We can all use new ways to reuse things right? Sometimes inspiration will simply strike out of the blue, as you are on your way to the garbage can to throw something out. Other times you have to read about a new reuse idea first, before you realize that it can be done. Whichever way a reuse idea comes to you, I think it is important to pass it along. Not only will you save money when you reuse things, but you will also save the environment.
Here are some of my latest reuse discoveries.
One day last week when we were indoors after snowstorm followed by snowstorm followed by snowstorm, the kids were going insane with boredom. I needed to take care of getting dinner together and putting away laundry. So, this reuse idea came from desperation. I handed each of the kids an empty egg carton and placed a tub of beads on the table. Then I told them to sort the beads any way they liked. This kept them occupied for a good hour. You could also use buttons, colored paper clips or any small type of item.
In an old issue of Woman’s Day magazine, I found the following two ideas.
Take wine corks and wrap them together with wire to make a homemade trivet. This is a great use for getting rid of those old wine cork collections that so many people have. I would imagine that it might be easier to first glue to corks together before wrapping the wire around them. Just make sue to use a heat safe glue to do it.
If you have any old loofahs that you no longer want to use for scrubbing your body, you can use them to scrub the tub. I can imagine that you can use them to scrub practically anything. In my experience, loofahs tend to collect mold (it is all of those dead skin cells they like), so make sure to soak the loofah in bleach (don’t use an ammonia cleaner afterwards) or vinegar to clean it up first. Better yet, the thrift stores are full of brand new loofahs in packages that people get for gifts and don’t want.