10 Common Household Items You’ve Been Using Wrong

Many of us are quick to throw things away. That’s a good thing because clutter is unsightly and an obsession with keeping everything leads to hoarding. But there are many uses for some of those things that we’re quick to dismiss as garbage, or that we simply see as a being singularly useful in limited ways.

The key is to think about the characteristics of certain items and stop for a moment and think about what its shape, characteristics or unique qualities can accomplish if applied in a different way. It’s a fundamental step towards creative thinking and if there’s one thing a self-sufficient person needs is the ability to think creatively.

We’re going to cover 10 types of items that can be put to multiple uses, although number 10 will be more of a random list of ideas to spark your creativity. Some of us have already figured out some of these ideas just out of need. And that need to improvise is what can make any household item a valuable solution to simple challenges. Here’s the list:

1. Rubber Bands

A bag of rubber bands is cheap. Buy one of those variety packs with multiple sizes and widths. The list of ideas is long but once you appreciate the unique qualities of rubber band, \you can progress to a variety of solutions.

Put a wide rubber band around a jar lid to give yourself a better grip for a stubborn lid.
Use a rubber band to hold drill bits on your drill so you don’t have to root through your bit boxes while you work.
Stretch a rubber band across a roll of tape with a cutter to keep the tape from flipping back onto the roll. We’ve all gone through the exercise of trying to find the invisible seem in transparent packing tape to pull it up and continue taping.
Stretch a large and somewhat wide rubber band across the top of a paint can to remove excess paint from your brush. We usually rub it on the sides and fill the ridges in the can leading to overflow down the sides and a mess.
If you’re working on a roof or other slanted surface, stretch a rubber band around your tools to prevent them from sliding off.
A rubber band around the tip of needle nose pliers makes for a handy and hands free grip.
Sometimes you need a clamp that holds things together on multiple surfaces. A strong rubber band on a traditional clamp can give you all of the clamping you need above and on the sides.
If you have a ceiling fan with light globes held in place by twistable screws you may have endured some of the rattling of those globes as the fan spins. A rubber band around the rim of the globe will keep the screws tightly sealed and reduce any rattling caused by the vibration loosening the screws.

2. Bungee Cords

Bungee cords are great for tying down most anything or simply keeping things together.

The trick is to expand your thinking for how those bungees can serve other purposes.

You can stretch a bungee cord across the trunk of your car and through the loops in plastic grocery bags to keep them from flying around in your trunk on the way home.
A great way to store bungee cords is using the spine from an old 3-ring binder. Just put a couple of screws into drilled holes in the spine and the rings will make your bungee cord organization easy and accessible.

And bungee cords aren’t the only thing lying around your homestead that you can use to improvise a rope. You can actually make strong, reliable cordage from common plants and weeds that might be growing in your backyard right now. Stinging nettle, for example, isn’t just a pesky weed. Once you learn how to strip and twist the fibers, it turns into a durable, natural rope that’s tough enough to handle all kinds of tasks.

It’s lightweight, surprisingly strong, and best of all, completely free! And it’s not just for emergencies either. If you’re ever out in the woods and something goes wrong, knowing how to turn an ordinary weed into dependable and strong cordage could mean the difference between getting by and going without.

3. Cardboard Tubes

Every roll of toilet paper and paper towels comes with a bonus: a free cardboard tube. Don’t toss them too fast. There are some useful things they can do long after the paper is gone.

Cardboard tubes are a great way to store small extension cords. You can even write the length of the cord on the tube.
Here’s another way to protect a saw blade to hopefully prevent rust and cuts from the sharp edges.

4. Pool Noodles

Pool noodles are cheap, and kids love them and most of us wonder where to store them in the garage over the winter.

Sometimes we just toss them out figuring we’ll buy more next year. Don’t do that. Here are some other possibilities.

You can use a pool noodle to protect and cover the blades on saws, hedge trimmers and even chain saws. Just cut a long slit in the pool noodle and the saws and sharp edges are safer and protected.
Split a pool noodle down it’s length and use it for a wrist rest for your computer keyboard. It will help to prevent any cramps after a long dayof typing and prevent carpal tunnel.

5. Soda Pop

This isn’t just about the soft drink but the aluminum cans as well.

Don’t dump those half empty soda cans down the drain. Pour them in the compost heap. The sugar will supercharge the bacterial activity and accelerate decomposition of organic matter.
If your 5-gallon buckets keep getting stuck together when you nest them, put an empty soda can in the bottom of the buckets to keep them loose so they pull out easily from each other.

6. Corks

There’s a class of corks called synthetic corks that can be put to many good uses beyond sealing a bottle of grocery store wine. Here are a few to think about.

Cap those caulk tubes. How often are we digging out dried caulk to get the caulk in the grease gun working? Just drill a hole in the end of the cork the size of your tube and press it on. It’s easy to twist off and the caulk will always be wet and ready to go.

7. Those 5-Gallon Plastic Buckets

This isn’t about those food safe-buckets, it’s about those basic home-center buckets stacked on the end-caps in aisles that they sometimes sell at a giveaway price. There’s no shortage of uses but some are quite innovative and can make a lot of things easier.

Automatic watering for newly planted trees. Anyone who has planted new tree that the secret to success is to water it, water it, water it.

If you drill a ¼ inch hole in the bottom of a plastic bucket and place it at the base of the new tree, all you have to do is fill the 5-gallon bucket with water and let the slow drip water the new tree for hours. When it is empty, refill for a week or so until the tree is established.
You can easily drill some holes in the lid to hold tools. You can carry a lot of tools in the bucket but the holes in the lid gives you a portable and easily accessible workbench.
Cushion those handles. A full 5-gallon bucket of anything can get very heavy. An easy way to cushion the handles is to cut a small length of hose the length of the handle and then make a cut down it’s length. Open the cut in the hose and place over the handles and it may be easier on your hands.

And that’s just scratching the surface. With a little creativity, these buckets can pull off many pretty impressive jobs, such as:

DIY harmless pest trap

An easy, chemical-free way to keep bugs and small critters out of your garden, chicken coop or pantry using nothing but what you’ve already got on hand.

3-bucket water filter

Turn questionable water into cleaner, drinkable water using gravity and a few simple materials. It’s a low-tech solution that could be a game-changer in any emergency.

Pressurized rainwater harvesting & purification system

Capture and filter rainwater, then use it with enough pressure for washing, watering crops, or even running a makeshift shower. No power required.

No-grid air conditioning unit

Using a few buckets and basic principles of evaporation, you can cool down a small space without a single watt of electricity.

8. Carabiners

Carabiners are also known as snap links and you can buy them at the dollar store or at most sporting goods stores. You don’t need the expensive mountain climbing carabiners, the cheaper aluminum carabiners work fine for a lot of simple solutions.

A carabiner is a great way to contain a set of wrenches. You can hag them up as a group or use the carabiner to keep them together in a cluttered toolbox or on a job site.
Use a carabiner to hold tools, keys or anything else on your belt or a belt loop.

9. Plastic Bottles and Jugs

Those old milk jugs and other plastic bottles are quick to hit the recycling bin, but take a second look.

With a simple cut you can use those jugs for a lot of practical purposes.

Cut a smaller jug to make a plastic scoop. This is great for loading granular things like sand, cement, pea gravel or to get a good scoop of dog food out of a bag or container.
A large 1-gallon milk jug is great as a baler whether you’re emptying a small flood of water from a boat or just want a way to quickly scoop some liquids from anywhere to anywhere.

You can also make a complete water purification system with just a single plastic bottle. With a few simple modifications, that bottle can be transformed into a solar still or a basic filter, capable of removing harmful impurities from dirty or questionable water. It’s a simple, no-cost way to make sure you always have access to clean water.

10.Other Stuff

Here’s a random list of other ways you can grab what’s on hand and find simple solutions to everyday challenges.

An easy way to clean Venetian blinds is to put a big, fluffy sock on your hand turned inside out. The inside tends to be more fibrous and simply wiping your socked covered hands between the blind will make short work of dust.
A salad container greenhouse. Save those salad containers from the salad bar! They work great for starting seeds because the clear lid keeps moisture in and the sunlight.

Think Twice

Before you throw anything away, stop and think how you can repurpose it. After you start doing this a while you’re start to see more and more everyday objects a whole new way.

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