There are so many products on the market these days that make our lives easier. But sometimes they just aren’t necessary. Some of your household items can actually do double duty and take the place of all those extra things that you’d buy.
Here Are 35+ Ways To Repurpose Disposable Household Items:
1) Paper Bag To Ripen Fruit
Save those brown paper bags from lunch. You can use them to ripen fruit and avocados (which is technically a fruit). Just pop your unripened piece in the bag and let it sit on the counter until it ripens.
2) Cereal Bag As A Piping Bag
Those cereal lining bags may seem useless when the cereal is done but they aren’t. Rinse it off and cut one of the corners off of it. Scoop some frosting into it and use it as a frosting piping bag.
3) Mesh Produce Bag To Store Yarn
Need a convenient place to hold your yarn while you’re knitting? Place the ball of yarn in one of those mesh vegetable bags. You can pull the yarn through one of the holes in the bag for easy access.
4) Freeze Your Butter Wrappers
Hold onto your butter wrappers after all the butter is gone. Toss it in the freezer. You can use it to grease a baking pan later on.
5) Tomato Sauce Jars As Vases
Put your old tomato sauce jars on display. Rinse it out and peel off the label. Use it as a flower vase. You can even decorate it to make it look fancier.
6) De-pill With a Disposable Razor
Your disposable razor can still live on after its too dull to shave. Use it to remove pills from fabric. Just be gentle and be sure not to cut your fabric.
7) Use Cardboard Egg Cartons to Sprout Seeds
Use cardboard egg cartons to help get your garden going. Pour in your soil and seedlings and water. Once they are big enough to plant, wet the egg carton cup and place it in the ground. The cardboard will eventually break down.
8) Store Plastic Grocery Bags In a Tissue Box
Plastic bags from the grocery store can quickly overwhelm your house. Keep them nice and neat by storing them in an empty tissue box. Just insert the bottom of each bag into the handles of the next to easily pull one bag out at a time.
9) Prevent Your Windshield From Freezing
Don’t let your windshield freeze up. You can prevent this by laying out some old newspaper on your windows. Do this before night falls and you’ll find that your windows aren’t frozen in the morning.
10) Soften Hard Sugar With Tin Foil
Did your brown sugar harden to the point where you can’t use it? Soften it with tin foil. Wrap your sugar in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven at 300 degrees for five minutes.
11) Cardboard Tubes For Crease-Free Pants
You don’t need fancy hangers to keep your pants crease free. Slice a paper towel tube lengthwise and place it over a hanger. Hang your pants over your hanger and say goodbye to creases.
12) Make Homemade Popcorn in Brown Bags
Use your brown paper lunch sack to make popcorn in your microwave. Pour 3/4 cups of popcorn kernels into your bag and fold the top over twice. Cook for three minutes and take out when the popping slows to one or two pops per second.
13) Separate Burger Patties
We all know buying chop meat in bulk saves money. If you’re turning them into patties to freeze you can use cereal liners chopped into squares to separate them. This will save space in your freezer.
14) Mesh Vegetable Bags As A Scrubber
Mesh vegetable or fruit bags can help you clean up around the house. Just bunch it up and use it to scrub. It’s great for dishes, countertops and anything else that has a caked on mess. You can also wrap one around a non-scrubbing sponge.
15) Glass Jars For Cooking Grease
Tossing cooking grease down the sink is a bad idea. And scooping it out of your pan is annoying. Use an empty pickle or other glass jars to collect your grease and toss it out when you’re done.
16) Use Egg Cartons To Store Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are delicate and can break easily. You can protect them with an egg carton. Their nooks are great for storing smaller ornaments.
17) Portable Trash Can
Need a portable trash receptacle? Use an empty tissue box. It’s great for the car or the office.
18) Newspaper To Absorb Odors
Newspaper acts as a really good odor absorber. You can ball it up and stick it in your shoes to remove the stink. You can also use it in diaper bags or the refrigerator.
19) Make A Fire Starter From A Cardboard Tube
Need to make a fire starter? Use a toilet paper roll. Stuff it with dryer lint and roll it up in wax paper and twist the ends close. Light the end of the wax paper.
