake service report with engine warning symbols.
2. Those symbols match icons on the broken dashboard switches mounted on the locker door.
3. Flipping the switches in the right order reveals a small hole that was hidden by a sliding plate.
4. Inside that hole sits a magnet on a string. They can lower it into a side vent of the locker to pull up a metal key that was on a tray inside.
5. The key opens the inner metal toolbox, which holds the next big clue.

Total spend was minimal. Most parts came from junked vehicles and an old school locker, plus some screws and paint.

Example 2: The botanist’s cabinet from kitchen leftovers

Theme: Overgrown greenhouse with a secret.

Base junk used:

• Old spice rack
• Mismatched glass jars
• Tea tins and coffee cans
• Plastic plant pots

Puzzle chain:

1. Each jar has a dried “specimen” and a hand-drawn label with a strange symbol.
2. A field notebook elsewhere explains that certain symbols represent numbers based on petal count, leaf shape, etc.
3. When players assign the right numbers to the right jars, it spells a 4-digit code.
4. That code opens a lock on a large tea tin that is glued under one of the shelves.
5. Inside the tin sits a folded map that points them to a potted plant with a hidden compartment in the soil.

Everything here started as kitchen trash and old decor. The charm comes from handwritten labels and a consistent botanical theme.

Example 3: The archivist’s chest from an office clear-out

Theme: Old records department hiding a secret file.

Base junk used:

• Two metal file drawers
• Stack of unlabeled binders
• Old calculator and hole puncher
• Broken wall clock

Puzzle chain:

1. The broken clock face has numbers scratched next to certain hours.
2. Those numbers match binder positions on the shelves.
3. Each chosen binder has a punched hole pattern in one page; when they stack pages and shine a flashlight, the holes spell digits.
4. That 3-digit number opens a lock on the lower file drawer.
5. Inside, there is a smaller, homemade wooden box with a sliding lid that only opens if they push a concealed latch made from a bent paperclip and rubber band.

Again, nothing high tech. Just office junk made coherent with a story.

Common mistakes when upcycling junk for escape rooms

Let me be clear on a few traps I see people fall into.

Mistake 1: Keeping every single item “just in case”

If you are saving cracked plastic forks and every torn cardboard flap, you are not building a prop library. You are building clutter.

Remember your filter: container, surface, moving part, or theme match. If it fails all those, let it go.

Mistake 2: Overcomplicating the mechanics

It is tempting to cram magnets, hinges, sliding panels, hidden springs, and weight sensors into one chest. The more stuff, the more it can fail.

Most good escape room props do one or two clear things very well. The depth comes from the chain of puzzles around them, not from insane mechanical complexity inside one box.

Mistake 3: Ignoring how it feels to touch

An object can be clever but feel bad. Sharp corners, weird sticky surfaces, metal edges that bite into fingers.

Players pick up on that quickly. They hesitate to handle the prop, which slows the game and breaks immersion a bit.

Take 10 extra minutes with sandpaper and paint. It matters more than one more layer of logic.

Mistake 4: Mixing modern brand labels with old-time themes

Having a fake pirate chest made from a modern laundry detergent box with the logo half visible is jarring.

If your theme is historical or fantasy, hide or remove all modern branding. That might mean:

• Light sanding to knock off glossy print
• Full paint coverage
• Adding custom printed labels that match your world

This sounds basic, but I still see modern cereal boxes on shelves in supposed 1800s sets. It breaks the spell immediately.

How to teach your staff or family to “think like upcyclers”

You might understand this mindset, but if your team or family keeps throwing away gold, you lose resource potential.

Share a simple rule of thumb

Give them a short sentence:

If it can hold secrets, show codes, or move in an interesting way, ask before you throw it out.

Stick that near the staff room bin or your home recycling area. It sounds small, but it changes habits.

Keep a visible “prop candidates” bin

Make a box labeled “Future Escape Props”. When someone is not sure about an item, they drop it there instead of the trash.

Once a week, you review that bin with your designer brain switched on. You accept or reject items based on your filters.

Celebrate finished builds made from junk

Whenever you build a new prop from what would have been trash, show the before and after to your staff or family.

It reinforces the idea that this is not just “hoarding”. It is smart resource use.

Balancing junk with store-bought parts

I do not think you should rely only on junk. There are some things where store-bought parts save you time and frustration.

Good places to invest a bit of money:

• Reliable locks, especially key and number padlocks
• Strong hinges and hasps
• High-use electrical switches if you run actual current
• Safety-grade screws and brackets for anything heavy

Use junk for bodies, surfaces, and decoration. Use paid parts when failure could cause injury or frequent repair.

If you keep that balance, your game feels rich and detailed, your costs stay low, and your build days feel more creative than stressful.