New Uses For Old Things
Creating or finding new uses for old things is a valuable organizing fundamental. The elemental thought process behind this principle is to simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify (and save some loot). Let's say you are sorting through your home office supplies and haven't gone to The Container Store to get your fancy desk drawer organizer. Instead you are going to simplify and think to yourself, "I need to find something around here that can keep all of these little pieces organized and fit in my desk drawer". You walk around your home a bit, enter the kitchen and it hits you! An ice cube tray!! It will do the job, and it's free. :) Discovering new uses for old things is a great way to get creative, save time and most importantly money. The tips below will help you get started! In Alphabetical Order BINDER CLIPS as... • chip clips. Use binder clips to reseal bags of chips, popcorn, trail mix, nuts, pasta, coffee...snacks or pantry items of any kind! • cord collectors. Have a mess of wires around your desk area? Clamp them together with binder clips to keep them tame and your work space clear. • picture holders. Rather than putting holes in the pictures you have on your bulletin board, use small binder clips to hold your photos and hang them from the tacks. This keeps your pictures in ship shape and allows for easy transition when you want to switch them out. • gatherers for blinds strings. Have a tangled mess of string attached to your blinds? Have trouble opening and closing your shades because of it? Never more! Coil the excess string and put a binder clip around it. • a jewelry organizer. **This is a favorite among the new uses for old things!** Mount a small bulletin board to your closet or bedroom wall and gather some fun push pins. **Use more than one bulletin board if necessary and wall space allows it.** Hang your necklaces and bracelets on the push pins as an easy and adjustable solution to jumbles of jewelry. • an extra button holder. You know when you get a new piece of clothing, and there's a little envelope with an extra button inside attached to it? Forget trying to sift through a big jar of these or even a drawer full. These fit nicely into a business card book! • a gift card and/or rewards card holder. Gift cards, rewards cards, business cards - all the same size!
CASSETTE CASE as... • a gift card box. Want a creative way to wrap gift cards? Use a cassette case. Gift cards fit perfectly into the slot where a cassette tape would usually sit. Stuff some tissue paper in it, then wrap it and presto! • as a bathroom organizer. The compartments of a desktop organizer vary in size and are great for holding makeup, brushes and other bathroom accessories. • a ribbon holder. Use a swing arm hanger to store your ribbon spools. Just slide them on the swing arm and voila! • a snow ball maker. Want to make easy, round snow balls? Take an ice cream scoop outside with you, scoop up some snow and voila! • a drawer organizer. Place an ice cube tray or two in a shallow desk drawer. This is great for separating all of those small office items - paper clips, binder clips, push pins, rubber bands, staples, hanging folder tabs, keys, extra change, and any other little things that would usually get lost. • a craft organizer. Utilize an ice cube tray to separate the small items you are using for your current project - beads by color, buttons by size and so on. • as a container for paper of all kinds. A magazine file is great for storing tall, thin books like kid's books or for keeping menus together in one place or holding office supplies like file folders. • as a magnet board. We use our front door to display special photos, announcements, invitations, and more for all to see!
OVER-THE-DOOR SHOE ORGANIZER as... • an organizer for pet supplies. Shampoo, brush, leash, harness, collar, jacket, sweater, nail clippers, toothbrush, you name it, the pockets of an over-the-door shoe organizer are great for keeping your pet's accessories in order. • a toiletry station. Lacking counter and/or cabinet space in your bathroom? Keep your frequently-used items accessible in the pockets of an overdoor shoe organizer (i.e. makeup, hair brush, deodorant, hair dryer, hair accessories, lotion). • a toy sorter. An over-the-door shoe organizer's pockets are great for storing your kid's small stuffed animals, little action figures, playing cards, tiny game pieces and much more. • an entry way catchall. Maintain order in your entry way by hanging a shoe organizer over a nearby closet door. Utilize the pockets to store all the random items that get dumped here (i.e. sunglasses, keys, pens, change, gloves, hats). • a scarf organizer. Use a cloth shoe pocket organizer to store your scarves. I've hung the shoe organizer on the inside of a closet door and then folded my scarves up and inserted them in the pockets - 2 or 3 fit in each one. You can arrange by color or by season. (courtesy of Laura Bishop, Virginia) • as a kitchen organizer. The partitions of a vertical paper sorter are also great for keeping cutting boards, baking trays and other flat kitchenware straight. • as a charging station. The slots of a horizontal paper sorter are just the right size for holding your flat devices (iPad, Kindle, small laptop) while they charge. • a ribbon organizer. Slide ribbon spools onto the rod of a paper towel holder and presto! • a boot filler. Put two paper towel rolls side by side, and place a rubber band around them to hold them together. **Quantity of paper towel rolls used depends on the size of the shoe.