Are you Bananas?!

Today's topic is bananas...there are so many things you can do with them! (not to mention that they are healthy for you and very yummy too!) So, what else you may ask can you do with bananas besides eat them? You can...

• Restore Shine to a Plant's Leaves
   Easily dust your houseplant by rubbing the inside of a banana peel on each leaf. Not only will it 
   remove dust, it will also leave the leaves even shiner than before.

• Great for Compost
   Mix dried banana peels in with the soil next time you plant something new; you'll give it the
   potassium and phosphorous it needs to grow beautifully.

• Help Dry Hair
  Mash a banana and mix with a teaspoon of almond or olive oil. Rub the mixture into your hair and
  scalp, and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse off and shampoo and condition as usual. You'll be surprised
  at the results!

• Great for Smoothies
  Use bananas instead of ice the next time you make a smoothie. Just freeze them overnight and your
  good to go!

Heres a banana peeling secret...when peeling bananas, peel from the bottom up. This will eliminate the banana "strings" you get when peeling from the top down.

Happy reusing and repurposing! If you have any great tips, I would love to hear them...just comment below! These tips came from my Who Knew? book

Milk...it does a body good!

This is a request from one of my Facebook fans asking "What are plastic milk gallon containers good for reusing?" Here you go Casandra....

• Yarn Dispenser: Cut the top of the milk container off just enough so a ball of yarn and your hand can fit into the hole. Once the ball of yarn is in take the end of the yarn and bring it through the handle of the milk jug. This is a great way to keep the yarn from getting tangled together! 

• Funnel:
  This is one of the easiest homemade funnels to make. All that you need to do is to cut off the bottom of the milk jug right below the handle, turn it upside down and pour.  

• Piggy Bank:
  With the lid on the top of the milk jug, cut a small slit opposite of the handle and drop in your change. You can even use markers, paint or stickers to decorate your piggy bank. 

• Plant Base:
  Instead of buying a potted plant base or saucer you can just off the bottom of the milk jug and place the pot inside. 

• Meat Separator:
  It’s never good to see your hamburger patties sticking together once they’ve been in the freezer. To prevent this from happening you can cut the milk container into small circles or squares and place them between the patties.

• Plastic Bag Dispenser:
  Cut a small hole across from the handle and then put in your plastic bags. You can take the bags out one by one from the hole whenever you need one.

• Toilet Bowl Brush/Plunger Holder:
  Cut a hole across from the handle that’s big enough for the toilet bowl cleaner or plunger to fit through.

• Dustpan:
  With the lid still on, turn the milk jug container upside down and cut the top off at an angle. This is a great alternative to traditional dustpans.
  
• Bird Feeder:
  Instead of buying an expensive bird feeder try making your own! Check out these Milk Jug Bird Feeder Instructions for an easy way to feed the birds. 
  
• Scooper: For an easy way to scoop up kitty litter, dirt or anything else, cut off the top of milk jug right above the handle. You can then hold onto the handle and scoop up whatever you need to.
  
  These tips are from http://www.greenstudentu.com/eco_lifestyle/10_tips_for_reusing_plastic_milk_jugs.aspx I hope you enjoyed these tips and if anyone would like to request anything else, just let me know!

Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil...can't live with it, can't live without it (just kidding, of course you can live with it...especially with all its different uses like....

• Before you begin a painting project, cover doorknobs, drawer pulls, etc. with aluminum foil. The foil easily molds to any shape and comes off when your done so you won't get any spills.

• To keep your silver from becoming tarnished, store it on top of a piece of aluminum foil. You can also wrap clean silverware in plastic wrap, then in foil, for tarnish-free long-term storage.

• You can also polish silver with aluminum foil, Line a pan with aluminum foil, add a tablespoon of salt, and fill with cold water. Add your silverware to the mix and let it sit for a few minutes before removing and rinsing. The aluminum acts as a catalyst for ion exchange, a process that will make the tarnish transfer from your silver to the salt bath.

• Covering your ironing board with foil before you iron your clothes will get them wrinkle-free twice as fast, saving you time and energy!

• If your houseplants aren't getting enough sun, maximize the amount of light they are getting by placing them on top of a table covered in foil (shiny side up). The foil will reflect the light, and your plants will thank you.

• If your household scissors are getting dull, sharpen them back up by cutting through several layers of aluminum foil at one time. It's that easy!

• When you're done grilling, place a large piece of aluminum foil over the entire top of your grill, then put the top back on and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The caked-on mess from the burgers and hot dogs will turn to ash.

• If your camping outside, place a long sheet of aluminum foil underneath sleeping bags to keep moisture from sinking into the fabric.

So much aluminum foil, so little time! These tips are great and theres a lot more thanks to my Who Knew? book. If you would like to see more tips, let me know by contacting me.

Are you a tech geek?

Well this next post is for you. I came across this gem website called Brit & Co. The title of this post is How to Repurpose Remote Controls into Tech-cessories.

 Remote Control Bangles

Remote Control Jewelry

Click here to go to her site to look at the tutorials on how to create it! What kind of technology will you repurpose?

Don't be framed...DIY!

I love to craft and do DIY projects..especially if it means re-purposing something. So when I came across this DIY project, I fell in love and had to share it. The post is called 18 Ways to Re-Purpose a Picture Frame.

Need to know what else to do with our picture frames? Instead of throwing them out, try some of these ideas...

 Pin Cushion

 Counter Top Organizer

Gift wrapping station

I love all these ideas and there are a lot more! Click here to go to the website. You can also click each one and go to the tutorial to learn how to do it! Happy DIY-ing!

When life gives you lemons...

(photo source)

...make a margarita! mmmm :) Todays post is about lemons and all the wonderful things you can do with them. Such as...

