
Many household articles can be reused rather than discarded. If you don't
want to reuse items in any of the ways described here, try contacting your
local school, preschool, daycare, community center, or recreation center.
Teachers and craft instructors are often looking for household items for art
projects.
Either select an article from the following list or scroll through this file.
Aluminum pie plates
- Use a pie plate for baking, broiling and reheating food. Wash and reuse.
- Use aluminum pie plates as freezer containers. Fill with baked goods,
berries, or other foods, then wrap and freeze.
- Use a pie plate to cover a fresh pie in a similar-sized plate to make
for easier transport.
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Bath Mats
- Use a worn out bath mat that has lost its non-skid backing to make a
floor mop: fold the mat (fluffy side out) to fit your mop handle and
slip it into place. The mop can be washed in the washing machine after
use.
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Belts
- Make a cat or dog collar with a discarded belt or one bought at a
thrift sale. Cut to size and add a metal ring to the buckle to attach
identification and licence tags.
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Bottle caps
- Paint bottle caps red and black and use them to replace missing
checkers.
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Carpet remnants
- Use carpet scraps to give your feet extra insulation from the cold.
Line boots or rubbers by tracing your foot on a piece of paper to make
a pattern, then use the outline to cut the carpeting to fit. This works
well for children's snow boots.
- Line the bottom of your pots and pans cupboard to prevent scraping and
to deaden sound.
- Pet mats in doghouse, etc.
- Make a texture book for a small child.
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Ceramic tile
- Give new life to an old table by covering the top with used ceramic
tiles and painting the legs.
- Use single tiles to make trivets or hot plates. Frame tiles with wood
scraps or glue felt pieces or carpet remnants to the bottom of the tile to
prevent scratching.
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Chipped coffee mugs
- Use a chipped or cracked coffee mug to make small windowsill-size
planters.
- Put an old mug near your phone to hold pens and pencils for taking
messages.
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Christmas trees
Buy a potted live tree instead of a cut tree for Christmas. Try using
it for a number of years before planting it permanently outside.
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Coffee filters
- Buy a reusable metal or cloth coffee filter instead of
using paper filters.
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Corks
- Run your dull razor blade through a cork to get a few more shaves out
of it.
- Attach a cork to boat keys so they will float if they end up overboard.
- Glue wine corks onto wood backing and make your own cork board.
- Use corks as fish hook holders.
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Detergent squeeze bottles
- Use a detergent squeeze bottle to water plants, fill a steam iron, or
spot clean the floor.
- Store a water-filled squeeze bottle in the car and use it to clean the
windshield when the wiper fluid is used up or to clean hands after
changing a flat.
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Eyeglasses
- Donate old eyeglasses to one of the organizations listed under
"Charities and Service Organizations" in the Resource Directory:
Operation Eyesight Universal and Medical Missions Group International.
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Fancy doilies
- Use old-fashioned lace doilies that once protected the backs and arms
of good chairs as placemats and table runners. Use them alone or with a
solid colored protective mat of plastic or cloth.
- Frame a fancy doily and use it to decorate a wall.
- Make a gift bag by threading a ribbon through the edge of a doily and
drawing it tight to close the bag.
- Line a basket with a doily.
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Glass jars
- Give gifts of candies, cookies, or jam in decorated jars.
- Make bookends or lamps by filling two matched jars with
colored water (just add a few drops of food coloring) or layers of
colored sand or shells. Glue pieces of felt or rubber from a pair of
old rubber gloves to the base to prevent slipping.
- Store bulk grains, cereals, baking supplies, or spices in used jars.
- Use for canning, storing sauces, salsas, etc.
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Hangers
- Find out if your local dry cleaner will accept metal clothes hangers.
- Decorate hangers with wool or fabric for gift giving.
- Take some hangers with you when you go camping for roasting wieners and
marshmallows.
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Ironing board covers
- Use less worn areas of a non-stick ironing board cover to make pot
holders, barbecue mitts, or hot pads: cut out the shape you need and
cover the holder, mitt, or pad with scraps of material; quilt together
on a sewing machine, then use bias tape to bind edges and add a loop.
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Jars with shaker tops
- Use large jars with shaker tops to dispense baking or washing soda
when you clean the bathtub or sink.
- Use small jars for herbs and spices bought from bulk food stores.
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Junk mail
Lemon/lime squeeze containers
- Pry open and fill with children's shampoo, oil and vinegar for picnic
salads, or hand lotion to keep at the kitchen sink.
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Lone earrings
- Use a lone earring as a scatter pin for a turtleneck sweater or on the
lapel of a jacket.
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Lunch kits and containers
- Pack your lunch in reusable containers (old yogurt containers, film
canisters), and carry them in a reusable fabric bag or plastic lunch
kit.
- Use a reusable mug at work.
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Memory machines
- Use your answering machine, a chalkboard, or an erasable
felt pen board to record notes to yourself or instructions for your
children. This will mean no more lost notes or wasted paper.
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Mesh bags
- Fasten a large mesh bag over a gutter spout to keep leaves out.
- Convert a large mesh bag into a shopping bag (you can soak off the
label in warm water first if you wish).
- Use a small mesh bag to make a pot scrubber and soap-saver: fold the
bag into a square the size of your kitchen soap dish, and fasten with
one stitch in the middle.
- Use a small mesh bag to hold baby bottle nipples and caps for washing
in the dishwasher.
- Put suet for the birds in a small mesh bag and hang the "feeder" from a
tree branch outside your window.
- Make a gift bag by weaving wool or ribbon through the neck of a small
or large mesh bag. Use scraps of ribbon or wool to create a design.
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Napkins
- Make new napkins from worn tablecloths.
- Use old cloth napkins in your picnic basket or for dust rags.
