Do you ever go to throw something away, and feel shame that something perfectly good is going to waste? Unfortunately, it’s an all-too-common situation in America. Even though recycling is becoming more and more commonplace, Americans still produce nearly five pounds of garbage per person, per day (via Learner.org). That’s a lot of trash. At Maximize Minimalism, we’re focused on living lightly, having great experiences and getting the most out of the items we possess. With this in mind, we’re writing this article to focus on 25 ways to reuse common household items. Let’s explore!
If you’re short on time, check out our summary list below of 25 ways to reuse common household items!
- Get The Most Out Of Paper Towels
- Convert Candle Jars To Drinking Glasses Or Vaes
- Use Old Jars From Groceries For Storage
- Wear Old Clothes For Cleaning & Housework
- Use Worn-Out T-Shirts & Towels For Cleaning
- Cut Up Old Printed Papers For Scrap Paper
- Strips Of Sheets Or Clothes Can Be Worn As Headbands & Hair Ties
- Cut Old Clothes Or Curtains For Backing In Picture Frames
- Compost Food Scraps For Planting
- Used Dish Sponges Can Be Used For Dirty Cleaning
- Cut The Top Off Plastic Jugs To Collect Rain Water
- Get Two Cups Of Tea Or More Out Of One Tea Bag
- Used Tea Bags Can Be Used To Decrease Inflammation
- Squeeze Extra Juice Out Of A Lemon For Cleaning…
- …Then Use Lemon Peels For Cosmetic Purposes
- Newspaper Can Protect The Floor, Or Start Fires In The Fireplace
- Old Cardboard Boxes & Newspaper Can Be Used For Moving
- Shoe Boxes Are Sturdy Storage Containers
- Cats Love Playing With Crumpled-Up Aluminum Foil Balls
- Glass Bottles & Larger Jars Make Cool Flower Vases
- Plastic Snack & Sandwich Bags Can Be Reused Many Times
- Plastic Shopping Bags Are Perfect Small Trash Bags
- Furnish Unfinished Space With Old Furniture
- Wrap Fragile Items In Old Bed Sheets For Storage
- Binder Clips Are Versatile, Easy Hooks For Hanging Things & Organizing Wires, Scrap Papers, Etc.
Continue To Scroll Below For More Information About These 25 Ways To Reuse Common Household Items!
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1. Use Paper Towels More Than Once When Clean
All too often, we dry our clean hands or a washed dish using paper towels. One quick usage and in the garbage it goes.
Did you know that a paper towel is good for several uses? So long as it hasn’t been dirtied, lay out a damp paper towel near the sink and it’ll dry in no time. You’ll then have a good-as-new paper towel to dry your hands again, more dishes or wipe down the counter.
2. Candle Jars Can Become Drinking Glasses
Not only do candles smell great, but they often come in cool glass jars. Once the candle gets low, we usually throw the jar away and start a new candle.
Using only an Exacto Knife and something like Goo-Gone, we can clean out that old wax, remove any residue and wash the jar out like any other glass.
Presto! A new drinking glass has been created.
3. Jars From Grocery Items Can Be Used For Storage
Jams and pickled are sold in study glass jars. They also come with a screw-on metal top.
This makes old grocery jobs excellent storage containers. You can store raw cooking materials like spices, beans, rice, etc. in them, or use the jar for office supplies, small toys like Legos or other hobby stuff.
They’re also clear, so there’s no need to label them.
4. Wear Old Clothes For Cleaning & Housework
Those worn out pants, shirts and shoes might not be wearable day-to-day, but so long as they aren’t literally falling apart, they can still be worn.
This makes old clothes perfect for doing house chores involving grease, soot, bleach, etc. Why ruin your still-good clothes when the old ones can bear the brunt?
5. Old T-Shirts & Towels Are Great For Cleaning & Scrubbing
Not only can you wear old clothes for cleaning, but you can USE them for cleaning, too! T-shirts and other cotton garments are soft and absorbent, making them great for cleaning up spills, wiping down glass and much more.
The same can be said for old towels and pillow cases.
6. Cut Old Printer Paper Into Pieces & Take Notes At Home
According to USI, American use over 2 Billion trees per year for paper and wood-related applications. That’s about seven trees every year per person! Crazy.
It benefits the environment greatly to save paper when you can. One easy way to do this is to stop throwing away random documents printed on standard 8.5″x11″ paper.
Cut these pages into two or four smaller pieces. You can then keep the smaller scraps near the phone, computer or on the desk and use the blank side for scrap notes.
7. Cut Old Fabrics Into Strips & Wear As Headband
Did that old flannel shirt or pillow case rip? It’s still worthy!
