What Is a Temporary Urn?

Your lost loved one’s remains most likely won’t be returned to you in a decorative or permanent urn after their cremation service in Newtown, PA. Instead, you will pick them up or they will be delivered to you in a temporary urn.

Temporary urns are small, unassuming containers usually made of cardboard or plastic. They’re designed to temporarily house cremated remains, generally with the remains inside the temporary urn in a plastic bag. But what do you do with a temporary urn? And how do you transfer the remains into a permanent urn? Here are some tips for using a temporary urn.

You can keep your loved one’s remains however you see fit, whether in a temporary urn or some other receptable. Most standard temporary urns measure approximately 8.5″ x 6.5″ x 4.5″, though there are other some other sizes on the market. Most funeral homes and cremation providers will use temporary urns if you have not provided an alternative or if you have not purchased an urn from them because it is a bit more respectful to transport remains in a temporary urn rather than just in a plastic bag.

If you want to keep your lost loved one’s cremated remains at home or in a columbarium, you will most likely want to transfer them into a permanent urn. You can easily transfer the remains yourself. To do so, open the temporary urn and remove the plastic bag with the cremains inside. Then, put the plastic bag into the permanent urn and close the lid or bottom panel. You do not have to take the remains out of the bag. You may use wood glue or caulk to seal the urn, but this is not required as long as the ashes remain in the plastic bag.

You can also keep the temporary urn. Your lost loved one’s cremated remains will be just fine in a temporary urn. You don’t need to buy a fancy urn if you don’t want to or if you don’t have the funds. While temporary urns aren’t ideal for displaying ashes, they are great for burying or scattering. Most cemeteries will require a burial vault, so you can just keep the remains in the temporary urn and put both inside the burial vault.

If you plan to scatter your lost loved one’s cremains, you can keep them in the temporary urn until you do so. You can also place the temporary urn with the cremated remains inside a permanent urn as there are many urn options that are designed to be large enough for this purpose.

You can have the funeral home transfer the ashes for you. If you aren’t comfortable handling your lost loved one’s cremated remains, you can have your funeral home or cremation provider transfer the ashes into a permanent urn for you. Funeral homes are required by law to use the container of your choice, even if it is purchased from an outside source. You can have the urn delivered directly to the funeral home and skip the temporary urn completely, or drop the remains off with the permanent urn once it arrives.

There is much more to learn about temporary urns, but we are here to help if you want to learn more about urns or Newtown, PA cremation services.