20) Tin Foil To Shine Silverware
Use a piece of tin foil to shine your silver by placing a piece at the bottom of a baking dish. Place your silverware on top of it and pour in 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of baking soda and pour in hot water until it is submerged. Let it soak for 5 minutes before you rinse it off.
21) Paper Bags For Recycling
Use old paper bags to collect your recycling in. When it’s full you can just drop it off at the recycling center. It prevents you from having to transfer your recyclables to a second container.
22) Cereal Bags As Freezer Bags
Use cereal bags to prevent freezer burn. Place food inside of them and close up with a twist tie or chip clip. Store them in your freezer
23) Mesh Bag Jewelry Organizer
Turn a mesh produce bag into a jewelry organizer. Take out the back of your picture frame. Staple or glue a mesh bag to the back of the frame. Hang your jewelry from the holes.
24) Glass Jar Water Candle
Use empty glass jars to make pretty water candles. You can fill them with just about anything, then pop in a floating candle.
25) Organize Tiny Things With Egg Cartons
Tiny items like buttons, paper clips, and small earrings are easy to lose. But not if you have an egg carton. Use the egg slots to hold these tiny items.
26) Tissue Box Drawer Divider
Draw dividers are usually inexpensive but they do cost money. You can make your own for free with tissue boxes. Just cut the tops of your tissue boxes and places them in your drawers and put stuff inside.
27) Clean Glass With Newspaper
Looking for the perfect streak-free shine? Use newspaper instead of paper towel when cleaning glass and mirrors. It won’t leave behind and fibers that cause a cloudy mess.
28) Sharpen Up Scissors
Save up some pieces of tin foil and use it to sharpen your scissors. First, layer your pieces of tin foil or fold one piece at least three times. Cut through it with your scissors to sharpen it.
29) Store Important Documents in Cardboard
Keep important documents clean, dry, and crease-free with a cardboard tube. Roll your documents up. Place them inside your tube for safety.
30) Collect Compost in A Brown Paper Bag
Collect your compost in a paper bag. When its full you can just rip the bag in half and into pieces over your compost pile and toss it in. The bag will break down.
31) Cereal Bags As Foodsaver Bags
Stop buying expensive Foodsaver bags. Use old cereal bags instead. Just use the vacuum or Foodsaver sealer to seal them up and make them airtight to store food.
32) Mesh Produce Bag As A Beach Bag
Mesh produce bags make the perfect beach bags because the sand falls right through.Tie off one end. Place beach toys or other items inside and close off the other end.
33) Hide Your Key In a Medicine Bottle
Use a prescription medicine bottle to hide your keys. Place your key inside and glue a rock on top of the cap. Then bury it in your yard. You’ll know its your key but everyone else will think it’s just a rock.
34) Plastic Silverware Garden Markers
Plastic silverware can be used more than once. Rinse it off and write plant names on them. Use them in the garden to remember what you planted where.
35) Baby Lotion Bottle to Cell Phone Charging Holder
Throughly rinse and dry your lotion container. Cut it into the appropriate shape and use it to hold your cell phone while it charges
36) Shower Curtain As A Drop Cloth
Has your shower curtain seen it’s final day? Maybe not! Use it again as a drop cloth when you’re painting.
37) Store Cords With Paper Tubes
Paper tubes from toilet paper and paper towels are great for storing cords for your electronics. Just wrap them and place the tube around it. You can also place them upright in a box and store them that way.
38) Ketchup Bottle For Pancake Batter
Your ketchup bottle can have a second life. Rinse it out and fill it up with pancake batter to make the perfect shaped pancakes. You can store the extra batter in the fridge when you’re done.
39) Post-It Note As A Dust Collector
Drilling can leave a dusty mess. Use a Post-It note to collect it. Fold it and stick it to the wall underneath where you are drilling to collect the dust
40) Cable Organizer
Cables can take up a lot of space and make a big mess. Use a CD spindle to organize them and keep them from getting tangled. Just wrap them around the spindle and pop the top on.