ReuseReuse

Tips - What Can I Do?Tips - What Can I Do?

There are hundreds of ways to reuse items. Here are a few for common items found in the home:

  • Water Bottles
  • Rinse bottles with warm soapy water or vinegar solution to kill bacteria
  • Disposable Shopping Bags
  • Always bring your reusable bag whenever you go shopping
  • Use disposables to line smaller garbage cans in your home
  • Take disposables with you when you walk your dog
  • Use disposables in your car as a travel litter bag
  • Use disposables as a lunch bag
  • Return disposable bags to the grocery to be recycled
  • Egg Cartons
  • Use paper cartons to sprout seedlings before transplanting
  • Break up the paper cartons and use as packing material
  • Fabric Softener Sheets
  • Use as stuffing for stuffed animals and decorative pillows
  • Reuse in your sock or underwear drawer to keep your clothes smelling fresh
  • Tear the sheets in half before placing them in the dryer to reduce the number of sheets you use
  • Use to dust your house
  • Place inside shoes at night to keep them smelling fresh
  • Greeting Cards
  • Use as bookmarks
  • Make into gift tags
  • Cut off the side with the picture
  • Use in your scrapbooks as decorative embellishments
  • Jars - Food
  • Use for storing extra sauce or liquid
  • Drink from smaller glass jars
  • Use peanut butter or mayonnaise jars to store homemade cookies in the freezer
  • Store your razor in a small, covered jar immersed in alcohol to prevent oxidization of the blade. It will stay sharper longer
  • Newspaper
  • Crumble and use it as packing material
  • Use the comics (instead of paper bags) to cover text books
  • Use as drop covers when painting to protect floors
  • Wrap fragile items for packing/storing
  • Make it into a garden film. Clear an area of weeds in your garden, lay several sheets of newspaper down, and spread mulch on top of it. It will keep most weeds from coming through
  • Plastic Containers
  • Use as an inexpensive alternative to Tupperware to store leftovers
  • Use for storage of small items such as nails
  • Use containers as a food or water container for pets
  • Plastic Utensils
  • If at all possible DON'T BUY!!! Use tableware
  • Store the plastic utensils you get from fast food restaurants in your car and use them for on-the-road meals or when the drive thru forgets to give you utensils
  • Take on camping trips or picnics (but don't throw them out). Reuse them until they break
  • Keep a spoon in your desk drawer at work for stirring your coffee (so you don't have to use a stirring stick)
  • Let kids use as tools for cutting clay or play-dough
  • Shoelaces
  • Use as a ribbon on packages wrapped in homemade wrapping paper
  • String nuts and washers through for orderly storage
  • Toilet Paper Rolls
  • Stuff an extra set of stockings into a tube and keep in your desk drawer at work, your glove compartment, etc. in case of a run
  • Ask local schools if they need them for art projects
  • Wrap double-sided tape around the tube, stick one or two fingers in the middle and roll over clothing, furniture, etc. to remove lint
  • Use in place of a plant pot. Fill with potting soil, place in a plastic butter/ice cream tub, plant the seed and water. When the plants sprouts, plant the seedling (tube and all) in the ground. The tube rots away.
  • Toothbrushes
  • Use for polishing your shoes
  • Use for cleaning

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