Repurposing Ideas

[jdp]

Tic Tac containers (came up in family discussion this weekend lol):

*paperclip organizer for clips of diff sizes
*in the fishing tackle box = keeping sinkers in
*safe disposal of sharp things, razor blades (I hate just throwing them in the trash and worry about someone getting cut, thought this one was smart!)
*bead storage (thank you to my little niece for that one)
*traveling drink mix dispenser - the boys love gatorade and such where you mix power in water. To make it "go" friendly it is possible to figure out just where on that tictac box is the right serving for a 20oz refillable bottle of water turned into gatorade (or other mixed drink) paired with a reusable bottle and tap water talk about handy!
*mom saves on buying splenda in "bulk" (i.e. not little packets) and using one in her purse
*dad the organized Christmas pro keeps ornament hangers in them because its such a tight fit they can't swish around and tangle
*from sis (queen of candy) - those candy necklaces that make kids all sticky? cut the string and slide the pieces into a tic tac box.

[rstlne]

I use plastic bags from supermarkets as general-purpose bags and as trash bags. However, I recently started using reusable shopping bags so when my stash of plastic bags runs out, that's it.

I also use jelly jars and peanut butter jars to store coins. (quarters for laundry, silver dimes I'm saving to sell later)

[amyschiff]

empty spaghetti sauce jars are great for holding cooking drippings that you can't put down your drain... it definitely doesn't look pretty but it gives the grease a safe place to cool down

seeing daffodils blooming around here also reminds me that those jars can also be great makeshift vases.

I too use plastic grocery bags all around the house in little trash cans. I also use them to double or triple bag things that get smelly when they sit out like pieces I've trimmed off of chicken breasts (by sit out I mean in the trash... hehe).

There's also a grocery bag in my car that serves as a trash bag. I hang one handle around the shifter and I have easy access when I need it.

[gt0163c]

- I use pint size glass jars from peanut butter and salsa as drinking glasses.
- Plastic containers from yougurt, detergent and something else, I think it was for powdered Gatorade, are scoops for cat food, litter and such.
- Cardboard shoe boxes get used to store all sorts of things from receipts/bills for the year, tax information, small items in the pantry, small toys, etc.
- Heavy cardboard boxes with the tops cut off so that they are open are pantry organizers for oatmeal packets, granola bars and other items that are used one at a time.
- Larger glass jars hold macaroni, rice, pancake mix and other staples in the pantry.
- Toothbrushes get used for cleaning.
- Old t-shirts become rags or stuffing for pillows or cat beds.
- Return address labels go on/in books/DVDs and such that I loan to others as a reminder that they're borrowed.
- A small wire basket hangs from the bottom of the shower caddy by an old shower curtain ring to hold the soap.
- Another glass jar collects bits of bars of soap which are too small to comfortably be used and are awaiting being combined with a bit of water and pressed into an old cake frosting tub and let to dry for a few months before being used as a massive bar of soap.
- Another cake frosting tub collects the ends of solid deoderant waiting to be heated slightly in the microwave and poured into an old deoderant container and used up.
- Pump bottles from handsoap get refilled with free (after coupon or from hotels) shampoo to be used as hand soap...or they did before coupons and sales on Soft Soap started lining up and yielding free Soft Soap.
- A wire lunch box size box holds bars of soap that are drying out and waiting to be used.

[purplefdu]

Originally Posted by Megan

I've been repurposing my old polycarbonate water bottles, since there seems to be talk of chemicals leaching into the water. But since they are fairly sturdy and hard to crush, they're great for storage. Just not for storage of foodstuffs!

Polycarb should be unbreakable unless it has a flaw in it. It should take something like a trash truck running it over to break it. All "unbreakable" stuff is made of polycarb. And not all polycarb is on the list, just ones with certain additives I believe.

We use lots of weird and unique bottles with a cork to make vanilla extract (with real beans and vodka or rum). Also the little shot bottles with screw on lids are great.

