Have you ever looked in your recycling bin and thought, despite the value of recycling, there might be an even better way? Enter upcycling – the repurposing of things to a new, sometimes even better use than was originally intended! Not only does it serve the environment quite well, it also taps into your creativity in new and fun ways. Try just a few of our ideas and we bet you’ll soon be dreaming up innovations of your own. For this blog post we are going to focus on things commonly found in your bathroom.
Prescription pill containers:
Before you put them to good use, clean them thoroughly. Medications typically leave a dusty residue so it’s important that it not get transferred to anything. The easiest method is to peel off as much of the label as possible, and then toss them in the utensil basket in your dishwasher. Once they’re clean you can use a bit of cooking oil or lemon essential oil to remove any remnants of the label. Swab with rubbing alcohol to remove residual oil. Then, use them to store these items: cotton swabs, bobby pins, safety pins, a couple of wet wipes, and travel size amounts of beauty products. You can even use them to store cash in a wet environment, such as at the beach or swimming pool!
Hair claw/jaw clips:
Perhaps you just made the change from long locks to a sassy short haircut. Don’t throw away those jaw clips! First, clean them with rubbing alcohol as there is likely residue from styling products such as hairspray. Then, use them to: secure a towel on your body or head after a bath, hold necklaces and scarves by closing them around a standard towel rack, or secure bagged coffee closed to keep it fresh!
Old perfume bottles:
A great deal of thought and design goes into the bottles used to contain fine fragrances. It seems such a shame to just discard them once they’re empty. Instead, remove the spritzer nozzle and clean them thoroughly using warm soapy water. Fill the bottle, shake the soapy water, and let it sit over night. Empty it and rinse with clean water, and then let it air dry. You now have a beautiful stem vase for fresh flowers. Display 3-5 of them with various buds, greenery, or flowers. Avoid matching or symmetry. The uniqueness of each one is what will make the display lovely!
What are some of your ideas?