30 new ways to use your old stuff
With Earth Day coming up, we thought you should have a few fresh ideas on ways to upcycle stuff you probably already have lying around the house. Here are the best of the best reuse ideas, from toilet paper rolls to bubblewrap:
- Use toilet paper rolls to keep those messy TV and cable cords in line.
- ….Or use metal binder clips or paper clips to get the job done.
- Transform an old picture frame into a serving tray by inserting a piece of cute wallpaper behind the glass.
- Upcycle your old ketchup bottles into squirt bottles for making pancakes.
- String shower-liner hooks along the bar in your shower and hang your handbags and scarves there.
- DIY a secondhand suitcase into a hip medicine cabinet.
- …Or even a side table, if you’re feeling extra crafty.
- Create a jewelry organizer from an unused bulletin board.
- Bend your old forks and spoons into hooks for hanging your keys, then mount them on the wall.
- Enlist a plastic hanging shoe organizer to display snacks in your pantry.
- Organize your ribbons by stacking them on an old paper towel holder.
- Make your old mason jars into individual salad holders, each filled with colorful layers of healthy produce.
- Makeover empty fruit or veggie cans and use them to stow serving spoons and spatulas (or do the same with old flower pots).
- Mount vegetable or fruit crates on the wall in the bathroom and neatly stack fresh towels or sheets there for guests.
- Attach plastic bread tags to unmarked keys to keep them straight.
- …Or use bread tags to clip your socks together so that they don’t get separated from their partners.
- Use metal shelf fixtures to hang old hardback books on the wall horizontally, and stack them with decorative flourishes.
- Shred the ends of old two-liter soda bottles and transform them into a makeshift broom to use outdoors.
- Make your old winter gloves (especially the ones that no longer have a companion) into stuffed animals or puppets.
- Fill old bottle caps with hot wax and a wick, then use them as tea lights.
- Use old seedling trays to keep your smaller ornaments and holiday decorations from getting tangled up throughout the year.
- Turn your old lightbulbs into bud vases, tiny terrariums, or hanging vases (see links to these DIY projects here).
- Enlist your old cutlery tray to organize your pens and pencils in your desk.
- …Or to organize your remote controls and coasters in the living room.
- …Or even to hang your jewelry (just add some temporary wallpaper to the inside of the tray first).
- Dispense dish soap, oil, and vinegar from recycled glass soda bottles by washing them thoroughly, then topping each with a cheap plastic pouring spout.
- Instead of chucking old tumblers or liquor glasses, fill them with soil and succulents or tea lights to create a pretty focal point in your home.
- Repurpose your old shower curtains as window curtains for a larger set in the living room, given that they’re still looking good enough to be on display.
- If you have a wooden or bamboo bath mat that you’d like to replace, use it to dry boots in the entryway instead.
- Keep your potted plants safe from the cold on a drafty window sill by surrounding them with old bubblewrap.
50 Creative Ways to Repurpose, Reuse and Upcycle Old Things [Twisted Sifter]
30 Creative Ways to Repurpose & Reuse Old Stuff [Bored Panda]
The Big 49: Smart, Money-Saving Creative Reuse Ideas [Apartment Therapy]