Do you reuse something in some way that others might not know about?

Saw this on another board so I thought I would ask here?????
I'm looking for alternative uses for things that I usually throw away, such as coffee containers, detergent bottles, cleaning products etc. It just seems so wasteful & expensive when the package looks useful!

So, what do you do or know that we might not know, but might like to try?


I know I take Fabric softner put it in a spray bottle and spray a older wash cloth to use for a fabric sheet. I have reused the cloth over 20x before having to spary again...(I do not like all those fabric sheets)

I was also thinking of using coffee containers to plant seeds in early. Just put some holes in the bottom..

 

Isn't that a neat board?

I use cereal boxes for craft projects when we do them....... the kids glue foam shapes to them to make picture frames, I glue magnet strips to the back and they become a photo frame for the fridge (say that 10 times fast).

 

Paper towel rolls for storing necklaces for traveling.

Toilet paper roll to make funny sounds to freak out the cat. :lol:

 

I don't know if this counts but I use clothes pins to hang up my ziploc bags on the kitchen cabinet to dry so I can reuse them. I had the kids paint them so they look a little nicer.

 

paper towel holders:
wrap christmas lights on the outside of tubes, they don't tangle
store long glass ornaments in them
place steak knives/bread knives in them for camping

long wrapping paper tubes:
store childrens posters in them /long artwork paper
wrap tableclothes around the outside of tube so they don't wrinkle

plastic laundry soap tubs ( Costco 28 lbs. kind):
car washing bucket
store art supplies. Each of my dd's have one, they painted the outside and they store their art supplies, rubber stamping stuff, scrapbook paper and even barbie dolls/clothes in them. Its easy for them to carry around from room to room and even to their friends house.
store rags in them for the garage

Coffee cans (plastic with hand grip):
I use one as a scoop for cat food
I use one to scoop potting soil
I use one to hold plastic grocery bags ( when hubby forgets to bring his reuseable bag with him)
I use one for spare change ( easy to pour into the change machine)

Coffee can ( metal):
I paint them and use them as vases for flowers and to plant herbs in.
DH uses them for nuts, screws, bolts, paint brushes , chalking tubes , zip ties , other misc. garage stuff.
I use them for gifts ( to put the gift in) like cookies , gardening kits , stationary kits. Just paint the outside and glue either pretty paper or fabric onto the plastic lid.

 

What an awesome thread!!!! Thanks Hippychick! I can't wait to learn how people use things.

I save those nice containers you get from the deli or from something like that for when I make food to give away. This way I never have to bother getting my containers back.

I also use oatmeal boxes for art projects. The kids have made banks and prayer boxes out of them.

I am not much of a saver really....I am impatient about things that take up space so that is all I can think of for now. However, I can't wait to hear what other do!

OH..I do reuse those flats you get when you buy flowers. I use them to plant seeds.

I also use plastic grocery store bags for yucky diapers and dog waste.

 

Cool ideas.
I use fabric Softner fill a spray bottle with it then add water to finish filling up , shake and I have homemade fabreeze.

Old toothbrushes to clean around sinks
(I let them soak in hydrogen over night then let dry b4 i use them

2 liter bottles i use for tornado craft

paper towel roll i shove plastic walmart sacks in it and keep in car so when we go some where for the day if we have trash we can pull out a sack.

Pencil erasers, if you are out and happen to lose the back of your earing, i keep a pencil in my bag i pull eraser off and stick it on back of earring to hold it on till i can get home.

2 Liter Bottle, Cut off bottom and slip ball in and pull string through top, then i place a sock on bottom keeps yarn from tangles.

 

Love the idea about the fabric softener.

My dd will save her old toothbrushes for cleaning. LOL. I thought that was cute. She doesn't think so when she is the one using it though. lol.

 

here are a couple GREAT Tips I use

Unclogging Drains
1/4 Cup baking soda
½ Cup vinegar

Pour baking soda down drain then follow it with the vinegar. After fizzing stops flush the drain with boiling water.



