Used, bulky or broken household items can be hard to discard without sending them straight to landfill. Whether it’s a broken skateboard or that old stack of magazines (remember those!) collecting dust, this month we share some clever and creative ways to repurpose and up-cycle 10 common household items! You can also donate these items to your local art centre or art school or charity shop!
If you’ve got a hole in your rubber shoes, don’t throw them in the red bin. Instead, take an old pair of stockings, fill it up with sand or stones so the gumboot is heavy enough to be used as a door wedge.
There are plenty of ways to reuse a cardboard box! Use it as a homemade truck/car for the kids or assemble a few of them to build a fort! Cats also love hanging out in cardboard boxes - the possibilities are endless.
Have you got a pile of old, outdated magazines and feel guilty about throwing them away? These will make great bedside tables! Simply pile them up and tie them all together with twine or the string of your choice, and you’ve got yourself a fashionable, waste-free bedside table!
Devil’s Ivy, Spider Plants, and Lucky Bamboo will easily grow roots in water. Instead of buying a glass jar for this purpose, simply reuse a wine bottle or condiment jars. You’ll propagate your cuttings quickly and plant them in soil a few months later.
Paint used cans and pierce holes all around the cans to turn them into tin can lanterns!
Got rips and tears on your old tights? Don’t throw them away! These can be upcycled as a garment bag for your delicates.
Let the kids have some fun by painting used skates and boards for an art piece in their bedroom, or commission an artist who will customise the board with the drawing of your choice. What was once broken will become a magnificent work of art in the bedroom or playroom.
If you’ve got some old shirts that don’t fit, , then they may be perfect pillow cases. You can also sew a few old shirts together to create bags (great for shopping trips!) or use them as-is for rags.
If you just got a brand new cutting board, you can transform the old one into a serving tray. Simply sand, polish it and screw handles on both sides and you’ve got yourself a beautiful handmade tray - another excuse to have breakfast in bed!
Who knew an old colander could be reused as a hanging basket? Cover the bottom of the colander with jute to seal the holes, add the soil and plants. Slip a chain into both handles and hang it in your favourite spot!