With a little finessing using some sharp scissors meant for fabric, we can cut these fabrics into strips for headbands, hair ties, bandanas and many other purposes.
If you have a project that requires you buy some fabric, consider any old clothes or cloths that can be used, instead.
8. Old Clothing Or Curtains Make Great Backings For Picture Frames
Frames pictures often have a plain background; whatever comes with the frame is what is behind the photo.
Fabrics like curtains, shirts, pants, sheets and many more are often sturdy, bright-colored and feature unique patterns.
You can cut them into rectangles or any other shape to fit within a picture frame. Then, place your photos over it for a cool, unique look!
9. Old Food Scraps Can Be Composted & Used For Gardening
If you’re into gardening or even keeping a couple of potted plants, you know how vital it is to have high-quality soil. This keeps our plants healthy and growing.
As they say, we all come from the Earth, one way or another. Fresh food is no exception, and it can easily be incorporated back into the Earth too.
Check out “Home Composting Made Easy” for all the information you need to start practicing composting at home, including the foods you can compost, how to start and what to use compost for!
10. Old Dish Sponges Can Be Used For Dirtier Work
Sponges can only be used for so long. We all get to the point when we think “this sponge is too nasty to be used on dishes I eat off of!”. They then get tossed in the trash can.
Hold the phone! Old sponges might not be suitable for your dishes anymore, but they’re still useful.
You can use that old sponge to scrub down stains on tile or wood floors, wash the car, clean windows, clean tools after using and any other dirtier house chores.
11. Cut The Top Off Plastic Jugs & Place In Yard To Catch Rain For Watering Plants
For gardens big and small, water is essential for nearly all types of plants.
Normally, we crank on the hose to water the plants. This can use quite a bit of water, and much of it goes to waste.
When it rains, our plants get their share of water, but most goes into the ground.
Cutting off the top of larger plastic bottles that contain juice, soda, milk and water leaves an open-top container – perfect for catching rain.
Keeping a few of these jugs outside helps us collect this rainwater and water our plants again when the sun comes back out. They’re also good for storing seeds and other gardening materials.
12. One Tea Bag Can Be Used For At Least Two Cups Of Tea
Unless you REALLY like strong tea, it’s likely that we’re leaving tea on the table when we throw out a tea bag.
Most of us use a tea bag once and then toss it, but they’re almost certainly good for at least another cup of tea. This can especially come in handy when making cups for a few people at one time. It may not amount to much, but it can at least help you buy tea less often.
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13. Tea Bags Can Also Be Used On The Skin To Reduce Inflammation
Tea bags contain leaves and other natural herbs, making them a compact dosage of soothing herbs.
Many teas – specifically ones with caffeine – are able to reduce inflammation. These tea leaves contain chemicals like tannins and other compounds that can reduce swelling, extract toxins, soothe burns and act in an anti-bacterial capacity. and If you have some swelling under your eyes
Therefore, many tea bags from black and green tea can reduce puffy skin, treat bites and stings, help sunburns and more!
14. Squeeze The Extra Juice Out Of A Lemon For Cleaning…
Ever notice how so many cleaning products are infused with lemon? This is because the citric acid found in lemons break down residue and build-up.
You can wipe down counters, mop the floor, clean pans, scrub the drain and many other household cleaning activities using fresh lemon.
Lemon juice is even anti-bacterial! It smells fresh, too.
15. …Then Use The Lemon Peels For Cosmetic Purposes & More
While we mostly focus on the juice we get from lemons, the peel actually contains many nutrients.
In a lemon peel, you can find vitamin C, potassium, fiber, antioxidants and more.
Zesting lemon peels into our food can give us a vitamin C boost to prevent sickness.
You can also apply lemon peels to dry skin, or use it to clean your face to treat wrinkles.
Lemon peels also work to neutralize nasty smells in the garbage, laundry or gym bag.
Believe it or not, dry lemon peels can last for years when stored at room temperature!
16. Old Newspaper Is Great For Protecting The Floor While Painting Or Lighting Fires In Fireplace
When doing messy work around the house like painting, spackling or caulking, we often put plastic down on the floor to protect it.
How about using newspaper instead? Not only does it reduce our use of large plastic sheets from home improvement stores, but it’s pretty much free!
Additionally, you can use newspaper as a fire-starter in your fireplace our outdoor fire pit. Practice proper fire safety, of course!
17. Old Cardboard Boxes & Newspaper Can Be Used For Moving
Moving to a new house or apartment is a pain. Luckily, we have cardboard boxes to at least contain our stuff somewhat.
