Reuse, Reuse, Reuse

A dozen things around your home that you can reuse

By Debra Frick

• .Most stores around here have started putting their meat in big plastic pans. If you wash out these they make great disposable paint pans. You can also clean them with a little bleach and use them to give cookies or candy at the holidays or use them for a small kitty litter pan for your kitten you are trying to potty train. They also make great water pans for outside animals

• Every once in a while I will get in my mailer a really nice plastic CD box with a CD from one of the “other internet providers” I use these to mail Photo CD’s to my family. Open the CD and lay the box flat and remove the paper from inside the plastic cover. Now you can slide your own paper in with your receivers address and send it right off. Hope this helps someone who takes a lot of pictures and loves to share. You might even get the neighbors to save them for you if you don’t share this tip with them

• Here is a use for an old Velveeta box and lid. Cut thin pieces of cardboard slightly smaller then the width of the Velveeta box. Wrap embroidery floss around the cardboard and store in the box. Makes it easy to organize colors. Cover the outside with contact paper or paint.

• Old “egg crates” (mattress pad) can be cut to help winterize your dog house. Cut the foam to fit the sides and roof of your dog house and staple in place. This will help keep your best friend warm when he has to be outside. Don’t forget the floor as this will help keep him warm by keeping him off the ground. A piece can also be stapled to the front to serve as a flap to keep out drafts.

• One of the electronics firms here in town regularly gets rid of wooden crates. I went to the shipping and receiving boss and asked if I could have them. They said “sure” as they used a lot of man hours breaking them up to go to the dump. I have used these for a small garden shed, I have torn them apart for the wood to make standup Christmas ornaments for the yard and best of all my local animal rescue loved these for dog houses for the bigger dogs. Look around and call your local moving and storage or an assembly plant. You to could be rolling in free plywood, too.

• Use those foam trays from meat packaging to make draft stoppers for behind your outlets. It is quite simple to do. Remove one outlet cover and trace around the outlet cover. Using a sharp blade cut out the pattern. You should be able to get two or three from each tray. Don’t forget your outside outlets too. Put this behind the outlet plate and reattach to the outlet. Be sure to dry fit before you install as you want it to fit snugly but not so snug you can not put outlet cover back on. I know that the premade ones are very inexpensive but you already paid for that tray when you bought your meat why waste that money?
• We all have socks with mates that have disappeared in the big black hole where all socks go. Most people know that these unmatched socks make great dusters and cleaning rags but how about filling one tube sock with clean kitty litter and using it as a Draft stopper at the bottom of your door? One bag of cheap kitty litter costs about 3.00 bucks and can make many of these. These also can be used to block drafts on window sills in older homes as well.

• Save all of your styrofoam fast food containers and foam food trays. When you think you have enough, shred with a pair of scissors. This now can be used for packaging for presents to be sent away or you can make a nice warm cushion for your older dog with them. The styrofoam holds in the heat so these are great for dogs with achy bones.

• I call this two liter bowling: Save and wash 10 – 2 liter bottles and the lids. Get a small ball from the dollar store. Fill the bottles with a couple of inches of clean kitty litter. Set it up and let your toddlers have a ball.

• So our kids broke the lid off the diaper wipe box they kept their little toys in. Don’t throw it away just yet. Wait until you get your first really good snowfall and give it to the kids to use as a snow mold for bricks. Hey they just might learn how to build an Igloo!

• Cut a two liter bottle in half and you have a good disposable bottle for changing your oil, or can be used anywhere you need a funnel and it can be kept, washed and reused if need be.

• Do your chains and beads get all tangled up? Mount an adjustable wooden cup rack on the back of your closet door. Now you can hang your necklaces tangle free.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Tagged as: Ecology, Green, Recycling