We don't get many plastic bags these days but the ones we get are used for smaller waste baskets which get mostly paper trash and are emptied into the larger bags and reused.

Old bent muffin tins make great seedling starters for 2-3 seeds for cucumbers/squash/watermelon. You can even line with a liner or napkin to make them easy to get out.

Water filters from the brita that have "gotten used" get set aside to filter water for the fish or dogs in a separate jug since they don't mind as much if the water isn't perfect (not that it gets rid of the iron taste anyway).

[Megan]

Originally Posted by purplefdu

Polycarb should be unbreakable unless it has a flaw in it. It should take something like a trash truck running it over to break it. All "unbreakable" stuff is made of polycarb. And not all polycarb is on the list, just ones with certain additives I believe.

True, but these bottles are Nalgene made, a company which has stated outright that they use(d) polycarbonate with BPA in it. And even if I didn't have that sort of proof, it's not a bad idea to switch to the non-polycarbonate bottles I own. Better safe than sorry in this case.

And I have managed to destroy a polycarbonate bottle. It involved a small mishap involving someone knocking over a pile of bricks during a rehab project. Bottle went from on top of the pile to underneath the pile to cracked underneath the pile. Whoops.

[happysmileylady]

Old bent muffin tins make great seedling starters for 2-3 seeds for cucumbers/squash/watermelon. You can even line with a liner or napkin to make them easy to get out.

Dude, that's a GREAT idea! I totally need to remember that next year!

[lucille]

Originally Posted by purplefdu

Old bent muffin tins make great seedling starters for 2-3 seeds for cucumbers/squash/watermelon. You can even line with a liner or napkin to make them easy to get out.

That is a great idea. They would last much longer than those plastic seedling trays.

[FruWiki Meg]

If you want a really big list of things you can repurpose, check out:
http://www.fruwiki.com/index.php?title=Repurposing

And please, feel free to add more ideas there!

[rawvixen]

Part of reducing/reusing and recycling is also repurposing.. something you all already know.... I try to find ways to re use things we've already bought or were given to avoid paying for the store bought versions.

here are some things I do.

1. Greeting cards/stationary = i use single layer cardboard boxes (cereal/cracker/shoe, light-bulb boxes) and cut out the front and back panel (or any panel that is useable) I use scissors to cut a fancy edge and then fold in half. I use the brown inside to inscribe my message and also note "please recycle with cardboard" to the receiver. I don't put them in another evelope, i just use an address sticker (yeah I know, something i have to buy) and put a stamp on it, small piece of tape to keep it closed. These are things I COULD recycle, but I'd rather repurposes the card board than purchase a pack of general notes. (card, tax, gas, time)

2. Fruit bag/vegetable bag mesh- remove lables and roll or crochet into pads to scrub dishes (i love this one and use them more than anything else I repurpose)

3. Plastic bags (any, think bread bags, carrot bags, celery, tortilla bags) that are not locally recycalbe. i fuse the plastic together in 4 layers into a big sheet and use them as waterproof covering for mailing packages/books. You can also fuse it into 6 layers and it is a sewable material. Most online tuts are for how to make purses, handbags, messenger bags, laptop cases etc.

It's called plastic fusing and there are videos on youtube. The videos use mostly "pretty" plastic bags, but i use every plastic bag/material that can't be recycled here. My product is not "pretty" but it is funcitonal and I even found a woman selling 3 yards of this "material" for 22$. very ingenious.

4. I don't buy dish towels, napkins, paper towels, wash clothes or drying rags or general rags, i use old clothes from our wardrobe or from the MANY bags i get for free from the thrift shops over abundance. i cut them, serge the edges and they have a very professional/storebought look and they last a good few years. I use these same rags on my Swiffer Wet Jet instead of the paper pads which are SO very expensive and inneffetive at trapping real dirt.


well, those are just a few of my ideas....(not all my originally of course, i gleaned them from somewhere else)