Big box stores sell new brand new cardboard boxes that we assemble at home using tape. Sometimes we need 10-20 of them to move. That adds up in cost, and they usually go to waste after.
Keeping large cardboard boxes will come in handy during the next move or if someone close to you moves. This eliminates our need to buy expensive containers, also. The amount of boxes you keep should be within reason, of course, and recycle the rest!
You can also use these boxes to carry many things you’d otherwise buy a container or box for.e
Bonus tip: liquor and wine stores have lots of extra cardboard boxes that are strong, too. If you ask, they’ll probably give you a few.
18. Shoe Boxes Are Sturdy Storage Containers
Shoe boxes are just big enough to hold important smaller items, but small enough to fit in tight spaces like closet shelves and under the bed.
This makes cardboard shoe boxes a convenient place to store supplies, valuables, small items, photos, papers and more.
19. Cats Love Playing With Crumpled-Up Aluminum Foil Balls
Cat toys can be pricey, and usually don’t last very long.
A ball of aluminum foil though? Cats go crazy for them.
Simply crush and compress the foil into a round, dense sphere. Your cat will almost certainly chase it every time.
These foil balls for cats last a long time and roll a lot too, so our cats get a workout in the process.
20. Glass Bottles & Larger Jars Make Cool Flower Vases
Vases are often boring and blend into the background. They can be pricey, too, pending on the design.
If you’re into retro or vintage styles, consider using old glass bottles to house flowers and small plants.
There are so many styles to choose from, too. Wine bottles, glass soda and seltzer bottles, beer bottles are just a few examples.
Simply use a cleaning agent like Goo-Gone will help remove stickers and residue, too.
Some stores SELL items like this, but with a little work, you can have them for free. Well, for the cost of what’s in the bottle anyway.
21. Plastic Snack & Sandwich Bags Can Be Reused Many Times
Plastic sandwich and snack bags can be used many times. So long as they aren’t soiled with food residue, a bag can go for several days at a time, or more.
The beautiful part of plastic bags? They’re waterproof. Snack and sandwich bags can be cleaned out.
Do you use these bags to carry lunch? Try using the same plastic bag for a week at a time, rather than a day at a time.
22. Plastic Shopping Bags Are Perfect Small Trash Bags
This one may not work for long, but plastic shopping bags are ideal for lining small trash cans with.
Why won’t this work in the future? Stores are starting to remove plastic bags from check-out to reduce waste. This is a good thing of course!
Ultimately, we need to buy trash bags for small and large wastebaskets alike. If we’re going to buy them anyways and we have access to plastic bags at checkout, it reduces waste of plastic either way.
We can also use plastic shopping bags to clean up after our dogs on a walk, too.
23. Furnish Unfinished Space With Old Furniture
If you have a basement, garage or attic that you aren’t using, consider furnishing the space to make it more inhabitable. Rather than going out and buying new furniture, we can use any older furniture we already have to spruce them up.
If you’ll only hang out occasionally in these spaces, or use them for a specific purpose, we often don’t need it to be full furnished.
An old couch can suit a basement well, and you won’t care as much if it gets flooded or ruined.
An attic may just be a place to escape for an hour of reading or crafting, so a single chair and a small table might be all you need up there.
Old furniture like hutches and cupboards work well as storage in a garage for things like tools, building supplies, etc.
Area rugs bring life and comfort to all of these places.
24. Wrap Fragile Items In Old Bed Sheets For Storage
Large fragile items often break when storing or transporting them, rather than just sitting there.
Examples of this include glass picture frames, vases, clay pots and other large items made of glass and ceramic materials.
They’ll fare much better with a little protection. Enter the old bed sheets, blankets and pillow cases.
Wrapping our fragile items in sheets for storage is a great way to protect them in the long run.
If these items DO break while wrapped up, the sheet will also help contain the breakage.
25. Binder Clips Are Versatile, Easy Hooks For Hanging Things & Organizing Wires, Scrap Papers, Etc.
Binder clips are those black metal clips with two silver tabs that hold stacks of paper together.
This is where the uses start. Binder clips come in all different sizes, making them perfect for clipping onto desks, cabinets, etc.
Binder clips can then store items in a hanging fashion. The hole inside the two tabs can be use to contain charger cables and cords. You can also hang binder clips by their tabs from a nail or screw for further hanging storage.
In Summary
While humans are getting better at recycling, we still waste quite a bit every day. There are many ways we can reduce this waste, both directly and indirectly. We can prevent waste directly by reusing items, as well as indirectly when we don’t need to buy something else because of our reusing something. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article titled “25 Ways To Reuse Common Household Items” and that you now have a few ideas to try out!