Cake Mix Boxes
See Boxes--Food
Calculator/Adding Machine
Give to someone who can fix it and use/sell it.
Let kids use for playing school, store, etc.
Calendars
Instead of buying expensive art, mat and frame the calendar pictures.
Save the torn off pieces from a day-by-day calendar and use for scrap paper, phone messages, etc.
Candles
Melt down all of your old candles into one big, multicolored one. (Rae)
Use when making charcoal fire starters.
Use to make matches damp-proof.
Use for coating newspaper logs to make them burn more efficiently. (Wendy)
Use as an envelope seal. (Shelley)
Candy Boxes
See Boxes--Candy
Candy Foil
Unwrap candy carefully and save the foil. Use the foil to wrap homemade candy.
Glue to a thin piece of cardboard (or thick piece of paper), hole punch, and sew to clothing as sequins.

Candy Wrappers
Use when making homemade candy. Make sure they are clean and dry. (Shelley)
String the wrappers together through the center to make a party lei. (Shelley)
Cans

Cans--Coffee
Use as a double boiler when you are melting wax for your newspaper logs.
Fill with water and keep by the fire when camping (just in case).
Storage of nuts, bolts, small parts, etc.
Use for baking bread. (Paul)
Make a child's drum set out of coffee cans and plastic lids. (Paul)
Attach long, looped strings to the cans and let children use as stilts. (Casey)
Use to scoop dog food out of a bag. (Ree)
Cut a hole in the lid and use it as a bank. (Juan)
Use it as a cookie jar. (Juan)
Make it into a camp stove by cutting a square into the side of the can and placing a piece of coal under the upside-down can. (Casey)
Fill with worms when going fishing. (Casey)
Put a slit in the lid and use it as a piggy bank. (Sarah)
Decorate the can, punch 3 or 4 holes (spaced evenly) around the top rim for string, put a plant in it, and then hang it from the ceiling. (Sarah)
Push the upside-down can into the ground where you want to place a plant and then remove it. The can will pull out the soil, making digging a hole easy. (Jon's Dad)
Fill partly with sand and use as an outdoor ash tray. (Jon)

Cans--Soup
When camping, boil water in it for a cup of hot chocolate. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRINK OUT OF THE CAN!!!
Fill with batter for bread, muffins, etc. and bake in your oven. When ready to serve, cut out the other end of the can and pop the bread out. (Andrea)
Use as a crayon holder. (Misty)
Punch a hole in the bottom of two cans and attach them with a long string for a children's telephone. (Casey)
Make into a votive. (Glamour Gal)
Carabiners
Use as a key chain.
Use to attach a mug to a backpack.
Cardboard Boxes (those which paper reams come in)
See Boxes--Cardboard
Cardboard Tubes
Make book shelves using inner cores from roles of photo paper (ask a local photo lab for these tubes) and recycled boards. Use the tubes as risers, glueing them together or cutting them depending upon the size you need. Use them as they are or cover them with wallpaper or paint. (Judy)
Carpet
Place in the back of an enclosed truck or van.
Cut into small squares or circles and place under the feet of heavy furniture.
Place carpet remnants at doors to catch mud and water.
Use as summer floor mats in cars.
Take with you when cabin camping to keep the dirt/snow out of your "home."
Cut into strips wide enough to fit between the rows in your garden. This will minimize weeds and create real indoor/outdoor carpeting. (Cathy)
Carpet Padding
Cut into the shape of your slippers, insert and use for extra padding.
Carpet Protectors (Plastic)
Cut to the desired size and use as a boot tray.
Keep on the floor in front of the back seat of the van to keep snow/mud off of the carpet.
Use as a drop cloth.
Cereal Boxes:
See Boxes--Cereal
Chair Pads
Use to kneel on when gardening.
Take on campouts and use as pillows or for sitting on around a campfire. (Shelley)
Keep in the trunk of your car and use for kneeling on when you have a flat tire. (Shelley)
Use as a stadium seat for ball games. (Shelley)
Line a cardboard box or laundry basket with a chair pad and use it for a pet bed. (Shelley)
Whip stich extra length to the ties on the pad, and then tie the pads around your chest and waist. Use when learning to fence. (Shelley)
Use as pillows for children's sleepovers. (Shelley)
Use for storage of fragile boxed items.
Try using the stuffing to re-stuff decorator pillows. It probably won't be comfortable, but it will make them fluffy again.
Take them on picnics or to parades. They are easier to carry than folding chairs.
Line a car crawler with chair pads to make fixing your car a little more comfortable. (Joe)
Put on top of a five gallon bucket and use as a seat.
Chalkboard
Use for leaving messages to family members.
Donate to a children's shelter.
Christmas Lights
String around your child's room and use as a nightlight. (Nick)
Make into a decoration by removing the burned out miniature bulbs from the plastic encasement and twisting the wires of several bulbs together with the bulbs forming a circle. If done right, this can look like a colorful star or snowflake. (Jon)
Remove the miniature bulbs from the plastic encasements. Let children string the plastic pieces together with thread to make jewelry. (Jon)
Remove the plastic coating on the wire and use the wire for twisties. (Jon)
Cigarette Butts
Use the filter as a filter for a pipe. (Charisma)
Cigarette Lighter
Hook them onto a paperclip and hang them off of your keys as a key chain. (EcoLily)

