
© Davidgn/Dreamstime.com
© Davidgn/Dreamstime.com
© Davidgn/Dreamstime.com
It’s easy to go through any number of items in a day and be tempted to toss them when you’re done. Maybe an old and trusted T-shirt finally rips or the dresser drawer falls out. An instinct may be to throw them out, but try to look at them in a different light. Many household items can be used in ways they weren’t originally made for, helping you save money, spruce up the house and more.
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There are several ways you can enjoy eggs. You can cook up the best scrambled eggs, a delicious omelet or a hard-boiled egg. But did you know you can get more use out of the carton once you finish those yolks of joy? You can use it to start your own miniature garden. You can also use the sections to separate and freeze cookie dough, meatballs and other comfort foods that are perfect to make ahead and eat the next day.
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You may not realize that there are multiple ways you can use a dish soap bottle other than for cleaning your dishes. After thoroughly washing the bottle, use it to squeeze out the perfect amount of pancake batter on your griddle before topping them with some surprisingly delicious ingredients that will take them to the next level. Not hungry? A great gardening tip for a beginner is to use the bottle to water your plants.
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Are you still wearing socks that have a hole in them and expose your big toe? Or mismatched socks because one of them mysteriously disappeared while doing laundry? It’s time to let go. But instead of throwing it away, you can turn your old sock into a brand new toy that your pet might actually play with. Put a tennis ball inside the sock to create a toy for your dog or sew it closed with some catnip for your cat.
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Next time you’re going through your stuff, you might come across ripped or faded T-shirts. Put those old shirts to use. Cut a few pieces to use as a dust or cleaning rag. You can use some of these natural cleaning tips to keep your home spotless.
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Shoebox dioramas may not be as popular now as when you were a student, but there are other creative ways to use the vessel. Maybe you fell for the tricks of the shopping mall and bought new shoes. Now you can use the box to keep some important papers and documents organized, or as extra storage for your childhood and family photos. They can easily be labeled.
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After you make a delicious home-cooked meal and have some leftover sauce jars, what do you do with them? Jars are very versatile and can organize your home to make your life simpler. Use the jars as glassware or for food canning. You can also use one to organize your desk by placing pens or makeup brushes in it. If you need a holder for your toothbrush or toothpaste in the bathroom, use a jar.
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Tissues are essential items to have in your home during flu season. But the tissue box can be used even after the tissues are gone. The box could be used to hold and organize plastic bags or trash bags. You can easily tuck it away under the sink or beside the trash can to make it easier to quickly switch out a full bag.
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Having a glass of wine after a long day at work can help some people de-stress if they’re suffering from signs of burnout. After you’re finished with the wine bottle, add some beautiful fragrant flowers inside to use it as a vase. It can brighten the room at the center of your dinner table, windowsill or kitchen counter.
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Remember waking up on Saturday mornings excited to watch TV and eat sugary cereals that you wish would come back? You probably didn’t think about repurposing that box in a creative way. If you cut it at an angle, it can make a great holder for keeping important documents and papers. Instead of just throwing your mail anywhere, you can stay organized by placing it in Cap’n Crunch’s former home.
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If you’re looking for a way to get more storage, using an old dresser drawer might do the trick. You can use it under the bed for towels and other things even after you replace the dresser. If you’re really crafty, you can turn it into shelving on your wall to hold plants or make it into a brand new bookshelf.
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You may have mugs that you’ve accumulated over the years that have stains from coffee and other drinks. What should you do with them? You can use the old mug with your college mascot on it to finally organize your messy office and place your pens and pencils inside. Or organize all of your makeup brushes with the souvenir mug you bought to commemorate surviving that family trip. You can also use it to plant your favorite flower and place it right next to your window to get plenty of sunshine.
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Sandwich bags aren’t just for school lunches. You can use the household staple as a piping bag for decorating delicious delights. Decorate cupcakes, cakes and other sweets just like the best dessert shops in the country.
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Being an efficient packer isn’t easy, but if you can find a way to repurpose this item, it may change your traveling game. When traveling through the airport, you have to follow the 3-1-1 liquids rule, which says any liquids, such as lotions or shampoos, must be in containers no bigger than 3.4 ounces. You can use an old pill or medicine bottle and fill it up with lotion to create your own travel-sized container.
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After your paper towels run out and you’re left only with the roll, what do you do? You could reduce your carbon footprint by recycling it. Or you can make use of it to organize your cell phone cord or TV wires. Are you tired of seeing your cords tied together in a bunch? Just put them through the roll to keep them untangled.
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Do you have old magazines lying around or newspapers that you haven’t picked up to read since you got your new cell phone? You can crinkle them up and use them inside a package box before shipping it. The paper will make a great cushion for fragile items. If you’re in the process of moving, save money on supplies by using the papers to wrap your fragile glassware. Just don’t get distracted by reading your travel horoscope from five years ago.
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After coming back from the grocery store, you may have a bunch of plastic or paper bags. You can use them as trash bags for your smaller bins throughout the house. You can also separate your recyclables with them, but make sure you aren’t making these recycling mistakes.
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If you’re eating apples or other fruits that are in season, they most likely will have seeds that would make a perfect personal project for any rookie gardener. Take your old jar or egg carton, fill it with some dirt and plant your seeds.
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Dryer sheets are great to make your clothes smell fresh and prevent static cling from building up in your favorite sweater. But what do you do with them after you’re done with the laundry? If you keep your old dryer sheets around, they can make an excellent dust rag to pick up dust mites under your table or pet hair all over your couch. For the pet lovers, you may want to look into hypoallergenic dog breeds that won’t make you sneeze.
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You should change out your toothbrush often, but there are ways to reuse that old one, too. Toothbrushes are great to help clean difficult, hard-to-reach places in your bathroom such as underneath the fixtures on faucets and more of the dirtiest places in your home.
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Does your favorite pillowcase have a stain or tiny holes in it? You don’t have to throw it out completely. Use it to help keep your closet full of sheets and other pillowcases organized. If you have matching sets, you can stuff your folded bedsheets, linen or other pillowcases inside. You can also use it as a homemade Halloween bag to collect some of the most popular Halloween candies.
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A lazy susan can be a great way to organize your kitchen cabinets after you ditch it for a fancy new spice rack. Don’t struggle with searching for a sponge or a spray bottle that disappeared in the back of the cabinet. Place the lazy susan underneath the sink cabinet and all of the important supplies on top of it. Spin it around and find anything you need.
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Do you have an old bar cart that you barely use anymore and is just taking up space in your house? Why not find a new purpose for it? You can make it into a new bedside table or even turn it into a bookcase.
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You’ll first want to make sure you’re not storing your bread and other groceries wrong, but after you finish eating the loaf, the tag might be just lying around. The bread tag may be great for keeping your bread fresh, but it can also help organize the cords behind your TV. They can be written on to add labels, too. Take that, HDMI 1, 2 and 3.
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So you redid your kitchen and the old paper-towel holder just doesn’t have a home anymore. Well, it turns out it can hold more than paper towels. Move it into the closet to stack and organize bracelets or necklaces, or keep it in the kitchen and put a trash bag roll on it for easy trash swaps.
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Does your cereal quickly go stale a few days after opening it? Use an old clothespin to keep the package closed and fresh every time you open it to eat it. An old clothespin can make a great clip to close a chip bag or any of your favorite snack foods when you’re done with them. While you’re reusing these items to reinvent your household, make sure you’re not making these common home mistakes that could be making you sick.
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