** Stick them in your cowboy boots (or what have you) and voila! Keeping the shape of your boots has never been so easy. • a cooking utensil holder. Don't buy a utensil holder! Utilize a pitcher you already have to contain the cooking utensils you use frequently, and put it on the counter near the stove. • a vase. The handle will make it easy to transport to the sink for a water change or refill. • a change collector. When it's full, pour the coins into a Ziploc bag and take it to the bank. • a brush/comb holder. This will add a unique decorative accent to your bathroom counter. • a candle holder. For floating candles, just add water! Or stick tall candles in a pitcher, and fill it with stones or marbles to keep the candles in place. Or fill the pitcher with stones or marbles and place a few votives on top. • garbage bags. They are a great fit for smaller rubbish bins, and the handles make for easy emptying. • packing material. These bags are awesome for wrapping up small fragile items. • lunch boxes. They will hold your lunch, provide handles for easy transport, and you don't have to worry about any moisture damage (like you do with paper bags). • doggie bags. These bags do the job when it comes to cleaning up after your dog who has just done his job. • filler material. Utilize these bags in gift boxes or gift bags to hold the present in place, prop it up or provide padding for a fragile item. • as a recipe guard. Keep your recipes in sheet protectors. They can be easily wiped off and quickly transported in and out of binders. • as a scrapbook page holder. If you're making a letter size scrapbook, sheet protectors are great for covering and containing all the layers of paper and decorations on each page. • as a reusable checklist. Tailgating? Holiday decorations? Sports equipment? Whatever the occasion, slip your checklist into a sheet protector and use a dry erase marker to check off your items. • ribbon. Wrapping a present? Low on ribbon or bows? Shoe laces will do the trick! • a bobby pin holder. • a toothpick holder.
T-SHIRTS as... • a quilt. Take that pile of old, sentimental shirts and send it to CampusQuilt.com. This solution allows you to keep your memories and save space at the same time! • as a desk organizer. You know those tiered trays that people usually use to display sweets at parties? It would also be great for holding small office supplies - paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands, business cards, and so on. • as toy storage. Put a tiered tray in the playroom or in your kid's room. Whenever you find a tiny toy or a little part that goes to something, put it in the tiered tray. Next time you're playing a game that's missing a piece, you'll know where to look. • as an entryway catchall. Use each tray for something different that ends up in the entry way - keys, spare change, cords, lip balms, pet accessories and so on. • a wrapping paper roll holder. Have an extra tall rubbish bin? Use it to store your wrapping paper rolls! • pantry organizers. Use different Tupperware containers to hold and sort the small products that end up lurking around your pantry - sugar packets, tea bags, candy, sauce packets, snacks, dressing packets, and any other small, odd-shaped pantry items. This is a great way to recycle those containers that are missing lids. • drawer organizers. See below!
TWINE AND TACKS as... • a card holder. Don't know what to do with the mass of cards you receive on your birthday or for the holidays? Put your cards on display by tacking up pieces of twine and/or saved ribbons on some empty wall space. (Get creative - use funky or decorative tacks to match the room's color scheme.) Utilize clothes pins or binder clips to hang the cards and voila! (courtesy of Mama Lisa) **Transform this into a permanent wall decoration. Use it year round to display wedding invitations, baby announcements, upcoming gatherings, birthday celebrations and any other important events worth exhibiting.** • gift tags. Before tossing baby announcements, birthday cards, thank you notes, etc. in the recycling bin, turn them into one-of-a-kind gift tags. Tear off the front cover and cut into squares or any shape of your choice. Write your message on the back, punch a hole in it and attach it to a gift with ribbons. Save trees and money too! (courtesy of Mama Lisa) • stockings. Everyone has a missing glove, a rogue sock or a beanie that's too small. Rather than discarding them, utilize them during the holidays. Hang them from the mantle and stuff them with goodies for your family. • dusters. Stick your hand in a sock or mitten and wipe down open surfaces. You can also put a chopstick or two in a sock, secure it with a rubber band, and dust hard-to-reach places. • wall art. Wrapping paper designs come in all varieties, and lots are display-worthy. Frame old scraps and hang them on the wall for a fresh, free update to a room in your house. Have A Great New Use For An Old Thing?Did you repurpose an old thing in an awesome new way?? Share it with us! What Other Visitors Have InventedClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
PLASTIC BAGS as PLANTERS
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a PAINT BRUSH as a CAR DUSTER
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Plastic Bags!
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a SOY CANDLE as BODY LOTION
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a SPAGHETTI NOODLE as a MATCH
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ALUMINUM FOIL as WRAPPING PAPER
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a NAPKIN HOLDER as a DESK ORGANIZER
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a CREDIT CARD as COLLAR STAYS
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a WASHING MACHINE as a FIRE PIT
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