If you are like me, you can’t seem to throw anything away. You ponder and look online how to repurpose items that would ordinary go in the trash. So, I asked some of my green sisters what ordinary household items do they re-use or repurpose. Boy, did they deliver. Here are their ideas. Be sure to add your’s in the comments below. (Post links are welcomed!)
P. S. I bet you won’t look at trash in the same way…
10 Repurpose or Reuse Ideas for Ordinary Household Items
1. Reuse Your Cereal Bags. If you don’t buy your cereal in bulk, re-use your cereal bags in lieu of using wax paper. See how Kristina of the Greening of Westford re-uses her bags.
In fact, you could buy your cereal in bulk and put them in your own cereal bags to keep fresh, using a Eurosealer. (Note, repeated uses of the tool will slice the bag so you will have to seal a new place.)
2. Keep your rubber bands. I have a little old cream cheese cup in my cabinet where I store my rubbers bands. I use them in a multitude of ways:
- drying herbs –simply put a rubber band around the herb stems, use a paper clip and hang them upside down on a cabinet door knob.
- Fermenting foods–use the rubber band to secure the cheese clothe or coffee filter around your fermenting crock.
- Jump rope–Use them to make a jump rope ( thanks to a suggestion on Kristina’s site.)
3. Re-use your K-cups as planters. Heather of Hippy Homesteader provides a short how to tutorial here on to use the K-cups as planters. Yogurt cups work well too.
4. Don’t pitch those wine corks: Use wine corks to make a coat rack! See Lisa of Condo Blue’s tutorial here.
5. Repurpose old ribbon or yarn: Do you have a stash of old ribbon hanging around? Make a pom pom using old yarn or ribbons. See Becky of Glue and Glitter’s tutorial here.
6. Repurposing old diaper boxes. Instead of pitching those diaper boxes, consider making them into a storage box for your pantry or linen closet. See Sarah of Mindfully Frugal Mom’s tutorial here. Don’t forget to use scraps of fabric or old pillow cases that are laying around.
6. Got old sweaters? Consider making them into pillows! See Emily of Liverenewed’s tutorial here.
7. Re-purpose old tights: Use old tights to make a no-sew draft snake to reduce air infiltration coming in from your windows and doors. See Tiffany of Nature Moms’ no sew tutorial. Use old long socks too.
8. Don’t pitch those tissue boxes: Have you ever considered using your tissue boxes to make toys? Betsy of Econovice turned her tissue box into a train station! See the tutorial here.
Nylon Hose Stop critters from eating your garden
9. Giving panty hose a new life. I love old panty hose since they are life savers in the garden! Small critters love my squashes. I put the squash in the legs of the panty hose and secure it with a tie or a knot. Those hose have saved me more squashes then you can count on two hands. (Be sure to read all my panty hose repurpose suggestions here.)
10. Those darn missing socks. I have a huge pile in my laundry room of socks missing pairs. Does my washing machine eat them? Karen of ecokaren has an ingenuous idea what to do with those socks. Make drier balls! Read her tutorial here.
Join the Conversation:
What ordinary household items do you repurpose or reuse?
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karen says
Great (clever) list! Thanks for including my dryer balls tute. I also reuse the box that held the garbage bags in my car instead of throwing it in the recycling bin.
On a side note, your nylon over the pumpkin makes me laugh. 🙂
Anna@Green Talk says
Karen, I will do anything to stop those critters from eating my squashes. Love the dryer ball tute. Anna
Kristina (The Greening Of Westford) says
I love seeing how clever people are with random things! Thanks for including my cereal bag trick. I NEED to try the sock dryer balls! I have so many mismatched socks just waiting for their mate. It’s not gonna happen, just give it up Kristina! LOL
Anna@Green Talk says
Kristina, maybe we should give Karen our socks and she can sell them on Etsy! I loved your bag trick–so useful. Anna
green diva meg says
must try these dryer balls and maybe that sweater pillow!
Anna@Green Talk says
Meg, I agree. What is your favorite DIY for the household. I know you have one. Anna
Anne says
The dryer balls are great and if you sew 1/2″ velcro snugly to both sides of one end you can refill and use over and over. 🙂
Anne says
Adding velcro snugly to both side of one end on your sock balls makes then refillable and they last for ages!
Old sweaters also make great reusable bags and gift bags use a zigzag stitch on edges, add button holes for a ribbon drawstring, cut out flowers & designs to tack here and there, possibilities are en dless. and arms from sweaters make great bottle warmer/gift bags. Have fun =)
Anna@Green Talk says
Anne, I love that idea. Anna
francine Storzbach says
Here in Portland, OR, frozen food plastic bags and wax paper bags that enclose boxed cereal are not recyclable and go in the trash.
I reuse them by using them for something that also is not compostable and has to go to the landfill: dog solid waste.
Hope that doesn’t gross you out, but it’s the best way I can think of to reuse what has to go to the landfill anyway, without buying bags for the same purpose.
Our Metro city recycling department discourages using compostable bags in the landfill trash. Not only are they expensive, but they don’t break down well in the landfill, and a lot of fuel is used to make them.
Anna@Green Talk says
Francine, compostable bags also create methane which contributes to Climate Change. You didn’t gross me out. I like that you came up with a way to re-use them. Anna