CREATIVE TIPS TO RE-PURPOSE EVERYDAY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

LIFTING OFF PESKY STICKERS

Stickers are meant to, well, stick to whatever they’re placed on.

Some do such a good job that when we try to take them off,

they flake and come off in pieces, leaving behind residue all

over the surface. Avoid this from happening by blasting the

sticker with a hair dryer. The heat will loosen the adhesive

and the sticker will lift off easily.

CLEANING THE THRONE

For a quick toilet cleaning, try the same product used for

keeping dentures clean. (Teeth and toilets feel a bit gross being

in the same sentence…) Drop some Alka-Seltzer tablets in the

bowl and let them fizz away to clean your porcelain throne.

CLEAN YOUR TEETH AND YOUR TAP

If you see the tap looking less-than-clean while brushing your

teeth, grab some of the toothpaste and rub down the tap, the

paste will clear up the grime and leave you with both a shiny

tap and sparkling teeth by the time you’re done.

OTHER USES FOR NAIL POLISH

Do you need to send a letter via snail mail but hate the thought

of licking those envelopes? Try clear nail polish. Seal the

edges with a dab of clear nail polish and voila, licking grossness

avoided. (Bonus: Clear nail polish can also be used to dip

a thread into before sticking it through a needle.)

USE NAPPIES TO NURTURE YOUR PLANTS

To increase the yield of your home garden or to keep

plants better hydrated when you go away for the weekend,

grab a nappy and cut open the middle section to reveal

sodium polyacrylate: the fluffy substance in diapers which

does most of the absorption. Include the sodium polyacrylate

when planting or dig it into the soil to retain more water for

your plants. (Make sure to still water the plant regularly. If the

soil gets too dry, the material will pull water from the plant!)

HOMEMADE DRAIN DECLOGGER

Sink and shower drain decloggers are expensive and

(hopefully) rarely used, so why not try your own homemade

drain declogger first? Clear out what you can from the

drain then pour in up to a cup of baking soda. Add the same

amount of plain white vinegar and wait five minutes. Pour a

few quarts of boiling water down the drain to flush it out.

AN EGGSELLENT ANTI-AGING RUB

For an anti-aging cream that comes from an animal’s

backside, pull an egg out of the carton and beat its white with

a small bit of water. Rinse your face in the solution, washing

it off afterwards, to find your skin looking less puffy

and your pores less enlarged.

BUTTER IS GOOD

The composition of butter makes it a great combatant

against anything sticky. Next time you get gum in your hair

(hopefully it doesn’t happen often) or you’re doing arts and

crafts and have glue residue on your hands, rub your hair or

hands with softened butter before washing the sticky

substance out.