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If you have purchased plastic containers for use around the home, there are a number of situations where you might end up wondering how to make a hole in hard plastic. If something will be living in the bin for example, it might need air holes. Or you could be looking to punch holes in plastic for a decorative effect. Or you might need to do it as a step in a larger DIY project where you are converting a plastic bin for some particular use.

In any case, if you need to know how to cut a hole in a plastic storage bin, the best option is definitely not to go with a hammer and nails. If you try to punch a hole through like this, you are going to have a tough time getting the nail through, for starters. And if you succeed, getting a nice clean edge without deforming the plastic is unlikely.

A better option is to go with a drill. Of course, this raises the question of how to drill a hole in plastic without cracking it. You need to start by choosing the right kind of drill bit. If it isn’t pointed enough at the end, it isn’t going to go through easily. The next thing to do is make sure that you set the drill on a low speed and approach the drilling process carefully and patiently. If you try to force it, you are going to end up cracking or deforming the bin. The drill might also slip, causing further damage.

Another method which some people report works is to try using a sharp kitchen knife. You simply get a serrated knife, set the point down on the bin, and start pressing it down and turning it while twisting. If you do this for long enough, you should eventually get the hole you need. To prevent cracking using this method or the one above with the drill, you can reportedly place something like a block of wood underneath, and drill/cut downward into that. This relieves the stress on the plastic, holding it in place.

One more consideration is the application of heat to cut a hole in plastic. For example, before you cut into a plastic container, you could heat up the knife. You could also do this with a drill. Does it work? Here responses are mixed. Some people who have tried this have reported great results, while others say it actually makes the cracking and deformation issues worse. You will need to experiment before you find out whether heat helps or hinders in your own hole-drilling efforts.

Regardless, you now know some ideas which you can try. I recommend that you practice, perhaps on a scrap of plastic you have left over from another project, before you attempt to do this using a bin that you like. Eventually you should manage to find a method which works for you, and then it should be easy to punch holes in your bins for all of your projects.