- 1). Fill your kitchen sink with warm water. Open the lid to the pencil box and pour a teaspoon of dish soap into the container. Place it into the sink.
- 2). Soak the box in the soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes and then scrub it well with a sponge. If old adhesive labels are stuck to the box and you want to remove them, you may need to increase the soaking time to 30 minutes and then scrape the label off with a paint scraper or your fingernail.
- 3). Rinse the pencil box in warm water. Dry it well with a towel.
- 4). Place your other items in the pencil box. It can hold a number of things including bandages, paper clips, thumb tacks, puzzle pieces, index cards or address labels.
- 5). Label the box using an adhesive label and a marker, if you choose. If the box is for a child, you may also choose to decorate it with colorful adhesive stickers.