Clocks
Remove some of the gizmo's from inside and mount onto a pin back with a hot glue gun. Wear it as jewelry. (Shelley)
Use a cuckoo clock as a birdfeeder. (Tina)
Use clocks with hands for teaching kids how to tell time.
Take off the hands (and anything else that sticks out) and use as a picture frame by cutting a picture to the correct shape and size, and slipping it between the glass and the clock face.
If it is a clock with a picture built into it, leave it up for decoration.
Clothes
Clothes--Baby Clothes
Save for a future child.
Give away to new mothers.
Donate to a children's/woman's shelter.
Let children use for dressing up baby dolls.

Clothes--Jeans
Collect old jeans, cut them into usable pieces, and sew together into a duffle bag, change purse, etc. (Some sewing skills required.)
When making cut-off shorts, save the pantlegs and give them to your puppies. They make great tug-of-war items.
Cut into 6x6 squares, sew together and fringe out to make a quilt. (Rachel)
Clothes--Socks
Give old socks to your kids for sock puppets.
Take old socks camping. Bunch them up for thickness and use for pot holders.
Use for dusting around the house.
Tie into a knot and use as a dog toy. (Jeff)
Use as rags when stripping or refinishing furniture. (Lori)
Use to clean up after painting arts and crafts. (Lori)
Clothes--Winter
Keep old an old hat and gloves in your car for emergencies
Use old winter coats for snowblowing, camping, etc (so you don't ruin a good coat). (Jack)
Remove pompons from winter hats and give to the cat to play with. (Carrie)
Use old mittens for dusting around the house.
Clothes--Miscellaneous
Use for rags.
Cut the elastic bottoms off of sweats and use as scrunchies.
Cut small circles out of thicker material and use as "stoppers" for cabinet doors or as appliance "feet."
Use old long-sleeved shirts as a smock for children who are painting.
Donate to shelters or charities.
Take pieces from old clothing (which are unfit to be reused) and make them into a patchwork quilt or pillow.
Cut clothing into small pieces and use as dryer sheets with a liquidy dryer sheet alternative. (Marie)
Make a quilt out of your child's favorite clothes and give to their children. (Henning)
Clothes Hangers
Make wire hangers into seasonal wreaths by bending it into a circle and then glueing on seasonal items, such as leaves in the fall. (Rae)
Use for storing the plastic eggs that you hang on the tree.
Use for making a child's mobile.
Return clothes hangers to the dry cleaners so they can reuse them. Some companies will provide cardboard storage containers. (Pam)
Bend a wire clothes hanger until the ends touch downwards. Tie strips of fabric all around the hanger and use as a duster. Leave the handle bare or wrap with scraps of yarn. (Lori)

Continue To Next Page