Strange Adaptations for Common Household Products

Every common household product has a specific purpose, but they can often be used quite effectively under very different circumstances. Here are a few examples:

• You can use common hairspray to stop flies and bees from pestering you. One squirt will generally send them into a quick tailspin. Hairspray can also be effective in stopping the spread of poison ivy or poison oak. Just coat the area with hairspray and the rash will be effectively contained.
  
• If you're plagued with too many cords around the house, and who isn't, you can help organize the tangled mess by stuffing the lengths of them into old toilet paper rolls. Whether they're electrical cords or speaker cables, it will help reduce the jumble.
  
• If you find yourself having to deal with a blood stain on a piece of clothing, you can get the stain out quickly by pouring on a little hydrogen peroxide and then gently wiping the area. The results can be quite dramatic.
  
• Instead of spending big money on expensive room fresheners, you can make your own by simply placing a little of your favorite perfume or after shave onto a light bulb. That way, you'll get a nice scent every time the light is turned on. Along those same lines, you can make clothes drawers smell sweet and fresh by placing fabric softener sheets on the bottom of each drawer.
  
• If you've got armies of ants in your kitchen, you could spend lots of money on expensive traps and baits, or you could try a couple home remedies, using common household items. The first would be to draw a line on the counter or shelf, or wherever the ants' main trail is, and see for yourself that they will stop using that route. The second line of defense would be to sprinkle salt around on your shelves. It is also a natural ant deterrent.
  
• If you left the pot on the stove a bit too long and now have a baked-on mess to deal with, try this before you either buy a commercial product or toss the pot in the recycle bin. Just add a couple drops of dishwashing detergent to the pot, and then add only enough water to cover the bottom. Then bring the mixture to a boil, and the food will lift right off.
• Here's a great idea for pantries and garages. Rinse out those empty baby food jars and peel the label off. Take the baby food lid and nail it (use a small finishing nail- so it doesn't go all the way through the wood) under a shelf with the top of the lid against the bottom of the shelving. Fill the baby food jar with paper clips, tie wraps, or safety pins, screws, etc. Then screw the jar on the lid. Repeat with more jars and lids for other items that are constantly getting lost in the pantry and garage.
  
• Empty wine bottles make great soap dispensers. Just wash and remove the label. Fill with soap and screw on pump from your old dispenser. You can also fill them with olive oil, canola oil, etc. Line a shelf with the beautiful oil filled wine bottles, instead of the ugly plastic ones.
  
• Remove the label and rinse out empty spaghetti sauce jars to store beans, rice, and macaroni noodles.
  
• Instead of buying those expensive trash bags for your tiny bathroom trash can, save the plastic bags from the grocery store. The handles can be tied together to fit the rim of the can.
  
• Old shower curtains make great drop cloths for home improvement projects, or great carpet savers for when kids are doing finger painting, play dough, etc.
  
• Empty egg cartons make great seed starter kits. Just fill each hole half way with dirt, place in the seed, and fill to the top with more dirt.
  
• Old film canisters make great quarter holders. Fill the canister with quarters next time you are traveling or just to keep in a purse for easy access.
  
• Old pantyhose can be used to tie up tomato plants or overgrown rose bushes.
  
• Save all your unwanted paper clips and use them at Christmas time as ornament hooks.
  
• Don't throw away that flat Coke. It makes a great baste for hams. Instead of rubbing with brown sugar, just pour the coke over your ham, cook, and get the same sweet flavor.
  
• After you use the coke for the ham, fill the plastic bottle ¾ with water and freeze. Makes a great ice pack for injuries, coolers, etc.
  
• Instead of buying wax paper, just save the plastic bag that cereal comes in. Great to cool dipped candies on.
  
• When cotton clothes get faded, worn, or stained, don't trash them. They make great dust rags. Just cut the fabric into 6x6 squares.
  
• Here's a use for that inaccessible newspaper. Save the comic section for when you are going to eat lobster or crab at home. Just spread the sheets out over your table and when you are done its an easy cleanup. Plus, the comics are a great conversation starter with sighted guests.
  
• Make a pet scoop out of a ½ gallon milk jug. Cut out the handle and three or four inches bellow the handle.
  
• Don't throw away those lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit peelings. Take the shavings and make your own liquid potpourri using left over cooking oil. Place shavings in one table spoon of cooking oil. Place in liquid potpourri burner and the room will fill with scent.
  
• Citrus fruit peelings can also be used as a non harmful cat repellant for the garden. Cats hate the smell of citrus, so just sprinkle the peelings anywhere you don't want them to go.
  
• Use empty baby wipe containers to store plastic bags. The pop up lid creates easy access.
  
• If you want to buy the larger cans of dog food , but your pooch can't eat it all at one time, Plastic lids from yogurt or chocolate syrup make the perfect lids.
  
• An old toothbrush makes a great tile cleaner, can also be used to clean the slats in the air conditioner vent or to clean jewelry.
  
• Spread used coffee grounds around rosebushes instead of miracle grow. The coffee grounds will add acidity to the soil.
  
• Save the butter wrappers and use them to grease pans and dishes.
  
• Save the slivers of left over bath and hand soap. Poke a few small holes in a zip lock bag and hang in your closet or put in with stored clothes. Keeps your closet smelling fresh and the stale smell out of stored clothes.
  
• Old shower curtain hoops can be used in the closet to organize purses and belts.
  
• Use large plastic bags from clothing shops to line the cat litter box. Put mouth of the bag over litter box, pulling snug to the base of the box. Stuff extra bag into the box and poor cat litter in. When time to change, just pull up the mouth of the bag and all the contents will be inside the bag and ready to be tied and discarded.
  
• Store dog and cat food in old popcorn tins. It keeps the critters out and helps to preserve the freshness of the food.
  
• Reuse old carpet. Cut a square to wipe feet on at your back door (keep that new carpet clean.) Try lining the dog house with the rest.
  
• "Hand me down" old brushes to the pets. Use to keep mane clean, shed free, and shiney.

You don't have to spend big money on specialized products when oftentimes the same results can be gained by adapting common household products to new inventive uses.