39 more miscellaneous repurposing ideas for the home- Repurposing 101 series
November 6, 2012
This is the fifth (and final) post in a series of posts about various ways to repurpose items in your home. This post centers on general repurposing ideas for the home. From re-using an old lightbulb to making decorative art with doilies, this post has a lot of inspiring ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
You know what I like most about repurposing? It saves money. If you finish the pasta sauce in your refrigerator, don’t throw away the jar and go out and buy organizational containers the next day. Reuse that old spaghetti jar! This post tells you how to do this… and many more creative, unique ways to repurpose items. Be sure to check it out!
39 more miscellaneous repurposing ideas for the home- Repurposing 101 series
- Use plastic newspaper sleeves as a pooper scooper or disposable plastic mittens for cleaning jobs.
- Melt down broken crayon pieces in cupcake molds to form new multi-colored rainbow crayons.
- Use a paper clip as a bookmark to save your spot in the book for later.
- Use old toilet paper rolls to corral electronic cables and wires. Just label the toilet paper rolls and stick them all in a shoebox for easy organization.
- Take an old spaghetti jar, clean it, delabel it, and use it store all sorts of small knick knacks around the house, such as nails, screws, paper clips, rubber bands, and so on.
- Use an old jar as a children’s piggy bank. Just cut a large slit in the lid and decorate the jar with pretty papers and stickers.
- Use old baby food jars to store plant seeds – label the jars with a picture of the plant for quick and easy identification.
- Use old baby food jars to store nails, nuts, bolts, etc. in the workroom or garage – nail the jar lids to the underside of a shelf and then screw the jars onto the lids.
- Use an old baby food jar to make a snowglobe – add a tablespoon of white plastic confetti, some water, and a plastic figurine to the jar, seal and shake!
- Use a baby food jar to make a sewing kit- add buttons, safety pins, and small spool of thread to the jar. Create a pincushion out of the lid by gluing some padding and fabric to the top of the lid.
- Use a toothbrush holder on your diningroom table to serve as a flower vase- the holes in the bottom will hold the stems in place for an instant, stay-put arrangement.
- Use a wooden bath mat in your entryway to store wet boots when you come in the house.
- Use bread tags to organize and identify keys, such as car, shed, back door, office, etc.
- Use a bread tag to keep your electronic cables tangle-free and labeled for quick identification.
- Avoid making rubber bands balls or finding a huge tangle of rubber bands in the junk drawer. Keep all the rubber bands grouped together and neatly organized by using a bread tag around them.
- Don’t throw away that old lightbulb- empty the interior contents. Fill with some soil/moss, a tiny plant, a small animal figurine, and you have an instant terrarium.
- Empty the inside of old lightbulbs and fill with an inch or two of water. Add one flower stem to each bulb. Hang a series of them, upside down, for an instant, eye-catching floral design.
- Add wheels to the bottom of wooden crates and use them as rolling children’s toys chests. The wheels make it super easy to move all baby’s toys from one room to the next. You can even paint the crates according to your child’s favorite color, cartoon character, or theme.
- Use wooden crates as a planter and flower bed. Fill with soil and create an herb garden.
- Place wooden crates on their sides in the library or living room and store books inside them.
- Don’t throw away that high-end shopping bags after you’ve finished shopping. Keep those exclusive, designer shopping bags (like Chanel, Tiffany, Cartier, etc.) and put them in a grouping of monotone frames. Hang these frames together on a feature wall and enjoy your custom gallery wall.
- Save doilies of varying shapes and sizes. Put them in front of dark scrapbook paper and frame them. Hang these framed doilies in big groupings for an interesting piece of art.
- If you have a ton of picture frames but are struggling to find artwork to put inside, consider a grouping of empty frames. Try to vary the size, shape, color and finish of the frames.
- Use egg crates to store holiday ornaments during the off-season.
- Use a funnel upside down on the dining room table to hold a stem or two of your favorite flower.
- Cut out large rectangles out of your children’s artwork pieces and laminate them at the office supply store. Use as child-proof placemats.
- If you can’t find your ice scraper after a terrible winter storm, use an old CD as an ice scraper.
- If you have beautiful wrapping paper that has been torn, you don’t have to throw it away. Run it through the shredder and use the confetti that remains to fill gift bags.
- Use old scrapbook paper or wrapping paper to wrap a rectangular piece of cardboard for a pretty bookmark.
- Use an old tissue box to store rolled up plastic bags. The plastic bags will be dispensed neatly one at a time.
- Use a lint roller to clean up crumbs, dust, debris, etc. from the bottom of your handbag.
- Use paper clips to keep the wrapping paper roll from unraveling.
- If you received a stunning greeting card that you want to keep, cut out the front page and use it as a bookmark.
- Use a baby wipe container to dispense yarn and thread.
- Put a photo inside a single plastic CD case and let it serve as a photo place card on your dining table.
- Never throw away an old photo album. Use it to sort the seemingly endless pile of business cards that seem to accumulate in your home.
- Reuse a brightly colored colander as an unexpected planter- simply place a lush green plant inside.
- Wrap plain glass vases with old yarn scraps and secure the yarn with hot glue. Use the vases to hold flowers or tall candles.
- Cut out the top of a white bleach container and use it as a scoop for soil.
For more posts in the Repurposing 101 series, please click here.
