Save Money and help the environment! How to repurpose household items.

The Solutions guide: Reuse Almost Anything

Practically every item in your house has a hidden talent or two. So don't toss out that empty bleach bottle, or that old pie plate, or even that old rubber bathmat. Let me show or tell you what you can do with those things to reuse them.

You and the environment will be better off.

Let's start with the kitchen.These durable containers are too good for the trash. Foil potato chip bags, wash, turn inside out and use as gift bags for gifts. tie the top shut with a ribbon.

Liquid detergent bottles. Cut the bottom off of the dish liquid bottle two inches up and use that bottom part for storing steel wool pads.

Mustard squeeze bottles. Clean thoroughly, fill with frosting and use to decorate cakes.

Old tin pie plate. Hammer a nail through the center of the pie plate into your cupboard shelf, then place a few washers between the plate and the shelf. You now have a turntable for your spices.

Berry baskets. Use as a sink strainer for peelings.

TLC for your tools. Put a flexible straw over an oil can spout to reach those tight spots.

Protect the teeth of a circular saw in an old record album cover.

Cut the top off an empty bleach jug opposite the handle and you have a tool carrier.

Small glass jars are great for storing nails and screws.

If you need to drill several holes of the same depth, slide a piece of cork onto your drill bit right above the depth you need. The cork will keep you from drilling too deeply.

Throw a few pieces of chalk into your toolbox to absorb moisture and help prevent tools and supplies from rusting.

New shampoo a flop? Pour into a pump bottle and use as soap for your hands.

Take one of your forgotten fragrances and dab on a cool light bulb, when you turn it on, you'll have a wonderful scent through the house.

In a spot? Don't have a scrubber or scouring pad? Ball up pieces of tin foil and use it to clean your pots and pans.

Make a funnel from a detergent bottle. Cut top off and rinse, let air dry, now you have a funnel.

Fill a plastic zip lock bag with icing and snip a corner of the bag, now you can decorate cookies, cakes, or cupcakes.

Easy does it coffee filters. Now if you have cut back on coffee, you can use your filters for cleaning windows and mirrors for a streak free shine. Line a potted plant pot with a filter to keep the soil from leaking through the pots holes. Contain food sprays in a microwave by covering the bowl with a coffee filter.

Don't ditch that door knob, use as a tieback for your curtains.

Fill an unused ashtray with potpourri to freshen up your car or a room in your house.

Cut an old rubber bathmat longways in half. Store in the trunk of your car and use it if you get stuck in the mud or snow. Place a piece of the mat under the wheel and you're out.

Place your plastic grocery bags in a long cardboard tube and keep under your car seat in case you are in need of a bag.

Well, that is a big head start on products you have around the home that you can reuse one way or another. Good Luck!

Learn more about this author, Traci Jo Shaffer.
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