Posted by Alice Moon on Mar.16, 2009

©iStockPhoto.com - kozmoat98

Dryer sheets

If you use dryer sheets, don’t throw them away as they come out of the machine. They can function as small cloths and have any number of handy uses. I use mine to wipe away the lint and dust which accumulate on the washer and dryer, especially after I clean out the lint trap. I tend to sweep the whole house at once each week, so I also keep a few at hand for touch ups in between sessions with my broom. They are great for picking up hair at the bathroom sink. They store very well in an old tissue box.

Fresh dryer sheets are equally versatile. I tuck them into drawers for their freshening factor. They make an easily portable static reducer. I have even used them in a hair emergency to tame flyaways.

Disposable Meal Containers
My partner and I used to have to transport a lot of food each day when we worked far from home. Now we have a lot of these neat little containers and no meals to store. I started using them to organize various parts of the house. They make fantastic storage compartments for all kinds of clutter and because they stack nicely, I can create neat rows where a jumble of packaging once stood. They save a lot of space. Because they are see-through, finding what I need is a snap. I’ve used them to declutter kitchen and bathroom cabinets, to house smaller items in our closets and home office. They seal well, so tiny parts don’t spill, even when I drop one. Oh, and they also hold food. They keep pungent items like cut onions from smelling up the fridge. When we buy in bulk, we use them to portion out larger bags which can’t fit into our pantry.

Used Paper Towels
Paper towels are not the most green of products, but they do have some very important functions in our home. To make sure I am getting double the use from each one and making their use less wasteful, I save the ones that survive round one relatively clean and intact and reuse them. They make good packing material around breakable objects, are convenient for spot-cleaning the kitchen floor, and keep our cutting board from sliding around as food is prepared.

Tea Jars
These jars are one of the most valued recyclable items in our home. They rarely make it into the glass bin. They are the perfect size for starting sprouts for two. They hold our cooled, reused cooking oil perfectly. They also store a number of grains ready for use.

Old Socks
I have unabashedly used my old socks for any number of purposes for which they were not intended- from impromptu washcloth to slip-on dustrag. Who hasn’t made a sock puppet? They can be turned into a number of toys for pets, used to wash vehicles and bikes without scratching, or made into sachets for closets or drawers. I also trimmed a pair to use as gloves when I’m at the computer. They cushion my wrists and keep me warm on the colder winter days.

Clothing
When it comes to clothing, I usually try to pass a piece along if there is still any wear left in it. If the item is cotton and is no longer wearable, I shred it and add it to our garden or potted plants. My favorite item to find a new use for is a pair of old jeans. I make heavy duty carrying bags from the material. They make great replacement storage bags for some of our camping gear. Because of their shape, the legs can be filled with packing and function as draft guards.

Old Blankets
I have a collection of comforters which have faded or developed thin spots. I’m not quite ready to part with them and don’t want to store them, so we have added them to our bed for greater comfort and warmth. We put a couple between the mattress and bottom sheet and it is like having one of those fancy mattress pads. If we need a blanket for some reason, we simply pull one off the bed.

Plastic Film Canisters
There are fewer of these available now that so many cameras are digital, but I still have a number of them. I prefer to use them to hold quarters- for the laundromat, to pay to inflate my tires, for whatever little emergency may require a couple of dollars in change. I also keep one as a sewing kit. It is just the right size for a couple of needles, two bundles of thread, a thimble or an extra button or two.

I challenge each of you to look around as you go through your daily routine and see if you can find alternate functions for common items. If you can think of any of your own hints, you’re welcome to leave a comment to share them with other readers. Working together, we can all stretch a dollar and get more use from our discards!

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Posted under Eco-Friendly Ideas, Living.