- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
20 Mind Blowing Uses For Two Things You Throw Away All The Time!
Photo credit: bigstock.com
If you are like most people, you are always looking for ways to recycle, reuse, and save a buck at the same time. Well, we have a little information about how to use a couple common items in your home that most people simply chuck in the trash and never think twice about: eggshells and egg cartons. There are a surprising number of things you can do with both of these rather than dumping them in the garbage and adding to our overflowing landfills!
First, let’s take a look at eggshells. Most people think these are pure trash since you can’t eat them. You might find a few people who add them to their compost pile, but for the most part, these just get tossed. Why do that when eggshells have so much left to offer us after we empty out the egg?
Keep reading! We have 10 great uses for both eggshells and egg cartons you probably never thought about before.
10 Unbelievable Ways to Use Eggshells
1. Garden Pest Control
Although bugs come in all shapes and sizes, if it crawls on the ground, you can convince it to go elsewhere (or even kill it) by putting crushed up eggshells (just crush some in your hands, it shouldn’t be powder) around your plants. When bugs crawl over the eggshells, the sharp edges cut into their bodies. They will either make a hasty retreat, or die trying to gain access to your squash.
2. Better Tasting Coffee
If you have ever brewed some coffee and realized that it’s rather bitter, you can save some bucks by adding eggshells to your coffee filter. Rather than throw out some bitter beans, simply crush some eggshells and place them in the bottom of your coffee filter, usually about one eggshell for every 5 or 6 cups of coffee. You don’t need a lot, just a fine layer to cover the bottom of the filter. The eggshells will absorb some of the bitter acids in the coffee but will leave all of the smooth flavor behind.
3. Fertilize the Garden
Eggshells are loaded with calcium, a mineral that is very important to many vegetable plants as well as flowering plants. Crush some eggshells in your blender and work some into the soil once or twice each year. Read more about natural fertilizers.
4. Composting
If you have a compost pile, perhaps you were wondering whether eggshells were good for them or not. Well, wonder no longer, eggshells are loaded with important minerals that will add a super healthy boost to your soil and they break down rather easily, so if you haven’t been adding eggshells to your compost pile, it’s never too late to start!
5. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk
This is an easy craft that you will enjoy making with your kids. Grind your eggshells into a very fine powder. Then, mix one teaspoon of flour and one teaspoon of hot water in a cup. Now mix in the eggs shells. You can add a few drops of food coloring, or leave it as is for white chalk. When everything is well combined, roll it out into a stick shape and wrap it in a napkin or paper towel. Allow to dry for three or four days. Your chalk is now ready for that game of sidewalk hop scotch!
Continue to Page 2
Photo credit: bigstock.com
6. Drain Cleaner
Although you normally would never want to put food anyplace except for the garbage disposal, you can use eggshells to clean out a slow running drain. Crush up your eggshells into some small pieces and wash them down the sink with plenty of water. Eggshells will not only capture large particles of gunk and remove them, they also scape old soap and grease from the sides of the drain. Don’t use pieces that are too big, as they might get caught as well, but a handful of small pieces will work wonders.
7. Natural Laundry Whitener
If you are out of bleach or vinegar, you can still get that load of whites super white without making a trip to the store. Put some broken up eggshells in a cheesecloth bag along with a sliced up lemon. Tie the bag tight and add it to your clothes. This will keep your whites from becoming dingy grey or yellowish.
8. Face Mask
You don’t need an expensive spa treatment for a super face treatment; all you need are a few eggshells. Mix up some finely ground eggshells with one egg white for a super face tightening mask. You can also add a bit of honey or turmeric if you want to add some extra oomph to your mask.
9. Itchy Skin Relief
Grind up some eggshells and place them in a cup of apple cider vinegar. Stir well, and then apply this mixture to those itchy spots on your skin for almost instant relief. Works great for bug bites too!
10. Free Calcium Supplement
If you want to quit paying for those high priced calcium supplements but you need added calcium in your diet, simply use eggshells! The only problem with eggshells is that you won’t know exactly how many milligrams you are consuming, but you will add thousands of milligrams to your daily intake. Simply rinse off the shells, and then boil them in a pot of water for a few minutes. Drain the water, then spread the shells out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Now pulverize the eggs in a coffee grinder until they are a fine powder. You can add a teaspoon or so to your morning smoothie or some water for a real calcium boost. All you need is one teaspoon each day for all the healthy calcium your body will need (and be able to use) for the day.
Continue to Page 3
Photo credit: bigstock.com
10 Mind Blowing Ways to Reuse Egg Cartons
1. Store Christmas Ornaments
You can store smaller Christmas ornaments inside egg cartons to cushion them and keep them separated so they don’t get scratched, chipped, or broken. If the ornaments are a bit large and the lid won’t close all the way, simply cover the ornaments with a paper towel and seal the lid with a rubber band.
2. Forget Packing Peanuts
Getting ready to mail a package but don’t have any packing peanuts? No worries, simply tear up some old egg cartons for some effective packing material.
3. Seedling Base
Starting your seeds in a paper egg carton is a great way to reuse these items. Fill each section with some compost and plant your seed. When the seed has sprouted and is ready to be transplanted, you can simply remove them from the carton and plant, or, if you cut each section to begin with, you can put the entire carton section in the ground since it’s completely biodegradable.
4. Fire Starters
Place some sawdust in the egg carton sections. Now melt your candle leftovers, old candles you don’t want, even broken crayons, and pour the melted wax over the sawdust. These containers are easy to transport (no more spilled lighter fluid) and they make starting a fire shockingly easy.
5. Organizers
You can use egg cartons to organize your junk drawer, sewing supplies, craft supplies, or even screws, nuts, and bolts in the garage. Any small items that you want to keep neat and organized can be kept in an old egg carton.
Continue to Page 4
Photo credit: bigstock.com
6. Craft Projects
If you look online, you will see that there are literally hundreds of craft items that can be made from egg cartons including room lights, Christmas ornaments, and wreaths for the door. The only thing stopping you is your imagination!
7. Mancala Board
Have you ever played mancala? This is a timeless game that uses a board with 12 small indentations, so simply glue together two cut egg cartons so that you have 12 indentation and you are good to go. Game pieces can be recreated from almost anything including buttons, beans, earrings, or pearls from a broken necklace. Learn how to play by going online for full instructions.
8. Freeze Ice
Planning a party and need more ice cube trays? No problem! Whip out those plastic egg carton containers and fill them with water. Works well in a pinch and makes for interesting shapes!
9. Paint Cups
Both plastic and paper egg cartons work great when you are doing crafts or stencils that require using different paint colors. These are also good solutions for little ones when they are finger painting.
SEE ALSO: Top 20 Useful Ways to Recycle and Reuse those Old Tea Bags
10. Make Your Own Holiday Ornaments
You can use both eggshells and egg cartons to make your own creative and unique Christmas, Easter, Valentines, or Halloween ornaments. This is a good project for the kids on a rainy afternoon.
References:
