New Uses for Old Things

I have a subscription to Real Simple and each issue has a feature called "New Uses for Old Things."  In this month's issue, they suggest using a bobby pin to help get the toothpaste at the bottom of the tube squeezed up to the top or a safety pin to replace a broken zipper pull.  Other suggestions in past issues have been to use a wadded up piece of newspaper to remove odors in food containers; use a coffee filter to diffuse a camera flash; and use vinegar to kill weeds in the crack of a sidewalk or driveway.

So, after reading these articles over the past year, I've made a list of my own "New Uses for Old Things":

• Old coffee beans as vase fillers
• Egg crates or ice cube trays as a jewelry organizer
• I put a hanging shoe organizer over the hall closet door to keep track of scarfs, gloves, dog leashes, umbrellas, flash lights, etc.
• Use toothpaste as spackle (this was an old college apartment trick)
• Add a little Sprite or 7-Up to the water in a flower vase if your flowers didn't come with flower food
• Use steel wool to plug up holes that rodents crawl through to get into the house
• Pipe cleaner to remove pollen stains from clothes
• Paper clips as Christmas ornament hangers (this is an oldie but a goody)
• Altoid containers as pill boxes
• Line the perimeter of your garden or flower bed with human hair to keep pests from eating your plants (if you need extra hair, I always have plenty I could lend you)

What are some of your "New Uses for Old Things"?  Add them to the list!