SHANNON VINNICK
Sales Associate/REALTOR®
Realty Executives Oceanside
Mom's adage, "use it up, make it last, wear it out," introduced many of us to thriftiness—a traditional attitude that has mostly been abandoned in favor of a more materialistic way of living. In actuality, though, the majority of our everyday disposable objects still have unrealized potential. Here are some clever recycling ideas to lighten our load and prevent waste from ending up in landfills:
Use a banana peel to clean silver. Put the peel and enough water in the blender to form a paste. When applied with a washcloth and removed with water, this works incredibly well as a silver polish.
Use citrus peel as an air freshener. Is the oven smelling burnt? Bake some orange peels for a few minutes at 350 degrees to freshen the air. Alternately, put some peels and white vinegar in a jar. You'll have an excellent-smelling, multipurpose cleaner in a day or two. Last but not least, running lemon peels through the garbage disposal removes any greasy buildup and neutralizes smells.
Use a ketchup bottle as a baking tool. Use a plastic squeeze tip to empty the empty ketchup bottle and turn it into a frosting dispenser. It's far more stable to use than clipping the corner off of a plastic bag and works wonderfully for cake decorating.
A toothbrush as a kitchen assistant. Use an old toothbrush that has been cleaned in the dishwasher to get rid of those annoying silk strings from corn ears. It can also be used to remove dirt from other difficult-to-reach areas and clean the grout in your kitchen.
Use bags from the dry cleaner for storage. Sweaters, blankets, and comforters work well covered in those large plastic bags that you use to store your dry-cleaned clothing until summer.
Don't throw out that cooking water! Vegetables and hard-boiled eggs leave nutrients in the water used to cook them. Your indoor and outdoor plants will appreciate the use of the water.
Use aluminum foil to scrub pots. Gather that somewhat soiled but still clean piece of foil and use it to scrub the tough food residue off of pots and pans.