- Use cloth napkins for meals instead of paper napkins.
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Old greeting cards
- Use last year's Christmas cards to make Christmas gift tags and paper
chains to decorate your home.
- Make a bookmark from an old card.
- Make gift boxes using old cards.
- Make your own birthday and greeting cards by covering old cards with
new pictures or photographs.
- Reuse an especially nice or funny card by sending it back and forth to
different people.
- Give cards you can't use to schools, daycare centers, and Brownie packs
for craft projects.
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Old cushions
- Use flat rectangular foam cushions as extra sleeping pads for visiting
children, floor cushions for watching television, exercise mats, or bed
pillow props.
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Packing cardboard
- Try reusing the packing cardboard that comes with many new products.
Use it to protect delicate items sent through the mail or to make
birthday cards.
- The cardboard that comes with new pantyhose can be used for recipe
cards.
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Paper towel alternatives
- Use rags or sponges for clean-up instead of paper towels.
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Party decorations
- Make party decorations using old greeting cards, fabric scraps, or
strips of old posters and wallpaper. Share them with friends and
relatives.
- Make an ornament or something else that is reusable as a
party favor. Home-made puzzles and home-baked treats make
good children's party favors.
- Make party hats by sticking old giftwrap to heavy paper, and decorate
with ribbons.
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Plastic berry baskets
- Use plastic berry baskets to hold small items, such as baby bottle
caps, that often end up on the bottom of the dishwasher. Put the items
in one basket, place another basket upside down on top, then secure
both baskets with a rubber band.
- Make a miniature moss basket for flowers for your house, patio, or
children's playhouse.
- Thread berry baskets with scraps of wool, ribbon, or fabric for gift
containers.
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Plastic trays
- Use plastic (polystyrene) trays from cookies and pastries when freezing
portions of fresh meat or poultry. The meat pieces will lie flat and
slip into freezer bags more easily on trays and when the meat is
defrosting the tray will hold the juices.
- Use plastic trays in place of paper plates for picnics.
- Put trays under baked goods you give as gifts or under plants to catch
drips.
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Polystyrene packing chips
- Reuse packing chips for mailing parcels.
- Return packing chips to the supplier for reuse.
- Find out if a local pottery or electronics store is looking for chips
to reuse.
- Substitute air-popped popcorn for polystyrene packing chips.
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Quilts
- Use fabric scraps from old clothes to make quilted pot holders,
placemats, vests, tote bags, and baby blankets.
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Rental partyware
- Rent all the dishes and serving equipment needed for your special event
instead of buying disposables.
See the Telephone Book Yellow Pages for "Party Supplies - Rentals".
- Consider renting a church or community hall and hiring a catering
service equipped with china.
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Sand boxes
- Use the sand box your children have outgrown to make a vegetable or
flower garden.
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Scrap paper
- Cut up pieces of paper already used on one side and keep them in a box
by the phone.
- Write out a grocery list on an old envelope and put
redeemable coupons inside.
- Cover the address on an old envelope and use the envelope again.
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Shopping bags
- Take a canvas shopping bag or plastic carrier bags when you go
shopping.
- Store reused and reusable bags in your car or your purse so they are
always available.
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Soap chips
- Make a soapy scrubber. Place small bits of leftover soap into a square
of nylon netting, fold the netting so there are several layers around
the soap, then tuck in all the edges with heavy thread. Use for
scrubbing collar stains or cleaning hands after gardening or painting.
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Shower curtains
- Clean and disinfect an old shower curtain by soaking it for a couple of hours in a bathtub filled with warm water and vinegar. Use it as a
tablecloth for the picnic table.
- Use an old shower curtain as a drop cloth when you are painting, or as
a ground sheet under your tent or sleeping bags.
- Make a car windshield cover to prevent frost build-up. Cut a shower
curtain to fit your windshield and hem in magnets along the edges to
hold it in place.
- Use a shower curtain to make an apron for really messy jobs.
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Tablecloths and sheets
- Cut and hem pieces of old tablecloths and sheets to make lint-free
kitchen towels.
- Cut large cloths and sheets into runner-sized pieces and add decorative
trim.
- Use tablecloths and sheets to make curtains, placemats, tea cozies,
serviettes, aprons, or laundry bags.
- Replace worn window shade fabric with a piece from an old plastic
tablecloth. Cut the plastic to fit, hem the bottom, then staple and
glue to the roller.
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Telephone books
- Use last year's telephone book to make a reference file for the car.
Cut out maps and frequently called numbers and put them in a folder.
Recycle the remainder of the book.
- Put last year's Yellow Pages in the car for reference.
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Tie racks
- Use an old tie rack under your kitchen sink for holding brushes,
spoons, utensils, towels, and cloths.
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Utensils
- Use old kitchen utensils in your picnic basket, or in the garden.
- Let children have old kitchen utensils for playing
house or digging in dirt and sand.
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Vases
- Return vases to florist shops or donate them to thrift
stores.
- Buy vases at garage sales and fill with flowers for gift
giving.
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Vinyl Flooring
- Use vinyl flooring remnants to line your pots and pans cupboard or to
protect a floor in a heavy traffic area.
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Watches
- Buy a watch with a replaceable battery so that you don't
have to dispose of the whole watch when the battery dies.
- Use old watch parts to make costume jewelry.
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Xerox Copies
- Make scratch pads and phone message pads out of old photocopies.
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Yogurt Containers
- Use old yogurt containers to store leftovers or to pack lunches.
- Cut the bottom out of a yogurt container and place it around delicate
plants to protect them in the spring.
- Make your own herb garden: put hole in bottom, add large rock, soil
and seed.
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Zippers
- Take the zippers out of old garments and use them again. Shorten any
zipper by zigzag stitching firmly across the end.
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