Do we have useful things hidden beneath our clutter? Holding onto many of our old unused items indefinitely could even be called “hoarding“. People often don’t make use of such items. When the time comes to throw them out, we tend to hold on to them even tighter. Here is a list of all the useful things you can do with certain unexpected items you may have around the house.

See the list of top 10 useful things lying around your house and how you can make use of them.

1. Carpet Scraps

• Make a workout mat, vehicle mat or knee protectors
• Muffle appliance noise
• Protect the floor under plants
• Cushion Kitchen Shelves
• Protect tools

 

2. Compact discs

• Use as holiday decorations, home entrance reflectors or a circle-shaped template
• Catch candle drips
• Make an aesthetic bowl, ornamental sun catcher or even decorate a clock

 

3. Duct Tape

• Remove lint
• repair toilet seats, screens, vacuum hoses & frames
• Cover a book, wallet or gift
• Make a bandage or bumper sticker
• Catch flies
• Replace a grommet
• Reinforce a bookbinding
• Hem pants
• Hang Christmas lights
• Make fancy dress costumes

 

4. Fabric Softener Sheets

• Freshen air & deodorise cars, dogs, gym bags, suitcases and sneakers
• Pick up pet hairs
• Repel mosquitoes
• Stop static cling
• Make sheets smell good
• End tangled sewing thread

 

5. Nail Polish

• Mark hard-to-see items
• Mark thermostat & shower settings & levels in measuring cups and buckets
• Label sports gear & poison containers
• Seal envelopes & labels
• Stop shoe scuffs & keep laces, ribbons & fabric from unravelling
• Simplify needle threading
• Keep buckles & jewellery polished
• stop a stocking run from getting worse
• Temporarily fix glasses
• Fix scratches in floors & glass
• Repair lacquered objects
• Plug a hole in a cooler
• Fill washing machine drum scratches

 

6. Pantihose

• Locate & pick up tiny objects
• Buff shoes
• Keep hairbrush clean
• Remove nail polish
• Keep spray containers clog-free
• Organise suitcases
• Hang dry sweaters
• Secure rubbish bags
• Dust under refrigerator
• Prevent soil erosion in house plants

 

7. Paper bags

• Pack on trips for souvenirs
• Dust off mops
• Carry laundry
• Cover textbooks
• Create a table decoration
• Use as gift bags & wrapping paper
• Reshape knits after washing
• Use a pressing cloth
• Bag newspapers for recycling

 

8. Plastic Bags

• Keep mattresses dry
• Bulk curtains & stuff crafts
• Drain bath toys
• Clean pockets in the laundry
• Make bibs & high-chair drop cloth
• Line a litter box
• Dispose of a Christmas tree

 

9. Rubber Bands

• Reshape your broom
• Childproof cabinets
• Prevent thread from tangling
• Make a car visor holder
• Use to grip onto paper
• Lengthen a button
• Be used as a bookmark
• Cushion a remote control
• Tighten furniture casters & secure slats of a bed

 

10. Freezer & Sandwich Bags

• Protect pictures & padlocks
• Dispense fabric softener
• Display baby teeth
• Carry baby wipes
• Mould soap
• Starch craft items
• Feed birds
• Make a simple funnel

We will be taking a deeper look into all of the above handy uses in our blog in the coming weeks and month.