Some alternative uses for everyday items found in and around your home.

Olive Oil

Use this as an alternative to shaving cream. It protects and moisturises, not to mention will leave you smelling good enough to eat?

Baby Powder

If you’ve got squeaky floor boards, sprinkle baby powder over them and sweep the excess in the cracks. You will have squaky floor boards no more.

Egg Shells

Sprinkle crushed egg shell into potted plants. The roughage terrain will deter insects from eating the plants.

Old Socks

If you’ve got a feline in the home fill an old sock with cat nip and your cat will love you forever.

Plactic Carrier Bags

No doubt you’ve got quite a lot of these stock piled in your home. Use them to protect fragile items when packing or posting versus expensive bubble wrap.

Magazines

Use magazines to wrap presents. If you want to really shake it up you can also chuck in a couple take away menus to add some “spice” to the wrapping.

Jars

Remove the labels from cleaned out, empty jars and use as shabby-chic vase for flowers.

WD-40

If you’re little ones have taken markers or crayons and used your walls (or any other hard surface) to do their best Van Gogh impression, spray WD-40 on them and wipe away.

Alka Seltzer/ Ant-Acids

Use a couple of these tablets versus harmful cleaner to remove grime from your toilets. Chuck them in and leave to sit until fully dissolved.

Dryer Sheets

If you’ve got a pair of shoes that are starting to smell less than fresh you can chuck these into them to absorb the smell and return them to their original glory.

Buttons

Organise your earrings using a button to keep them together. Will work for either studs or dangling pairs.

Lemon and Salt

Not just for tequila! Take a wedge of lemon dipped in salt to polish brass or copper items in your home.

There are a number of other uses for lemon and salt, as well as other food items – particularly when it comes to cleaning the home, as outlined in our post “How to Clean Your Home…Using Food“.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has many uses in the home, one of the simplest is for brushing teeth. Use it for instant fresh mouth and a whiter smile.

Hand Lotion

Use hand lotion to shine your shoes. It will also help to further protect them in the same way shoe polish can.

Tags: Home Improvements, Recycling, Upcycling