• Rub salt into a cutting board with a wedge of lemon to sanitize it
• Save your shower curtain (first wash in hot soapy water, then rub a wedge of lemon on to the stains and leave it in the sun to dry and the stains will disappear!)
• Refresh your lettuce! If you have wilted lettuce, submerge it in a bowl of cold water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and it will be as good as fresh
• Clean graters by rubbing the pulpy side of a lemon against the grater. For an extra abrasion, add a little salt.
• Lemon peels make an excellent glass cleaner , and will even give it an extra shine!
• Use lemon peels for kindling the next time you are making a fire. Your fire will burn longer too
• Stung by a bee or wasp? Rub the area with lemon juice to neutralize the venom.
• The next time you get a sore throat, gargle with one part lemon juice and one part warm water. Lemon helps fight bacteria and soothes your throat.
• Repel dandruff by using a little bit of lemon juice. Mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice with 2 cups warm water and pour over your head after you rinse with conditioner.
• Go blonde! If you have brown or dark blonde hair, you can add highlights with a lemons! Cut a slit into the middle of a quarter piece of lemon and while your hair is still wet, place a strand of  your hair in the slit, beginning at your scalp and running the wedge down to the tips of your hair. Sit outside in direct sunlight until your hair dries, and you'll have lovely blonde streaks. Repeat in one week to make the streaks even brighter.

My favorite idea is still the margarita! What will you do with a lemon?

All these facts are from of my trusty Who Knew? book.

Socialize and Furniture

Just made a Facebook and Twitter account! Click on the links on the right to 'like' and follow me. Don't forget to follow the blog too!


I found this website and I just had to share! The title is: 8 Inventive Ways to Repurpose Old Furniture. The title is pretty explains itself and I just love some of these projects! Take a look for yourself at http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement/8-inventive-ways-to-repurpose-old-furniture/

 Source of photos

Belly button lint vs Dryer lint

Whats the difference with belly button lint and dryer lint? You can re-purpose one of them! (can you guess which one?)

They always say to clean out your dryer so that the lint won't start a fire, so why not put it to good use and actually start a fire!

• Take some dryer lint (as much as you want).

• Get an empty toilet paper roll or an empty paper towel roll.

• Put the lint inside the roll

• Put in the fireplace, firepit or use it to start a bon fire.

The lint and card board are really flammable. You still need logs of course, this idea is just a fire-starter. Bonus tip: did you know that duct tape can also be used as a fire starter? Now you know!

PS. Belly button lint can't be re-purposed....please don't try to do so

Reuse...

You should never let things go to waste (or try not to). I have discoved some things to reuse (some on my own and some with help).

Women, we all know that organizing is key in the house so what to do you do with all those plastic grocery bags when you are done shopping? Throw them out? By a bag holder to store them in? No! You re-purpose something you already have like....an empty tissue box! I use this in my house and I got the idea from my husband. Put the grocery bags into the empty tissue box and keep them in places where you have a garbage can or where you know you are going to use the bag again. I keep one under the sink in the kitchen for when we need them, one in each bathroom under the sink or in the linen closet so when we take the garbage out, we replace it with another bag.

I've got more useful tips where that came from, but you will have to wait for the next post! Do you have any tips you would like to share? Email me or comment! Don't be shy!

Who Knew?

I get a lot of my tips from this great book that I have called Who Knew? It has 10,001 easy solutions to everyday problems. It is a great book and please e-mail me if you would like information about purchasing the book. Although, why would you want to buy it when you can get the info for free! I will be referencing this book a lot for my tips and tricks to reusing and re-purposing products.

Did you know vinegar can be used for a lot of other things besides putting on your salad? It can also be used for.....

• Removing labels (white vinegar works best)
• Burnt dinner? boil a cup of vinegar in 2 cups of water. The smell should be gone in 15 minutes!
• Rub vinegar on a sunburn to help your skin feel cooler
• Greasy hair? shampoo your hair as usual, rinse, then pour 1/4 cup vinegar over it and rinse again to get rid of greasy hair
• To get rid of corns, soak a band-aid in apple cider vinegar, and apply it to the corn for a day or two. Then finish by rubbing the corn with a clean pumice stone
• Use vinegar instead of fabric softener!

Did you know that in the Middle Ages, vinegar was thought to cure fever, snake bites, leprosy, and the plague. Who knew!

I have only given you 6 tips of how to use vinegar and believe me, there are A LOT more in this book! It has become my go-to book if I want to look something up that I know can be useful and if it will save me a trip to the store then it is worth it!

If you would like more tips on what else vinegar can be used for, please follow my blog (to stay up-to-date on all the reusing and re-purposing tips) and e-mail me and I shall give you more tips!

Remember to reuse and re-purpose whenever you can and if you have any more tips, please comment or email me and I would love to share them!

To Shampoo or Not To Shampoo?

This happens a lot...you go to the store to pick up some shampoo and when you use it, its not as great on your hair as you thought (sometimes the packaging is deceiving). So now you are stuck with this shampoo that you only used a few times, realizing it does nothing for your hair. You can either throw it out (if you want to waste the money) or you can re-purpose it! These are some beauty tips I found while cruising the internet.

Uses for your shampoo...

• Hand washing your delicates, such as pantyhose and underwear
• Hand soap
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Wash your make-up brushes or combs
• Wash dishes
• Clean mop heads and sponges
• Body wash
• Wash the car
• Cleaning the bathtub and sink  
  

As you can see, there are many ways to re-purpose the shampoo. And, if all else fails, you can always try to donate it. The site I stumbled upon was http://community.qvc.com/forums/Beauty-Banter/topic/319663/need-ideas-to-re-purpose-shampoo-that-i-hate.aspx

Remember to reuse and repurpose! If you have any other tips to share on this topic, please feel free to comment or e-mail me.