How to Make a Product With Reused Household Products

You can turn cookie cutters into Christmas ornaments.

The amount of waste produced in the United States yearly chokes dumps and landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency encourages individuals to reduce the amount of waste they produce via the well-known slogan of "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle." One simple way of doing so is to reuse household products in ways you may not have thought of before. By finding more than one use for common items, you can save yourself money, reduce clutter and help preserve natural resources.

Things You'll Need

• Cookie cutters
• Ribbons
• Mittens
• Rubber bands
• Drink carton
• Medicine bottles
• Pencil erasers

Instructions

1. Create unique Christmas ornaments by tying decorative ribbons to metal cookie cutters that are shaped like trees, bells, gingerbread men and stars.

2. Use old mittens as protective sleeves for your glasses or sunglasses before you place them in your purse or bag.

3. Wrap two to four rubber bands around a drinking glass before handing it to a child. The bands will enhance the child's grip on the cup, limiting the occurrence of accidental spills.

4. Create a utensil and condiment holder from a carton that originally held a six-pack of bottled drinks. Place knives, forks, spoons, napkins, ketchup and mustard into the carton's slots and take your carrier with you for a picnic.

5. Remove the label from an old medicine bottle and use the cleaned bottle to store small items, such as paperclips or rubber bands.

6. Slice off a section of a used pencil's eraser and use the tiny slice of rubber as a backing for earrings that are missing theirs.

References

• United States Environmental Protection Agency: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• "Real Simple Magazine": New Uses for Old Things