[Emily]

I bought my nightstands from an auction and repainted them and added a transfer. No one else has these, as they are one of a kind. But what about daily things.

I have started saving glass jars for reuse for my dehydrated goods.

I am going to start mixing my own bleach spray instead of spending nearly 3-4 dollars each time, I can mix from a bulk bleach bottle much cheaper.

What else can I reuse?

[Kim]

I’m sure you know this, but be very careful when making cleaning sprays. Certain chemicals make poisonous gasses when combined. Bleach and ammonia make chloramine gas. Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar make a type of acid that is incredibly corrosive.

[Jeanne]

I have taught “Preventing Disease Transmission” for a few decades. Please be aware that when you dilute bleach for disinfecting purposed it is only good for 24 hours. The CDC has a document you can download on “Cleaning and Disinfecting in the Home”.

It is a 2-3 step process. Clean/scrub with soap and water (you can make that spray on and then scrub).

Then spray, swipe (DO NOT scrub with a disinfectant or it can’t work). Let the bleach water (1/3 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water) that you have used set for at least 10 minutes without touching it. Then you can leave it, let it air dray or rinse.

[GloriaLewis]

It’s not reusing, but I put a couple drops of dish soap with a tiny amount of bleach in the toilet to clean it. I haven’t bought toilet cleaner in yrs. I make my own bleach cleaner too. A bit of bleach I. A spray bottle with water and a few drops of dish soap (my clorox clean up). When our kids were little. Thr odd ball plastic dishes, a d the ones that had been nucked too much. Went to the sand box, the lids. make awesome frisbee.

[Mary]

I use flannel wipes I made for t.p when I go #1. Real tp for #2. Cut my tp usage way down. Use wash cloths for cleaning and hand towels instead of paper towels. Also made a different size flannel wipes that I use for Kleenex. Haven’t bought Kleenex in 7 years.

You can also make your own foaming hand soap. Either buy some soap with a foamer on it, or if you already have one once it runs out use liquid hand soap or shower gel and put a few tablespoons of it in the foamer bottle. Fill the rest of it with very warm water, put the foamer lid back on and shake gently. Let it sit for a bit to finish mixing and you have a full bottle of foaming hand soap for pennies.

[Patricia]

Make a spray cleaner from vinegar and citrus peels. Make vinegar from fruit and vegetable scraps.

[Evelyn]

I picked up a kids sandbox with cover that was put out for heavy trash pickup. It retails for 80.00. Nothing wrong with it except it needed a good cleaning. I put it on Marketplace that evening and made 25. I HATE to see things go to waste!

[Dee]

I repurposed a milk jug to water my plants. Made a few smaller holes on the top and its good for garden.

[Cindy]

Plastic sandwich bags. Wash them by hand w your regular dish soap and hang it on your drainer to dry. Voilia.. reused until they fall apart!

[Roxanne]

I reuse all plastic that comes my way. The smallest bags are used for cleaning up after my dogs during our walks, the next size up is for the small bathroom trashcan and the larger size for the kitchen trashcan. I’ve only bought trash bags once in 30 years.

I grow much of my produce and freeze what’s too ripe to add to smoothies.

Leftovers are either frozen for another day, eaten the following day or repurposed. I hate throwing away food and I only need to shop every 10-14 days.

[Deborah]

I cut up old towels, zig zagged the edges, and keep them in a basket by the kitchen sink. No more paper towels! I throw these in with tea towels and dishcloths and wash a load with bleach once a week.

[Pauline]

Eliminate paper towels. Purchase old towels at a thrift store (I got mine for 50 cents), cut them into needed sizes for dusting, cleaning, mopping floors. Then just toss in the wash and reuse. I get paper bags free at the grocery store to use for oils when I dry fish or potato fries. I hang dry my laundry instead of using the dryer. Hand wash dishes and use the water for plants. Happy repurposing

[Cindy]

Vinegar. Room spray for odors, laundry, cleaner, and cheap.

[Kelly]

I’ve tried to eliminate single use paper and plastic products as much as possible, because they are so bad for the environment. I had to invest in some reusable alternatives, which might not seem frugal at first, but in the long run has saved me money. Examples include reusable metal drinking straws, a menstrual cup, cloth menstrual pads, cloth napkins, a stainless steel water bottle, and reusable plastic containers to use in place of ziplock bags.

[Lorraine]

I buy industrial strength vinegar at 75% and dilute it myself to make cleaning vinegar at 6%. A quart of the 75% for about $24 makes about 6.25 gallons of cleaning vinegar. You can Google how to do the dilution.

[Author]

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