Window/Glass Cleaner
½ tsp liquid soap
3 tbs vinegar
2 cups water

Mix the 3 ingredients and put into a spray bottle (Save one you have purchased before). When cleaning glass, newspaper works better than paper towels and they are less expensive too!

 

Oh i got a great one also I do

If you have chop sticks laying around you can make knitting needles out of them they work Great , the metal ones i cant stand to use.

also you can make them out of dowel rods.

 

This isn't exactly the same as reusing something you'd normally throw away, but these are things that I use that aren't disposable in the first place:

I use cloth grocery bags. I have a ton of Chico Bags, but if I hadn't gotten a good deal at a co-op, I probably would never have paid retail for them. Walmart now sells their own bags for $1, though I don't like them nearly as much as the Chico Bags. I love that Chico bags hold more than normal grocery bags, and that they stuff into an attached pouch with a clip on it. BUT.. the Walmart bags are still better than plastic or paper.

I use cloth diapers and wipes. I have a mixture of tea trea oil and water that I soak squares of hemp cloth in and keep in a wipes box. Then I make my own diapers. Aside from the economical advantages, here are my reasons in a nutshell (someone else's nutshell).

And, I use a Keeper. It's a feminine hygiene product.

 

And, I use a Keeper. It's a feminine hygiene product.[/QUOTE]

Never heard of this before.. Interesting!!

 

Walmart is now carrying cloth diapers.

Granted, these are my absolute least favorite AIOs, but at least they are better than 'sposies.

 

I use the lids from our Chinese food containers as plates for the kids for lunch. We wash and reuse.

(These are from the plastic ones). We order chinese at least 2 times a month...so we have A LOT of these!

A lot cheaper than paper plates and they save a tree or two, right?

 

OOOOGH...forgot....egg cartons for painting! I squeeze paint in each of the divots....leaving some for the kids to mix colors, etc. I try to reuse a couple times before tossing them.

 

I should also mention, in case anyone is interested, there are more options out there than just The Keeper. You can also try cloth pads. Just Google "cloth menstrual pad" and you'll get TONS of information, including patterns to make your own. If you every used cloth diapers, the care and upkeep is exactly the same.

 

I bought a huge canvas bag from Half Price books for 97 cents, but I forget to take it with me. I so reuse my plastic bags (garbage or cleaning out the litter box) or recyle them.

 

I use plastic grocery bags for small trashcans and to put food into so I do not have to dump it directly into the trash cans.

Cereal boxes are great for making smaller boxes for Christmas and for wrapping Christmas lights on. We cut them out into an I shape and wrap the lights around it.
We also use them under ornaments or other crafts we paint.

Paper grocery bags are used for crafts.

Coffee cans are used to make Christmas stockings. We make a boot and slide the can inside. We stuff the inside with candy or cookies. We also use them for beads, change, and pencils. They are also used for scooping dog and chicken scratch.

The plastic containers paper clips and pushpins come in make great Barbie bags. We melt holes on the top and run string through it.

I like to buy a large container of dish soap and just refill the small bottle.

The paper egg cartoons are great for holding chicken eggs ( who knew?!) and for planting seeds. It breaks down in the soil so we just plop them right in the ground.

The magnets that come in the mail with advertisement on them, I use on the back of crafts.

I have made baby beds out of oatmeal containers. Ems has made doll canoes with them as well.

Old toothbrushes are used for scrubbing the animals bowls as well as our toilet bowl.

Old soda bottles, plastic, makes great fly catchers as well as bird feeders.

I use leftover tissue paper and wrapping paper for making cards and other crafts.

I like to use frosting containers to poor my leftover candle wax into. They also make great storage containers for buttons.

Patty

 

I have a needle point circle with lace in it to hold my earings while we travel in our trailer. It takes up less space than a traditional jewelery box and I can us the ring to cross stich if I ever want to.

My coffee containers are very few because we don't drink much but I keep mine to store plastic bags in to be used for cleaning up doggie messes.

 

I put fabric softner in a spray bottle and add water and spray on clothes as I `m ironing. And as a homemade fabreeze.

Also the toothbrushes for the sinks and toilet bowl.