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Repurposing and Recycling: New Uses for Old Stuff - Page 4

post #31 of 41
10/4/10 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
Orange peels can be dried and used as kindling in the fireplace.
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post #32 of 41
10/4/10 at 6:24pm
We use the plastic Tidy Cats cat littler bins to store pet food in. A 15 lb. bag of pet food fits perfectly!
Also, my husband uses old baby formula cans to store screws and different odds and ends in his tool box.
Before our bunny passed away, we used to give her old toilet paper rolls and balled up magazine pages to use as toys (she even used to play bunny mini-golf, and would bat the magazine balls into the T.P. rolls!).
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post #33 of 41
10/15/10 at 10:41am
I save plastic milk jugs and ice cream buckets to use as collars for my veggie garden. dh uses his sawsall to cut off the bottom and it prevents wind damage when they are small and helps with cut worms. also, use old sheets that have holes or stains, trim the edges and hem and use as place mats or if big enough, table cloth. can cut up old towels and sew together to make pot holders. I sew several layers together and put broken cinnamon in middle so when hot pot is put on, the smell of cinnamon is everywhere. love this in winter to put tea kettle on.
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post #34 of 41
10/15/10 at 9:47pm
Well somehow my initial post disappeared... and I had an entire page full...

Turn cereal and other food boxes inside out to use as gift boxes.
Altoids tin makes a great change holder or a business/credit card holder
Use the tip of a Hair dye bottle to replace top on a large bottle of soap to refill the Lysol hands free dispenser
Chop up foam meat trays as drainage for potted plants
Use large icecream bucket to create the topsy turvey planters.
Use old scratched CDs, mismatched silverware, and fishing line to make wind chimes
VCR ate the movie - not playable... take apart the cassette and salvage the tape to use as ribbon for gifts or ties in the garden.
Milk jugs can be cut and used for many things including clotheline clothes pin holders.
Any container with a lid can be decopaged/covered to use as gifting containers. Pringles canisters work great for chocolate & candy dipped pretzel rods
Don't toss those tiny plastic kiddie pools just because of a hole. They make great tobbogans for the winter or great planting bed in the spring. If using as planting bed drill more holes for drainage. Great way to contain mint and strawberries from spreading.
Pinecones from the yard can be strung for Holiday Decor
Burnt out incandescent bulbs can be painted to use as holiday ornaments
The ends of pillsbury dough containers can be made into ornaments or gift tags, clean up, punch a hole for the ribbon and glue on a picture or use paint pen to write a name. For added sparkle roll edge in glue then glitter.
Any soup can can be reused as a container tho not adviseable around little kids. They are great to bake holiday breads in, wrap in food safe clear bag, tie off with ribbon, then replace label with the printed out recipe or perhaps a nice note or poem.
Old outdated maps and calandars make great gift wrap or modpodge projects
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post #35 of 41
10/16/10 at 1:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by usafsam View Post

Well somehow my initial post disappeared... and I had an entire page full...

Turn cereal and other food boxes inside out to use as gift boxes.
Altoids tin makes a great change holder or a business/credit card holder
Use the tip of a Hair dye bottle to replace top on a large bottle of soap to refill the Lysol hands free dispenser
Chop up foam meat trays as drainage for potted plants
Use large icecream bucket to create the topsy turvey planters.
Use old scratched CDs, mismatched silverware, and fishing line to make wind chimes
VCR ate the movie - not playable... take apart the cassette and salvage the tape to use as ribbon for gifts or ties in the garden.
Milk jugs can be cut and used for many things including clotheline clothes pin holders.
Any container with a lid can be decopaged/covered to use as gifting containers. Pringles canisters work great for chocolate & candy dipped pretzel rods
Don't toss those tiny plastic kiddie pools just because of a hole. They make great tobbogans for the winter or great planting bed in the spring. If using as planting bed drill more holes for drainage. Great way to contain mint and strawberries from spreading.
Pinecones from the yard can be strung for Holiday Decor
Burnt out incandescent bulbs can be painted to use as holiday ornaments
The ends of pillsbury dough containers can be made into ornaments or gift tags, clean up, punch a hole for the ribbon and glue on a picture or use paint pen to write a name. For added sparkle roll edge in glue then glitter.
Any soup can can be reused as a container tho not adviseable around little kids. They are great to bake holiday breads in, wrap in food safe clear bag, tie off with ribbon, then replace label with the printed out recipe or perhaps a nice note or poem.
Old outdated maps and calandars make great gift wrap or modpodge projects

your post is nice!
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post #36 of 41
10/19/10 at 8:44am
mesh bags(onion bags) can be scrunched up and used as pot scrubbers. Works great.
Dryer lint is a great firestarter for woodstoves.
Cereal bags are great for freezing meat and other items.
Milk bags(Canada) are great for freezing anything freezable
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post #37 of 41
10/20/10 at 8:04am
I was looking at the Real Simple web site and saw these articles on this subject and was amazed. Hundred of ideas (not listed in this post) that even I had never thought of doing.

I will have to say though that the plastic bag over a cook book idea is better served by using 2 large clear ziplocks that you can see thru and just wipe off to cover both sides of the book so as not to ruin the pages. If using a recipe card place it in a ziplock, and for hands free use a magnet to hang it from the range hood or tape it to the cupboard.

50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things | Real Simple
28 Uses for Everyday Items | Real Simple
101 New Uses for Everyday Things | Real Simple
15 Double-Duty Decorating Ideas | Real Simple
Decorate on the Cheap with Everyday Items | Real Simple
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post #38 of 41
1/7/12 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Save your old Yankee or jar candles and melt them down. Pour one into a jar, then harden. Repeat with the next candle and you'll have a "new" layered jar candle.
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post #39 of 41
1/13/12 at 3:39pm

I love the crib mattress idea! We have an old queen size mattress that is now in our basement for the kids to jump on. Its a good way for them to burn energy in the winter months.

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post #40 of 41
1/13/12 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dandelion View Post


I save empty candle jars with lids (like the yankee ones) and use them to keep my seeds in. I have given some to DH for his nails and screws from his shop. I have also seen them used for decor - put a raffia bow around the neck and fill with multicolored buttons or potpourri, etc.

I always get the miniature yankee candles (again with lids) for gifts, and I clean them out really well and use them as cute little containers for my dried herbs. I printed out labels for them on my computer.


I love the repurosing of candle jar ideas.  I usually just buy small cheap candles and put in the jars, instead of buying a whole jar/candle again. 

I also take any unused candle wax and put in a tin on top of the woodburner and it melts and lets off the scent.  Keeps the whole house smelling good.

 

As most of you know I repurpose blue jeans into quilts, rugs, purses and placemats.  I also have made bibs and a bean bag chair out of old jeans.

 

Baby food jars get used for multiply things.  Expecially in my craft room for beads, and buttons.

 

T-shirts get used for rags and any other uses that turn up.  I have made grocery totes out of them, purses for dd.  (Tank tops and spaghetti strap shirts work best for these). 

 

Just today I made some burp clothes for our Minister wife for her baby shower.  I took some pretty flannel that I got from the remnent bin at work and used a old piece of mattress cover for the filling.  They are about the size of a cloth diaper, but pretty and absorbs great. 
 

Onion Bags with the Rubber bands that come on Broccoli gets used to make scrubbies to use on the pots and pans. 

 

Newspapers get used as lining in the bird cage.

 

So many more things that I just can't think of right now also. 


Edited by Ellie Mae - 1/13/12 at 5:04pm
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