repurposed items ?

okaywitheasypay · ‎03-27-2011

anyone use a kitchen (or other household item?) for another purpose than intended.

I just thought about this this am when using one of my silicone muffin cups to hold safety pins from an item . I could count on one hand the times I have baked in them , but they are my & DH's go to whenever there are assemble or 'dis' assemble house hold projects, I put my small recipe ingredients in them (items I am likely to forget ,then wonder why it did not turn out right), the last egg of the large egg carton, dog vitamins for the day, on and on... They have earned thier price.

I am going to purchase a new immersion blender soon as the one I have has a crack in the plastic which can allow bacteria to accumulate. I see no reason to not use it in the bottom of a paint can though to stir. DH has a drill attachment but finding it can take a long time--I can store this where I know!

software · ‎06-08-2016

Don't tell DH where you hide the cracked immersion blender!!

Great idea!

I have the botton of an egg carton in my dresser drawer next to my underwear drawer. It's not very pretty but it's great for earrings or other little items that you don't want to put away, but you want to keep handy.

I'm not very clever, it takes me a while to figure out hacks or re-purposing.

Then when I do, I give myself one of those V8 head smacks!

@okaywitheasypay wrote:
anyone use a kitchen (or other household item?) for another purpose than intended.

I just thought about this this am when using one of my silicone muffin cups to hold safety pins from an item . I could count on one hand the times I have baked in them , but they are my & DH's go to whenever there are assemble or 'dis' assemble house hold projects, I put my small recipe ingredients in them (items I am likely to forget ,then wonder why it did not turn out right), the last egg of the large egg carton, dog vitamins for the day, on and on... They have earned thier price.

I am going to purchase a new immersion blender soon as the one I have has a crack in the plastic which can allow bacteria to accumulate. I see no reason to not use it in the bottom of a paint can though to stir. DH has a drill attachment but finding it can take a long time--I can store this where I know!

dex · ‎03-09-2010

I use an old fashioned can piercer to open sealed jars.Just pop it under the edge of the lid and voila the seal pops....no manly strength required.

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

I gave my mother a set of large kitchen tongs. A friend told me that her elderly father uses them to grab stuff, to pick up his socks, Etc. Etc. I figured if she didn’t like them for reaching things, she could use them for cooking.

godi · ‎03-09-2010

I use the fabric ponytail holders as rubber bands. I use them to keep tinfoil and plastic wrap lids closed and to seal up frozen opened vegetables that I didn’t finish. I really use them any where a rubber band is used. Oh and I use them on wrap paper on a roll It doesn’t damage it!!

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

@Vivian Florimond wrote:
I gave my mother a set of large kitchen tongs. A friend told me that her elderly father uses them to grab stuff, to pick up his socks, Etc. Etc. I figured if she didn’t like them for reaching things, she could use them for cooking.

I use my kitchen tongs to reach high items (and I'm not elderly.) The ones for the grill are extra long and are really good for this purpose!!

software · ‎06-08-2016

I have a very large and deep rural mailbox at the end of my driveway. I often get the mail by pulling up to the box in my vehicle (on my way home from work) but I can't reach the stuff in the back. I have threatened to keep a pair of long tongs, like the kind you use on an outdoor grill in my car to get the stuff in the back!

Right now I'm using my umbrella to reach in there and work the stuff to the front. It's tedious.

@Vivian Florimond wrote:
I gave my mother a set of large kitchen tongs. A friend told me that her elderly father uses them to grab stuff, to pick up his socks, Etc. Etc. I figured if she didn’t like them for reaching things, she could use them for cooking.

tucsongal · ‎03-10-2010

Anything that holds soil can be a planter: colanders, tins, pans, lunch buckets, tea cups, etc. You can drill a hole if needed or plant a succulent and water carefully. I made a hanging colander, have an old tin funnel on a post among other things. Old plates/saucers make great planter saucers, more interesting than a matching saucer.

BirdieGal · ‎12-20-2015

I use the bamboo chopsticks from Chinese or Japanese delivery for toaster tongs. We have at least two dozen chopstick “cheaters”that the kids would use when they were kids. They just send them with the takeout or when we would go out to eat the kids were told to keep them.

So set up the chopsticks and cheaters like you would for normal use.

Great for getting toast from toaster without any risk of electrocution by using a metal utensil.

software · ‎06-08-2016

I'm glad you mentioned that. There's a great consignment shop near me and if you don't buy something when you see it, it will be gone the next time.

I saw a large industrial size very old colander one day. It was marked $50 but it would have made such a wonderful, unique planter. Missed it!!!

@tucsongal wrote:
Anything that holds soil can be a planter: colanders, tins, pans, lunch buckets, tea cups, etc. You can drill a hole if needed or plant a succulent and water carefully. I made a hanging colander, have an old tin funnel on a post among other things. Old plates/saucers make great planter saucers, more interesting than a matching saucer.