- Buy some plain white paper, tissues and paper towels. Dyed paper pollutes.
- Instead of ammonia-based cleaners, use vinegarand water or baking soda and water.
- Walk or ride a bike instead of using a car for shorttrips.
- Reuse your grocery bags or buy a canvas bag you can carry your groceries in.
- Use mulch and natural ground cover in gardensto contain moisture and conserve water
use.
- Turn off the lights in rooms you are not using.
- Buy rechargeable batteries.
- Reduce your use of aluminum foil and plastic wraps, or avoid them completely by
using plastic containers. You can also reuse those glass jars that you would normally
recycle.
- Water lawns at night to eliminate evaporation.
- Repair leaks and drips as soon as they occur. A moderate drip wastes two gallons
of water or more per hour.
- Do not put oil and gasoline into the sewer system or on the ground. Take it to a
local collection site.
- Recycle your aluminum and tin cans, glass, plastic and paper
- Just Say No To Junk Mail -- To reduce unwanted catalogs, call the company’s
800 number and ask to be removed from its mailing list.
- Plastic or Styrofoam Trays. They’re good as . . . .
Plant saucers
Drip- catchers under sticky bottles of cooking oil or honey
Canvases for kids to paint on (they’re a nice small size, not to mention self-framing)
Picnic plates and platters
- Socks
Slip then onto your hands for dusting blinds, cleaning windows and mirrors, or polishing
and buffing your shoes.
Place under the legs of a heavy piece of furniture so you can move it with scratching
the floors.
Help your children sew on buttons, yarn and patches of fabric to create priceless
(literally) hand puppets.
When traveling, slide one over each shoe to keep the clothes in your suitcase clean.
Place over the tops of powdered cleaners to protect against spills.
Slip over sneakers while washing in the machine to muffle the noise.
Cut off toes from a pair and pull up over a child’s wrists and arms for protection
when painting.
- Mesh Produce Bags
Fill with flower bulbs and hang in a dry place to increase circulation and fight
mold.
Crumple and place in the bottom of a vase to securely hold a flower arrangement.
Create an indoor basketball hoop for the kids. Simply cut the end off the bottom
and thread a straightened out metal coat hanger through the top, forming a circle.
Hook the end over the top of a door.
Use crumpled aluminum foil for the balls.
- Pantyhose
Slip over the end of a vacuum cleaner hose when cleaning drawers or searching for
tiny lost objects. The dirt will pass through, but the small items won’t.
Cut in rings and use as stuffing for pincushions, pillows or toys. The fabric is
washable and can be easily poked into small corners.
Attach to the end of a washing machine drain hose to catch lint and prevent clogged
drains.
Cut into strips for tying plants to stakes.
Fill with onions and garlic, tie a knot in the top and hang in your pantry. It’s
a great storage container because it allows for the necessary air circulation.
Make your own hair scrunchies by cutting pantyhose legs into 3-inch sections. Tie
ends in a knot and presto.
If paint appears lumpy, stretch nylons over a bucket and strain.
- Tin Cans
Tomato cans graced with old-fashioned labels make charming vases for small flower
arrangements.
Cover coffee cans with fabric or paper and use as holders for pens, kitchen cutlery
and so on.
Cylindrical potato chip cans make perfect totes for picnics. They can carry cutlery,
rolled-up cloth napkins, etc. They can also hold jars of baby food. They can be
decorated and sent to school with your children so they won’t forget to bring home
school notices or their homework.
- Other Useful Ideas
Give cut flowers more height by slipping them into plastic straws.
Three-ring binders make handy key holders. Remove the front and back covers and
attach the spine to the wall.
Put a Wine Rack next to the front door and store wet or muddy shoes there.
Automobile wiper blades make excellent squeegees for washing windows.
Cut an “X” shaped slit in one end of an old Tennis Ball and put it on the head of
a hammer to make a mallet. Brighten up drab pantry and kitchen shelves by using
Leftover Wallpaper as shelf liners.
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