New uses for old things
realsimple.comI’m big on changing the use of an object into something different. These are all neat ideas.
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New Uses for Old Things
Every day should be Earth Day, but since it is top-of-mind this week, here is a collection ideas for repurposing old or used items into something new…
Old: Hula hoop and t-shirts | New: Hula hoop rug
How-to on FamilyFun / via Heather
Old: Orange you had at lunch | New: Bird feeder
How-to on Rhythm of the Home / via Amanda
Old: Toilet paper tubes | New: Plant starters
Spotted on on Saidos de Concha / via Emily
Old: Pieces of crayons | New: Multi-colored crayons
How-to on For the Love of Art / via Carrie
Old: Paper towel tubes | New: A sculpture to paint
How-to on The Chocolate Muffin Tree / via Margo
Old: T-shirts, dresses, shorts, pants, button-ups, fabric scraps | New: Hair ribbons
How-to on Babyccino Kids
Old: Books | New: Painting surface
Spotted on Handmade Spark / via a feast of dead bees
"New Uses for Old Things"
Love these organizing ideas from Real Simple, easily implemented using everyday items that most folks are likely to have lying around the house. Nail polish makes for a colorful key coder, and a used tissue box is a perfect stuffing place for loose plastic bags (especially in the car).
A contact lens case safely stores meds on-the-go. Being the victim of occassional migraines, I always carry a cure with me in my purse, and tossing a few Excedrin in a little container like this sure beats rattling around with bottles of pills, which I have been doing until now!
I’m a fan of using a filing organizer in the kitchen to house cutting boards, lids, and other fileable kitchen accessories. I’m currently using an inexpensive collapsible organizer from Ikea for this very job. But if your space allows for one, a desktop organizer is just as economic in price and space (and is more likely to be one of those unused items lying around the house).
More space-saving and decluttering ideas here.
Apple Cider Vinegar
My little sister had me spray her back with diluted apple cider vinegar last night to help get rid of acne. She said she read it online. It sparked my interested, so I did some googling of my own and this is what I found:
BEAUTY:
Hair: It is widely known that apple cider vinegar can be used as a rinse for your hair after shampooing to add healthy body and shine. Recycle an old shampoo bottle and fill it with 1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a cup of cold water. Pour through your hair after shampooing several times a week.
Face: Did you know that apple cider vinegar can help regulate the pH of your skin? Dilute apple cider vinegar with two parts water, and spread the concoction over your face with a cotton ball as a toner. You can do this at night after washing, and in the morning before you apply your moisturizer. You can also dab apple cider vinegar directly onto age spots and leave them on overnight to lighten their color.
Hands and Feet: Are your hands and feet feeling tired and swollen after a long day? Treat yourself to a personal spa massage by rubbing apple cider vinegar onto them.
Sunburn: Suffering from a bad sunburn? Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your bath and soak for 10 minutes.
Teeth: Did you know that apple cider vinegar can help remove stains from teeth? Rub teeth directly with apple cider vinegar and rinse out.
Aftershave: Fill a bottle with equal parts apple cider vinegar and water and shake to blend.
HEALTH:
Weight-Loss: For daily weight and pH balance maintenance, add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to 16 oz of water. Sip this concoction throughout the day.
Detox: Add 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a 1 or 2 liter filtered water bottle. Drink this throughout the day to cleanse your body and kidneys all day long.
HOME AND PETS
Cleaning: Mix 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water. You can use this concoction to clean microwaves, bathroom tiles, kitchen surfaces, windows, glasses and mirrors. This mixture also works as a disinfectant.
Flea Reduction: Rub apple cider vinegar onto your pet’s skin. Add a little bit of apple cider vinegar to their water. Spray apple cider vinegar, diluted 50 percent with water, onto your pets and onto your furniture to repel the presence of fleas.
Read more about amazing uses for other common products here!
What am I going to do with all this leftover shampoo?!? PART 2
Here are some more uses for your left over shampooooooo!
15. Need to wash nylon hose and delicate panties? Skip the pricey store bought stuff! Put a dab of shampoo in the water instead. Swish it around to mix, then wash as usual. 16. Have you run out of shower gel? Then grab a fruity bottle of shampoo to shower with instead!
17. Fill a small bowl with shampoo and soak your fingernails and cuticles. Not only cleans, but softens.
18. Use a scrubber and a dab of shampoo to clean your bathtub and sink. Rinse thoroughly, and wipe dry. Shampoo isn’t recommended to clean your toilet because it has no antibacterial properties.
19. Skip the store bought detergent for washing your sweaters! Instead, use shampoo in its place!
20. Use shampoo and a soft bristled brush to clean family headstones. Rinse the suds clean, and the headstone will be clean and shiny.
21. Give the kids some fun by diluting shampoo with water. Then, let them use the solution in their bubble guns or with their wands.
22. Spot clean the walls of your rooms by using shampoo and a clean, damp rag. Rinse clean and let the areas air dry.
23. Car, truck, or SUV dirty? Put a half cup of shampoo in a bucket of water. Then, add water and make a sudsy solution. Dip a sponge in the bucket and wash the grime off your vehicle!
24. Grab the shampoo and a clean rag to spot clean the outside of your refrigerator and stove. It will remove greasy spots, as well as dirt and other food spills too.
25. Use shampoo in a bucket of water to clean the dirt and grime off of your fiberglass boat. Rinse clean with a garden hose and allow your boat to air dry. Take away, shampoo is good at cleaning things. Like I said earlier, it is a hard detergent. New rule of thumb, if it can be used to clean a boat it shouldn’t be used on hair. ;) <3cattQuick Tip: Use Cooking Oil As A Natural Cleaning Agent!
Cooking oil’s not just for the frying pan; turns out it’s a really versatile, all-natural cleaning agent, too! For instance, if you’ve been painting house and have some stubborn paint spots on your skin, you can apply some cooking oil to help remove them more easily. You can also use it to remove scuffs from leather shoes, use it as wood polish by combining 2 cups olive or vegetable oil with the juice of a lemon, or use it to buff stainless steel surfaces in your home!
Why Your Marshmallows & Brown Sugar Should Team Up
It’s pretty clear we’ve got marshmallows on the brain over here, but did you know they’re a multi-talented food? Okay, so maybe not “America’s Got Talent”-talented, but they’ve certainly got some tricks up their puffy white sleeves. For instance, you know how brown sugar always seems to be rock solid when you pull it out of the pantry? Well, next time you open a new package, just toss a few marshmallows in with the leftover contents; the moisture from the mallows is more than enough to keep the sweet stuff soft for weeks!
New Uses for Old Things: Shoe-Box Up-cycle
I have a problem with buying shoes, and another problem of not knowing what to do with shoeboxes. They’re all different sizes and colors, and they take up so much space in my large and yet small closet. While I keep some of my better (read: designer) shoes in their original boxes, I use the boxes for storing odds and ends all over the place. It was during an impromptu stop at Marshall’s that I discovered a way to unite all the random boxes under a common theme: covering them with uniform paper, or in this case, shelf liner.
I’ve seen this done on Pinterest with brown paper bags and scrapbooking paper, and I was leaning towards using wrapping paper as it’s one of the few materials in which I can get a tight crease, and therefore clean corners. I wasn’t looking forward to glueing everything, though. That’s when I found this adhesive shelf liner!
While I love the geometric pattern, the best part about this shelf liner was that on the inside it was graphed, so I could see exactly how much I would need:
While they’re not entirely perfect (the first one I did had bubbles, and the pattern doesn’t exactly match up like my OCD brain would like it to), I’m proud of my first foray into up-cycling. Here’s the finished product!
