
25 Household Items You Can Repurpose
The United States produces more than 30% of the planet’s total waste. That’s 2,555 pounds of trash per person per year. That’s a lot. Completely cutting out waste is a commitment that requires planning, but there are steps you can take now to decrease the waste you produce. A lot of the stuff we throw out could be repurposed and given a new life. We’ve assembled a list of ideas to get you started. With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can find ways to repurpose just about anything.
- Tic Tac containers can hold bobby pins.
- Empty candle containers can be used as decorative storage containers.
- Use single socks or old t-shirts as dust rags.
- Empty paper towel/toilet paper rolls can be used to keep wrapping paper from unraveling. Simply make one long cut, lengthwise, through the roll and wrap it around the wrapping paper.
- Old tires can be cleaned and used as quirky planters.
- Empty and cleaned out tin food cans can be used for storage in a craft room to hold markers and glue sticks.
- Wine corks can be used for lots of different things. Make your own memo board. Make stylish coasters. The possibilities are endless.
- Use a sponge as a holder for your bars of soap, so once they get too small, none of it goes to waste.
- Empty wine bottles work as nice decorative vases for flowers.
- A plastic water bottle can be used as a birdfeeder.
- Poke holes in the lid to an empty gallon jug to use to water your plants.
- Glass jars can make great planters or even charming drinking glasses.
- Drawers from old dressers can be turned into shelves or cool planters.
- Pull tabs can be used to hang items on the walls or connect hangers to save space.
- Old t-shirts can be cut and used as reusable grocery/produce bags.
- If you don’t use reusable canvas bags at the grocery store, you can save your plastic bags and use them as a trash can in the car or to pick up after you dog on a walk.
- Add rubber bands to the shoulders of hangers to prevent your clothes from slipping.
- Old CDs can be cut up and used as mosaic tiles for different craft projects.
- Old coffee mugs make great planters for succulents and other small plants.
- Shoe boxes make great storage containers.
- Used dryer sheets/fabric softener sheets can be placed in shoes, your sock drawers, or with your hanging clothes to keep everything smelling fresh as daisies.
- Cut up your old or damaged water hose into smaller section to attach to bucket handles, making them more comfortable to carry.
- Old bath towels work great for drying off your pets after a bath or cleaning their paws if they get into the mud.
- Use an old mint tin for medicine to keep in your purse or backpack.
- Newspaper is great for cleaning mirrors because it doesn’t leave streaks or residue.